There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?

Good question:

I experimented with different things in the past, just let me mention
some of them:
- brushing teeth with baking powder/ seasalt
- some fruit juices, diluted with water seemed to help too
- chewing on a tablespoon of olive oil for 15 minutes each morning
after getting up (google for instructions, many people do it), works
excellent for smokers, like me
- using a tonguebrush in the morning was pretty efficient too ...

.... but then I'm soo lazy

PS: some professional tasters and tasting students in Kolkata prepare
themselves for extensive tasting sessions (300-500+cups) 4 days in
advance by drinking lots of very strong, adstringent tea. Each of the
following days they drink less and less strong tea so their palates are
in shape when they need them.
Now I wonder how that's supposed to work ...

Karsten / Darjeeling



Ferris92 wrote:
> There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
> teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
> almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
> palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
> Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
> does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
> made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?

Good question:

I experimented with different things myself in the past, just let me
mention some of them:
- brushing teeth with baking powder/ seasalt
- some fruit juices, diluted with water seemed to help
- chewing on a tablespoon of olive oil for 15 minutes each morning
after getting up (google for
instructions, many people do it), works excellent for smokers, like me
- using a tonguebrush in the morning was pretty efficient too ...

.... but then I'm soo lazy

PS: some professional tasters and tasting students in Kolkata prepare
themselves for extensive tasting sessions (300-500+cups) 4 days in
advance by drinking lots of very strong, adstringent tea. Each of the
following days they drink less and less strong tea so their palates are
in shape when they need them.
Now I wonder how that's supposed to work ...

Karsten / Darjeeling



Ferris92 wrote:
> There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
> teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
> almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
> palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
> Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
> does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
> made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?

Ferris92 wrote:
> There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
> teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
> almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
> palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
> Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
> does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
> made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?

I have found that "one" bite of a salty snack helps me with this. For
example I might eat "one" wheat thin or pretzel or something similar. I
find that plain basic grain snacks without any cheese or other
seasonings tend to work the best for me.

Mike
www.pu-erh.net

Wash down any undesired taste with the first cup, repeat as needed,
enjoy the next cup. Big Red Robe is known as a grease cutter which
means more pizza not more tea taste.

Jim

Ferris92 wrote:
> There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
> teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
> almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
> palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
> Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
> does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
> made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?

I was going to make the same suggestion
basically. That first cup ought to pave the
way for the next and the next and the next,
assuming lots of steeps. Mike's suggestion
about salt and grain in moderation without
added yummies might work just fine, but
I shy away from it.

Michael

> Wash down any undesired taste with the first cup, repeat as needed,
> enjoy the next cup. Big Red Robe is known as a grease cutter which
> means more pizza not more tea taste.
> Jim
>
> Ferris92 wrote:
>> There are some teas that are obviously very subtle (even ephermeral),
>> teas that if drank after a slice of pizza or a spicy meal would be
>> almost indiscernable. Is there any food or technique that "clears" the
>> palate? This evening, for example, I had a cup of an Oolong (Big Red
>> Robe) and I know that it didn't taste as full and complex as it usually
>> does (steeping time and tea amount was what I usually do). It almost
>> made the tea not worth drinking. Is there any way to get around this?
>

this is gonna sound weird, but a sip of warm (not hot) coffee will do the
trick.

Ever wonder why they have little cups full of coffee beans at the perfume
counter? It's cuz hte smell of coffee clears the olefactory sensors, and
sipping it clears the palate.

On Tue, 10 Jan 2006 01:04:30 GMT, "Barky Bark"
> wrote:

>this is gonna sound weird, but a sip of warm (not hot) coffee will do the
>trick.
>
>Ever wonder why they have little cups full of coffee beans at the perfume
>counter? It's cuz hte smell of coffee clears the olefactory sensors, and
>sipping it clears the palate.
>


Interesting, indeed! I will have to try this. I assume it is weak
coffee , right?

Mike Petro
http://www.pu-erh.net

More tea.

Seriously.

The first sip of tea is a throwaway.

I don't get the real flavor until many sips into a cup. Sometimes it
peaks only after the 3rd cup.

Now, if you're talking a serious palate skewing, you may not get to a
decent place to drink a subtle tea. It can take hours for capsaicin to
dissipate, for instance.

So keep drinking beer like the rest of us.

Makes me wonder what tea most Indians drink, considering that Indian
food is full of strong, long-half-life spices...

--Blair

> Interesting, indeed! I will have to try this. I assume it is weak
> coffee , right?

yes, straight, black, bland, generally weak coffee. swish in mouth.

Coffee, even if it is weak coffee, swishing it in the mouth will
'contaminate' the taste, not clean out the previous tates. Smelling coffee
beans, or tabacco, do clears the olfactory sensors, but having them in the
mouth is a different story.

How many of us have asked for a sweet or a piece of gum after drinking
coffee? & Why?


"Barky Bark" > wrote in message
m...
> this is gonna sound weird, but a sip of warm (not hot) coffee will do the
> trick.
>
> Ever wonder why they have little cups full of coffee beans at the perfume
> counter? It's cuz hte smell of coffee clears the olefactory sensors, and
> sipping it clears the palate.
>
>

Mike 1/9/06


> On Tue, 10 Jan 2006 01:04:30 GMT, "Barky Bark"
> > wrote:
>
>> this is gonna sound weird, but a sip of warm (not hot) coffee will do the
>> trick.
>>
>> Ever wonder why they have little cups full of coffee beans at the perfume
>> counter? It's cuz hte smell of coffee clears the olefactory sensors, and
>> sipping it clears the palate.
>>
>
>
> Interesting, indeed! I will have to try this. I assume it is weak
> coffee , right?
>
> Mike Petro
> http://www.pu-erh.net

Hi guys,

I recommend a little cup of hot water.
This is not a joke, it's what my friends
here do. Something inside of me balks
at the idea of using coffee to clear the
palate.

Michael

In article .com>,
>
>Makes me wonder what tea most Indians drink, considering that Indian
>food is full of strong, long-half-life spices...

Masala tea. Imagine cheap assam, steeped very long, and full of strong
long-half-life spices. It's best with lots of clove and cardamom, I think.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In Memorandum here is some information I gleaned from an Indian grocery
I frequented
over the past ten years. I found out after New Year it had closed in
the past couple of months. I knew the couple were getting old and
planning on moving back to India. The name of the Assam is Mamri. If
it were anymore malty you could make a beer from it. Commercial tea
masala is black pepper,ginger,clove,cinnamon,cardamon,nutmeg. You will
see packaging called Seven Spices. It is tea masala plus star anise if
you like Chai with licorice flavor which is my favorite. I like anise
Chai with Indian foods because it cools the mouth. The regular Indian
teas make your mouth feel like it has been pricked by pins with achars.

Jim

PS: There goes my source for frozen Roti, Nan, Chapatti.

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> In article .com>,
> >
> >Makes me wonder what tea most Indians drink, considering that Indian
> >food is full of strong, long-half-life spices...
>
> Masala tea. Imagine cheap assam, steeped very long, and full of strong
> long-half-life spices. It's best with lots of clove and cardamom, I think.
> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Scott /10/06

> In article .com>,
>>
>> Makes me wonder what tea most Indians drink, considering that Indian
>> food is full of strong, long-half-life spices...
>
> Masala tea. Imagine cheap assam, steeped very long, and full of strong
> long-half-life spices. It's best with lots of clove and cardamom, I think.
> --scott

It cuts through some of the hottest, most burning foods I've ever eaten, and
I've eaten many; and it's delicious exactly as Scott describes it, full of
milk and jagary (sp?). Brings back memories. Yum.

Michael

On Tue, 10 Jan 2006 10:14:10 -0500, Scott Dorsey wrote:

> In article .com>,
>>
>>Makes me wonder what tea most Indians drink, considering that Indian food
>>is full of strong, long-half-life spices...
>
> Masala tea. Imagine cheap assam, steeped very long, and full of strong
> long-half-life spices. It's best with lots of clove and cardamom, I
> think. --scott

Having returned from India three days ago, let me add: "Sugar. Lots
and lots of sugar. With a bit of sugar added to taste."

Joss

Space Cowboy > wrote:
>In Memorandum here is some information I gleaned from an Indian grocery
>I frequented
>over the past ten years. I found out after New Year it had closed in
>the past couple of months. I knew the couple were getting old and
>planning on moving back to India. The name of the Assam is Mamri. If
>it were anymore malty you could make a beer from it. Commercial tea
>masala is black pepper,ginger,clove,cinnamon,cardamon,nutmeg. You will
>see packaging called Seven Spices. It is tea masala plus star anise if
>you like Chai with licorice flavor which is my favorite. I like anise
>Chai with Indian foods because it cools the mouth. The regular Indian
>teas make your mouth feel like it has been pricked by pins with achars.

The commercial masalas are all different, but what you describe sounds
about right for the Laxmi Spices brand. Theirs is really much heavier
on the black pepper than I prefer. That's the thing about these... they
are all done to taste, and there are considerable differences from one
to another.

Star anise sounds like a good idea... I should try that this weekend.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

When it comes to Chai masala everybody has their own blends just like
curry. I quoted Laxmi Spices because it has the words tea masala on
the packaging and it's the only one I see locally. I like the black
pepper doing winter because of the warmth. I like star anise during
the summer because of the cooling. My guests commented about the look
on my face when I took them to a store that no longer exists. Not to
worry I took them to an Arabic store with an even better selection of
Indian masala.

Jim

Scott Dorsey wrote:
> Space Cowboy > wrote:
> >In Memorandum here is some information I gleaned from an Indian grocery
> >I frequented
> >over the past ten years. I found out after New Year it had closed in
> >the past couple of months. I knew the couple were getting old and
> >planning on moving back to India. The name of the Assam is Mamri. If
> >it were anymore malty you could make a beer from it. Commercial tea
> >masala is black pepper,ginger,clove,cinnamon,cardamon,nutmeg. You will
> >see packaging called Seven Spices. It is tea masala plus star anise if
> >you like Chai with licorice flavor which is my favorite. I like anise
> >Chai with Indian foods because it cools the mouth. The regular Indian
> >teas make your mouth feel like it has been pricked by pins with achars.
>
> The commercial masalas are all different, but what you describe sounds
> about right for the Laxmi Spices brand. Theirs is really much heavier
> on the black pepper than I prefer. That's the thing about these... they
> are all done to taste, and there are considerable differences from one
> to another.
>
> Star anise sounds like a good idea... I should try that this weekend.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

It's funy that you mention this. I grabbed a couple pieces of leftover
pizza in the office before having a cup, and I must say, not a great
pairing... Probably the best bets are time and maybe water or milk.
Milk has kind of a coating action and seems to bond with and clear out
flavors. I used to work in a Chili restaraunt that served "firebrand"
chili that was so hot, if you ate a whole bowl, you got your name on
the wall. ANyway, milk, or even buttermilk were preferred drinks. Water
just spread the hot around. I'm thinking milk would be a good purge
before delicate tea also.

Justin Holmes wrote:
> Probably the best bets are time and maybe water or milk.
> Milk has kind of a coating action and seems to bond with and clear out
> flavors. I used to work in a Chili restaraunt that served "firebrand"
> chili that was so hot, if you ate a whole bowl, you got your name on
> the wall. ANyway, milk, or even buttermilk were preferred drinks. Water
> just spread the hot around. I'm thinking milk would be a good purge
> before delicate tea also.

Capsaicin dissolves in fats. Milk, being about 4% fat, would be a good
palliative.

May explain Thai iced tea, with the sugar and the cream in it.

But here's the rub: the pH of tea is about 4 to about 6.5. Similar
for milk itself. And a slightly acidic environment like that will
exacerbate the effect of capsaicin. So what the milk doesn't remove
from your tissues would be enhanced by both the milk and the tea...

What kind of spice did they use in that Firebrand chili?

--Blair