David Rance wrote:
On Fri, 10 Sep 2010 Timothy Murphy wrote:

Surely you buy tea based on the quality of the tea and not the bag they
put it in?

I think most civilised people drink loose leaf tea in Bodum glass
infusers.

Do they??? Then I must be uncivilised since I make my tea in an
old-fashioned teapot! A Bodum indeed! I know no-one who does such a
thing! Coffee yes, tea no.

Sadly it is becoming steadily more difficult to find loose leaf tea
in supermarkets.

I've never had problems finding loose leaf tea. I don't drink coffee so
I would be severely deprived if I couldn't find loose leaf tea.

Man after my own heart! Well, metaphorically, anyway...

I only drink tea from loose-leaves, and don't touch coffee. I've about
twenty five varieties of tea, and the infusion is nearly always in a
pot, though sometimes Japanese tea or Gunpowder is made in a mug, as
both can be infused three times, each infusion being finer than the
preceding one - except the first one, for obvious reasons.

Have a look at www.wilkinsonsofnorwich.com/

--
Rusty

Rusty Hinge wrote:
I have a couple of Bodum coffee infusers, now you have me wondering
whether they could be used for tea...

The tea infuser is a different beast to the coffee infuser.

You can get a rather excellent fine mesh ball (which opens at its
equator), either on a dingly-dangly chain, or on a 'press to open'
handle, so you can swish it about.

Wilkinson's (URL ^ up there) sell them

I think I bought some at Whittards some time back - I seem to remember
buying my nan a 'house' shaped one. Not sure why, she never drank tea, and
if she ever occasionally did, it wouldn't have been loose leaf.

Rusty Hinge wrote:
I dry them (to entertain the neighbours?) on my washing line, then, when
I feel like some mustard and cress, us them as mini growbags.

Oh, what a great idea. I may have to suggest it to the school garden
buddies group.

wrote:
Gordon H wrote:
I have a couple of Bodum coffee infusers, now you have me wondering
whether they could be used for tea...

The tea infuser is a different beast to the coffee infuser.

You can get a rather excellent fine mesh ball (which opens at its
equator), either on a dingly-dangly chain, or on a 'press to open'
handle, so you can swish it about.

Wilkinson's (URL ^ up there) sell them

--
Rusty

David in Normandy wrote:
On 12/09/2010 11:55, mogga wrote:

Have you written to Typhoo to ask them if they will change the bags?

I does seem odd that in these days of encouraging the use of
biodegradable materials that some manufacturers are going backwards in
this respect.

Unfortunately, the biodegradable ones seem to flavour the tea.

--
Rusty

On Tue, 14 Sep 2010 Rusty Hinge wrote:

David Rance wrote:

I've never had problems finding loose leaf tea. I don't drink coffee
so I would be severely deprived if I couldn't find loose leaf tea.

Man after my own heart! Well, metaphorically, anyway...

I only drink tea from loose-leaves, and don't touch coffee. I've about
twenty five varieties of tea, and the infusion is nearly always in a
pot, though sometimes Japanese tea or Gunpowder is made in a mug, as
both can be infused three times, each infusion being finer than the
preceding one - except the first one, for obvious reasons.

When I had 'flu some twenty-four years ago I was unable to drink tea
with milk in it so I took to drinking Darjeeling tea. I still drink
Darjeeling and I'm pleased to say that it is getting easier to find -
even in France!

Occasionally I treat myself and have some jasmine tea, though.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

wrote:
Rusty Hinge wrote:
I dry them (to entertain the neighbours?) on my washing line, then, when
I feel like some mustard and cress, us them as mini growbags.

Oh, what a great idea. I may have to suggest it to the school garden
buddies group.

They'll love it - and you don't get bits of peat amongst the vegetation.

--
Rusty

This will make Rusty cringe ...

Many years ago, the shop on my way to work stopped selling half pints of milk. So I worked my way ins succession through various solutions:

1) buy a pint every two days and try to keep it fresh without a fridge
2) carry milk in from home - lots of trouble with leaking screwtop bottles
3) moved over to lemons - but fresh lemons were too expensive
4) plastic lemon (don't ask)

Finally, I found I could enjoy lapsang souchong without milk or lemon, so I went over to that.

Now, I can drink any kind of tea without milk, and find it very difficult to drink with milk. But I've gone over to lapsang teabags because leaves aren't sold locally and I don't want a 10 mile trip into town every time I need to stock up on tea.

I don't like the 'little ball on a chain' type infuser - they don't seem to give the leaves enough room - but then I'm talking about lapsang leaves, which are of the dimensions of shredded cabbage. Ordinary tea may be better.

Rusty Hinge wrote:
I dry them (to entertain the neighbours?) on my washing line, then, when
I feel like some mustard and cress, us them as mini growbags.

Oh, what a great idea. I may have to suggest it to the school garden
buddies group.

They'll love it - and you don't get bits of peat amongst the vegetation.

I can just see them nipping into the staff room after break and washing out
the teabags ..

kay wrote:

This will make Rusty cringe ...

Many years ago, the shop on my way to work stopped selling half pints of
milk. So I worked my way ins succession through various solutions:

1) buy a pint every two days and try to keep it fresh without a fridge

Half a pint of milk a day? You make tea for the firm? A pint generally
lasts me a week to ten days.

2) carry milk in from home - lots of trouble with leaking screwtop
bottles

Use bottles intended for drinks - fruit juice ones especially. I've
taken those (with fruit juice - pomegranate, blueberry/apple etc) from
Norfolk to Hants, and from Norfolk to Cheshire (and vice versa) on both
coach and train, and never spilt a drop - except down my neck. (inside
it...)

3) moved over to lemons - but fresh lemons were too expensive

Buy a lemon tree, or better, a limonello, which has lemmings only a
little larger than a pigeon's egg.

4) plastic lemon (don't ask)

I will, in a jif.

Plastic lemmings taste of sulphur dioxide.

Finally, I found I could enjoy lapsang souchong without milk or lemon,
so I went over to that.

Very good, but a slice of lemon tends to attract most of the brown
deposit which otherwise decorates the inside of your cup.

Now, I can drink any kind of tea without milk, and find it very
difficult to drink with milk. But I've gone over to lapsang teabags
because leaves aren't sold locally and I don't want a 10 mile trip into
town every time I need to stock up on tea.

http://www.wilkinsonsofnorwich.com/

I don't like the 'little ball on a chain' type infuser - they don't seem
to give the leaves enough room - but then I'm talking about lapsang
leaves, which are of the dimensions of shredded cabbage. Ordinary tea
may be better.

The correct size (it splits on the circumference, and looks like two
strainers, snogging) is only half-filled with leaves. After a about two
minuets you do the hokey-kokey with it, (in, out, in out, and shake it
all about...)

I have veggie (and riceball) thingies which would molish tea for the
regiment innit.

--
Rusty

In article ,
Rusty Hinge wrote:
kay wrote:

This will make Rusty cringe ...

Many years ago, the shop on my way to work stopped selling half pints of
milk. So I worked my way ins succession through various solutions:

1) buy a pint every two days and try to keep it fresh without a fridge

Half a pint of milk a day? You make tea for the firm? A pint generally
lasts me a week to ten days.

A pint lasts me scarcely a day, but I - shock! horror! - also drink
the stuff, neat. A terrible vice, I know.

4) plastic lemon (don't ask)

I will, in a jif.

Plastic lemmings taste of sulphur dioxide.

You can buy lemming juice in small bottles that is a lot better.

Finally, I found I could enjoy lapsang souchong without milk or lemon,
so I went over to that.

Very good, but a slice of lemon tends to attract most of the brown
deposit which otherwise decorates the inside of your cup.

I don't like those fancy teas much, so stick with plain gunpowder or
Japanese when drinking green tea. But I do like mint tea, as in
Morocco.

I don't like the 'little ball on a chain' type infuser - they don't seem
to give the leaves enough room - but then I'm talking about lapsang
leaves, which are of the dimensions of shredded cabbage. Ordinary tea
may be better.

The correct size (it splits on the circumference, and looks like two
strainers, snogging) is only half-filled with leaves. After a about two
minuets you do the hokey-kokey with it, (in, out, in out, and shake it
all about...)

What's wrong with a traditional teapot? That's what I use.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Rusty Hinge wrote:
kay wrote:

This will make Rusty cringe ...

Many years ago, the shop on my way to work stopped selling half
pints of milk. So I worked my way ins succession through various
solutions: 1) buy a pint every two days and try to keep it fresh
without a
fridge

Half a pint of milk a day? You make tea for the firm? A pint generally
lasts me a week to ten days.

I'd have expected Rusty to come up with an ingenious suggestion
involving the passive use of latent heat of vaporisation. Wouldn't a
bot. of milk last in most weathers if draped with a wet cloth? Or maybe
covered with an upside-down trerracotta pot standing in water (mimicking
a purpose-made thing one used to be able to buy*); or in an old-fangled
meat safe. For their holiday caravan my parents had a neat variation on
the "Koolgardie Safe": an "Osokool", which was a little metal cupboard
clad, it seemed, with plaster of Paris, with a shallow depression in the
top which one filled with water.

*On reflection, you might well find one in one of the junk shops now
self-styled "antique shops".

--
Mike.

wrote:

What's wrong with a traditional teapot? That's what I use.

Nothing - that's what *I* use. Howsomedever, in certain environments
it's easier to cope with the used leaves if they're in captivity.

--
Rusty

Mike Lyle wrote:
Rusty Hinge wrote:

Half a pint of milk a day? You make tea for the firm? A pint generally
lasts me a week to ten days.

I'd have expected Rusty to come up with an ingenious suggestion
involving the passive use of latent heat of vaporisation. Wouldn't a
bot. of milk last in most weathers if draped with a wet cloth?

Yes, but not long, though.

Or maybe
covered with an upside-down trerracotta pot standing in water (mimicking
a purpose-made thing one used to be able to buy*);

You still can.

or in an old-fangled
meat safe. For their holiday caravan my parents had a neat variation on
the "Koolgardie Safe": an "Osokool", which was a little metal cupboard
clad, it seemed, with plaster of Paris, with a shallow depression in the
top which one filled with water.

*On reflection, you might well find one in one of the junk shops now
self-styled "antique shops".

We had an Osocool at the chalet in East Mersea. Better than nothing, but
not a patch on an eclectic refrigerator.

Or even a gas one.

A very well-kitted neighbour had a thermosyphon one which ran on paraffin.

--
Rusty

In article ,
Rusty Hinge wrote:

We had an Osocool at the chalet in East Mersea. Better than nothing, but
not a patch on an eclectic refrigerator.

Or even a gas one.

A very well-kitted neighbour had a thermosyphon one which ran on paraffin.

Those were a right pain in the arse. The slightest problem and they
kept their contents warm rather than cold.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.