Loose leaves in cup
mrmuddywaters
I mean, have a teabag without a bag, just the leaves in the cup.
Afterwards do you drink the leaves or...?
Is drinking leaves safe?
Will it damage the taste?
Why don't I just try this myself and find out? Good question.
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David E Newton
>
> Does anyone put loose leaves in their cup?
>
> I mean, have a teabag without a bag, just the leaves in the cup.
> Afterwards do you drink the leaves or...?
>
> Is drinking leaves safe?
>
> Will it damage the taste?
Well, for me, it depends on the tea. I know if I go for sushi and have
green tea, it is often given like this. Similarly, with Jasmine and Mint
etc, I don't really have any problems. In fact, I like the increase in
stength of mint as you get to the bottom, and have had it served this
way in (cheap) Lebanese and Chinese places.
Genmaicha, with it's popcorny bits, is nice to eat at the end too!
I would draw the line at 'normal' tea, as the tannin gets very bitter
and stewed towards the end. This is my personal preference, as I don't
like my tea too strong anyway.
So, for black tea, *I* would say, for me, it *does* damage the taste.
As to whether it's safe, I have no idea. Probably roughly as safe as
drinking tea would be my guess(!).
>
> Why don't I just try this myself and find out? Good question.
Yeah, OK.
--
David E Newton
http://www.yoyo.org/~den
d...@yoyo.org
Richard
much hassle when I only want one cup. It takes a bit of practice to be able
to drink the tea without getting a mouthful of leaves, especially when there
are little twigs floating around on the surface! (Twinings Lapsang Souchong)
I wouldn't eat the leaves - it'd be like chewing paper, and anyway, humans
can't digest cellulose so I can't imagine it'd be that healthy either. As
for the taste of the tea, there might be a very slight improvement in the
rate of infusion without the bag, but I can't say I've ever noticed a
difference.
--
Richard
[ http://sitesentry.virtualave.net/
[ the ultimate guide to all those
[ get-paid-to-surf sites out there
mrmuddywaters <venusbas...@excite.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:00639430...@usw-ex0107-041.remarq.com...
> Does anyone put loose leaves in their cup?
>
> I mean, have a teabag without a bag, just the leaves in the cup.
> Afterwards do you drink the leaves or...?
>
> Is drinking leaves safe?
>
> Will it damage the taste?
>
> Why don't I just try this myself and find out? Good question.
>
>
brite star
variety built up I enjoy a pinch or so fresh leaves in the cup , the
taste is more intense....& just more of a treat! I eat most of the
leaves except the coarse kuki-cha & bancha... - jim -
Neal Wesley Williams
directly from the gaiwan -- I decant it into another cup or into a chahai,
then into cup(s). I don't like sucking up leaves while I sip my tea.
On the other hand, some of the display teas are nice to put directly into
the drinking cup, though they are usually tied together and don't present
the problems that a loose-leaf tea would.
N.
Wembley
> I always dump the leaves straight into the cup because a teapot is just
too
> much hassle when I only want one cup.
I've found that the strainer for my Chatsworth teapot is *exactly* the
right size for my favourite mug. Which means it hardly ever actuall rests in
the pot anymore.
Wembley.
TeaNTravel
to give flavor to cookies, vegetables, even poultry.
Cheers,
Christina
Richard
any feedback on the Bodum Assam? Looks like the same principle as the more
traditional pot, in a more modern glass-and-plastic design.
Wembley <wembley@........eidosnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:85j45u$123t$1...@quince.news.easynet.net...
Michael Niemeck
>
> Good idea... I might look into that. Speaking of which, does anyone have
> any feedback on the Bodum Assam? Looks like the same principle as the more
> traditional pot, in a more modern glass-and-plastic design.
>
It's not *exactly* the same principle, since the Bodum pot only squishes
the leaves, pressing the water out of them, but leaves them in the pot
(Just as the Bodum coffe pots do BTW). If, and how much, they still
continue infusing when squished is another thing, but I have no info
about that.
My personal advice, if you can get a Chatsford pot, go for it. I have
two, and am very happy with them.
Mike
Elizabeth Anne
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Neal Wesley Williams
it directly into drinking cups. I use a chahai whenever I brew tea in a
Yixing pot or a gaiwan, because the drinking cup I use can't hold the entire
contents of the teapot or gaiwan.
I bought my chahai (150 ml capacity) from Brian Wright of Shan Shui Teas:
www.shanshuiteas.com. He has several in stock at the moment, though they
are all 250 ml capacity, except for one of 175 ml capacity, which is being
sold along with a tea canister as a set.
On his website, Brian also states that many people use a chahai for cooling
boiled water to the appropriate temperature when brewing green tea.
N.
Elizabeth Anne <teatime...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:18411-38...@storefull-125.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
cwam...@nmsu.edu
> > Good idea... I might look into that. Speaking of which, does anyone
have
> > any feedback on the Bodum Assam? Looks like the same principle as
the more
> > traditional pot, in a more modern glass-and-plastic design.
I have both a Chatsford (got it as a Christmas present) and a Bodum
Assam (which I've used for several years). I like both, but I must say
that I'm starting to use the Chatsford more now -- not sure if it's the
newness, or if I just like it better. My bodum is also larger, so I
tend to use it when I'm brewing for more than one or two people...but
when it's just me in the morning, I use my smaller chatsford.
BTW, I'm surprised at just how much I like having two pots of different
sizes!
In my opinion, the tea tastes the same. What is different has more to
do with technique and presentation. Here's my comparison, FWIW.
Pro Bodum:
^^^^^^^^^^
1. I like the bodum when I actually want to see the tea -- if the color
of the tea is important (with some of my teas, for instance, I know
when they're done by the color), then I use the bodum. There's also a
nice visual experience...I like to be able to see the caramels and
oranges and tans as they brew.
2. The Chatsford is a bit messier, since you have to remove the tea
strainer and sit it somewhere outside of the pot (on a dish or in the
sink). That means that I'm brewing the tea in the kitchen, then moving
the pot to wherever I'm taking tea. The bodum can be used right at the
table, since you don't have to remove the tea...you just plunge then
sip. Of course, in the end, you still need to remove the leaves and
discard them, no matter which pot you're using.
3. I like the cork pad the bodum sits on -- insulating my tabletop from
the pot's heat.
Pro Chatsford:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1. Pouring the water into the pot is much easier -- I just pour and it's
filled. With the Bodum, it's a bit of a pour and pause game (the filter
doesn't have as many holes, so the water drains more slowly into the
pot).
2. It is also much much easier to decaf the tea in a Chatsford (a big
bonus when I want a cup of tea in the evening, but still want to be able
to sleep that night). As you may have read here before, you can remove
most of the caffeine in a pot of tea by steeping the leaves for 30
seconds then pouring off the water and then brewing the tea as normal.
With the Chatsford, I just fill the pot partway then pull the basket out
and dump the water, then refill and brew as normal. The bodum is
designed to hold the tea in place, so the bottom of the basket doesn't
have any holes -- therefore you have to fill the entire pot for those 30
seconds (in order for the leaves to get any water). And...draining the
water out of the bottom of the strainer is difficult.
3. I have a brown betty chatsford -- which nicely hides the tea stains.
Bodums, being glass, get stained and cloudy very fast.
4. The Chatsford just feels more cozy somehow. It reminds me of taking
tea with my grandmother, and I like that.
5. I think that the tea stays warm longer in the Chatsford -- the
pottery is thicker than glass, so I suppose that's why.
Hope my comparison helps,
cindy
+++
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
David E Newton
>
> Richard schrieb:
> >
> > Good idea... I might look into that. Speaking of which, does anyone have
> > any feedback on the Bodum Assam? Looks like the same principle as the more
> > traditional pot, in a more modern glass-and-plastic design.
> >
>
> the leaves, pressing the water out of them, but leaves them in the pot
> (Just as the Bodum coffe pots do BTW). If, and how much, they still
> continue infusing when squished is another thing, but I have no info
> about that.
The Bodums filter has holes in it (of course), but the holes only extend
until the last inch or so of the filter. Therefore, when you have the
plunger right down, there is NO MORE infusion.
>
> My personal advice, if you can get a Chatsford pot, go for it. I have
> two, and am very happy with them.
Whittard's in the UK (there is a mail order web site) usually sell the
same kind of cups with filter liners in them like the teapots
David M. Harris
pot, with a wider rim so it works with a variety of cup sizes. Upton's carries
it, and probably other places as well.
dmh
Richard wrote:
> Good idea... I might look into that. Speaking of which, does anyone have
> any feedback on the Bodum Assam? Looks like the same principle as the more
> traditional pot, in a more modern glass-and-plastic design.
>
Richard
chose from, and it's difficult to go anywhere in Oxford without walking past
at least one of them. Today I saw that they'd knocked their Bodum Assam
pots down to a mere 10GBP, so I snapped one up: so far so good!
Cindy mentioned the usefulness of having two sizes, and in case anyone's
interested, I also saw that there's a sort of 'mini' Assam that looks as
though it'd make about one cup. Chatsford have several sizes on offer too,
but I liked the modern look of the Assam.
Thanks again for everyone's help with this thread.
Richard
cwam...@nmsu.edu
"Richard" <-@-.-> wrote:
> ...well, we lucky tea-drinking students have _two_ branches of
Whittard's to
> chose from, and it's difficult to go anywhere in Oxford without
walking past
> at least one of them. Today I saw that they'd knocked their Bodum
Assam
> pots down to a mere 10GBP, so I snapped one up: so far so good!
Quite a deal! You'll have to let us know what you think after you've
used it for a while. How nice to be so close to Whittard's -- I've
always wanted to take tea in Oxford...maybe some day...
> Cindy mentioned the usefulness of having two sizes, and in case
anyone's
> interested, I also saw that there's a sort of 'mini' Assam that looks
as
> though it'd make about one cup. Chatsford have several sizes on offer
too,
> but I liked the modern look of the Assam.
Just a quick note: the small bodum assam is what got me started on my
loose leaf tea drinking...gosh, I guess it's been about 4 years now.
I'd drunk tea for years (my grandmother saw to that), but always the
bagged varieties.
A local coffee house featured quite a few Republic of Tea choices,
served in a small assam. Unfortunately, after about a year they
switched to another pot (sort of a thermos thing, plastic, and it merely
strains the leaves when you pour...so you can't remove the leaves before
the tea gets bitter) -- they had too many problems with the assams
breaking, and it was getting costly for them. Between the business of
the coffee/teahouse, the crowded nature of the tables and customers with
schoolbooks/backpacks, and the aggressiveness of industry
dishwashers...well, the bodums didn't have a chance.
I have heard from others on this newsgroup that some of the bodums don't
work as well -- I think these are the cheaper, non-assam pots. The
strainers crack after a year or two, and they don't have the notch to
line up with the spount to keep things from dribbling (make sure you see
that notch in the strainer and line it up with the spout -- makes a big
difference).
cindy
++++++++++++
Wembley
> ...well, we lucky tea-drinking students have _two_ branches of Whittard's
to
> chose from, and it's difficult to go anywhere in Oxford without walking
past
> at least one of them. Today I saw that they'd knocked their Bodum Assam
> pots down to a mere 10GBP, so I snapped one up: so far so good!
Cripes! I'll have to troll into town and see if Whittards have any here
too (We also have two Whittards in Bath - and a superb tea and coffee
merchant in the town market - Gillards)
> Cindy mentioned the usefulness of having two sizes, and in case anyone's
> interested, I also saw that there's a sort of 'mini' Assam that looks as
> though it'd make about one cup. Chatsford have several sizes on offer
too,
> but I liked the modern look of the Assam.
The mini-Chatsford pot is sweet as well - I also recently found an even
more hassle-free tea ball for the terminally lazy - it's got a sprung handle
and opens with a crocodile action when the handle is squeezed - makes
filling it and emptying it a joy.
Wembley.
Richard
Then again, they might still have a few tucked away somewhere...
R
Jonathan Kandell
from Specialteas. It's made of metal instead of nylon (no taste with either), but
has a great lid to catch the drip. The biggest problem with the Chatsford is what
to do with it once you've taken it out of the cup.
jk
Lewis Perin
> I own the Chatsford cup strainer, but I recommend a german
> alternative available from Specialteas. It's made of metal instead
> of nylon (no taste with either), but has a great lid to catch the
> drip. The biggest problem with the Chatsford is what to do with it
> once you've taken it out of the cup.
I just checked the Specialteas site. They identify their strainer's
metal as stainless steel but the picture makes it look as if there are
plastic panels too. Is this true?
/Lew
--
Lew Perin / pe...@mail.med.cornell.edu / pe...@acm.org
www.panix.com/~perin/
David M. Harris
Jonathan Kandell wrote:
> I own the Chatsford cup strainer, but I recommend a german alternative available
> from Specialteas. It's made of metal instead of nylon (no taste with either), but
> has a great lid to catch the drip. The biggest problem with the Chatsford is what
> to do with it once you've taken it out of the cup.
>
My Chatsford, recently purchased from Upton's, came with a plastic cup in which it
sits when not in the teacup.
dmh
Neal Wesley Williams
holder for the infuser basket once it's removed. Of course the mug brews
just one cup at a time.
N.
Jonathan Kandell <jkan...@u.arizona.edu> wrote in message
news:3885E801...@u.arizona.edu...
> I own the Chatsford cup strainer, but I recommend a german alternative
available
> from Specialteas. It's made of metal instead of nylon (no taste with
either), but
> has a great lid to catch the drip. The biggest problem with the Chatsford
is what
> to do with it once you've taken it out of the cup.
>