Ah, @Marsupial - I failed to read the whole of your post and, seeing as you are a marsupial, I went searching for Murchies tea in Victoria, Australia. Never mind: a local company called Tea Leaves has all the varieties I want.
I have quoted this before aboard Ship and will do so again as it is apposite.
An old friend knew someone who grew up on a tea plantation at the time of the Raj.
One day, Gandhi visited the plantation to see the working conditions of the workers. Her parents invited Gandhi for tea and sat nervously as the great man sat inscrutably in his loincloth sipping his cup as the news reporters crowded round.
'You know,' the Mahatma eventually opined. 'There are three essential ingredients to the perfect cup of tea ...'
The press-pack and her parents leaned in expectantly. Her father held his breath. Would the great man say something he could use as a marketing slogan.
After a pregnant pause, Gandhi continued, 'Milk, water and sugar ...'
Re Murchies in Victoria, B.C., Canada. On the bricks outside the shop where people walk by, there are names of some of important local historical figures inscribed. I am proud that my great great grandfather's name is on one of them right outside the store. Allegedly he had a tea blend made in his name. Murchies could not tell me anything about it unfortunately.
So lovely. The monkeys are dancing waltzes with angels on my tongue while singing elegant hymns of harmony which soothe my troubled, tired spirit (my father died 2 wks ago). Tea is one of those things which can make me believe in God: there's such beauty and truth within. (Always wondered why Jesus chose wine and not tea for his Big Demo.)
NPNP your Golden Monkey seems to be a similar blend to one called Grand Yunnan which I enjoyed for breakfast this morning along with a toasted English muffin and homemade blood orange marmalade. The blend used to be stocked by the Australian chain T2 but has disappeared in favour of blends adulterated with all sorts of ingredients. We have only one other specialist tea shop in our region, so I'll have to investigate their range, as my stock is running low.
NPNP your Golden Monkey seems to be a similar blend to one called Grand Yunnan which I enjoyed for breakfast this morning along with a toasted English muffin and homemade blood orange marmalade. The blend used to be stocked by the Australian chain T2 but has disappeared in favour of blends adulterated with all sorts of ingredients. We have only one other specialist tea shop in our region, so I'll have to investigate their range, as my stock is running low.
We have that chain here too and I am less than impressed with the weird things they adulterate tea with. Also their sales people are pushy. We do have a local shop that specialises in tea, and Ballantynes, Christchurch's posh department store, also have a range of teas. I bought Lady Grey Tea there.
This morning is a Lapsang Souchong morning - although the sun is now out after a blustery rainsquall earlier, there is an Antarctic blast generating about 10 degrees of wind chill, so the feels-like is about 3 degrees C at 11am. On my second mug of warming brew.
It's been a while since I've had pure Lapsang but I just bought a bag of Russian Caravan (heavily weighted in favour of Lapsong Souchang, blended with other teas apparently including Keemun). Makes a good lunch tea for my purposes. Accidentally made it for breakfast (on autopilot) earlier this week - it would have worked wonderfully with bacon but was a bit weird with my morning cereal.
It's been a while since I've had pure Lapsang but I just bought a bag of Russian Caravan (heavily weighted in favour of Lapsong Souchang, blended with other teas apparently including Keemun). Makes a good lunch tea for my purposes. Accidentally made it for breakfast (on autopilot) earlier this week - it would have worked wonderfully with bacon but was a bit weird with my morning cereal.
A tin of Russian Caravan also sits on the kitchen windowsill @Marsupial, but this morning definitely needed the pure LS.
This morning is a Lapsang Souchong morning - although the sun is now out after a blustery rainsquall earlier, there is an Antarctic blast generating about 10 degrees of wind chill, so the feels-like is about 3 degrees C at 11am. On my second mug of warming brew.
I have some of this. It's like drinking a campfire. I agree with your frosty usage. It's like a morning version of a peaty, tarry rope flavoured scotch.
Tea, even at $200 a pound is less than $1 per cup. After mother died years ago, I bought some very special Keemun for nearly $400. The grief pound. The Golden Monkey is the current one.
The scotch analogy rings true @NOprophet_NØprofit . I also have a selection of Speysides and Islays for chilly evenings. A nightcap may beckon, as the state has enjoyed its coldest day of the year so far.
The best story about Lapsang goes back almost 50 years, when I was in residence at a country teachers' college. I had the traditional brown 4-cup pot which I used to brew my teas, and which stayed in our common room. Late one night a fellow student from another common room decided to try my tea, so absconded with the tin of Lapsang and my teapot. He proceeded to add one for each person and one for the pot so that his own common room could sample my favourite. Next morning he returned the pot, half-full of leaves, wondering how I could stomach that awful stuff. No further raids, needless to say.
When I returned to my family home on holiday I tried to interest them in Lapsang. They tried it and it got the thumbs down from everyone except my youngest brother, who likened it to billy tea.
NP, thanks for your costings. I bought some recently as a treat and was a bit aghast at the price. I think it is a bit more expensive here, but a little goes a long way - and it's far healthier than baked goods.
That would be far more useful that I the small gas stove I have for emergencies.. I was so long between emergencies that the gas leaked out of the cylinders, whereas there would always be suitable fuel around for one of those kettles.
I use sawdust compressed into pellets for my cat's litter tray. The unused pellets would be brilliant to use for fuel (their original use is for pellet fires and they are cheap here as they are a by-product of the timber processing industry.
You may want to also consider a Trangia, or a pop can stove (I've made many). They burn methyl alcohol (meths, methyl hydrate, methanol are all names for the same stuff. Cheap. Not pressurized. They also burn nicely outside in the winter.
Put your tea bag into your mug and hold it into position with your spoon. Pour in your boiling water and let it stand for about one minute. Give it a couple of stirs and then remove the teabag. Add the desired amount of milk.
That's my way too.
Question though: does anybody else who does this, re-use teabags? I always used to throw them away after one use, but since lockdown I tried saving a bag and reusing. I found the second cup of tea was acceptable if you mashed it for a few minutes.
Well, if you or anyone you know is artistically inclined, I have heard that one can stain certain kinds of paper with tea (and used coffee grounds, too) for use in collage and mixed-media projects. Also, I have saved used tea bags in the moment for skin problems such as minor sunburn or mild itching caused by sun exposure. Works very well for me.
I'm actually going to try staining some rice paper with used tea bags very soon. I haven't made any pitchers of iced tea all summer and that's very unusual for me. The pandemic and my possibly serious medical problems have taken over the part of my brain that dreams of iced tea. 🤣
You're probably right about getting a second cup from a tea bag. They also go well in the compost heap.
So long as you buy plastic free tea bags.
I've never thought of tea bags as having any plastic in their making, but have not noticed any problem in the compost. Most of the time, we use leaves, but for herbals or a quick cup alone, we may use a bag. The other choice is a small sieve ball for a single cup.
Tea is from the plant Camellia sinensis. Other plants may be used to make beverages but they are "not tea". Technically they are "tisanes". People make coffee substitutes from various plants and they are called "coffee substitutes". A parallel terminology for tea would improve the world.
Canned capitalism (cola drinks) are also not tea, though they do contain some useful chemicals like caffeine and have a reassuring dark colour. Problematically they contain sugar at excess levels.
Comments
Stupid autocorrect.
Our kettle offers a range of temperatures from 70 to 100 to cater for various teas and coffees.
Our Victoria is closer to Australia than most other places in Canada, but still not very close...
An old friend knew someone who grew up on a tea plantation at the time of the Raj.
One day, Gandhi visited the plantation to see the working conditions of the workers. Her parents invited Gandhi for tea and sat nervously as the great man sat inscrutably in his loincloth sipping his cup as the news reporters crowded round.
'You know,' the Mahatma eventually opined. 'There are three essential ingredients to the perfect cup of tea ...'
The press-pack and her parents leaned in expectantly. Her father held his breath. Would the great man say something he could use as a marketing slogan.
After a pregnant pause, Gandhi continued, 'Milk, water and sugar ...'
NPNP your Golden Monkey seems to be a similar blend to one called Grand Yunnan which I enjoyed for breakfast this morning along with a toasted English muffin and homemade blood orange marmalade. The blend used to be stocked by the Australian chain T2 but has disappeared in favour of blends adulterated with all sorts of ingredients. We have only one other specialist tea shop in our region, so I'll have to investigate their range, as my stock is running low.
We have that chain here too and I am less than impressed with the weird things they adulterate tea with. Also their sales people are pushy. We do have a local shop that specialises in tea, and Ballantynes, Christchurch's posh department store, also have a range of teas. I bought Lady Grey Tea there.
It's been a while since I've had pure Lapsang but I just bought a bag of Russian Caravan (heavily weighted in favour of Lapsong Souchang, blended with other teas apparently including Keemun). Makes a good lunch tea for my purposes. Accidentally made it for breakfast (on autopilot) earlier this week - it would have worked wonderfully with bacon but was a bit weird with my morning cereal.
A tin of Russian Caravan also sits on the kitchen windowsill @Marsupial, but this morning definitely needed the pure LS.
I have some of this. It's like drinking a campfire. I agree with your frosty usage. It's like a morning version of a peaty, tarry rope flavoured scotch.
Tea, even at $200 a pound is less than $1 per cup. After mother died years ago, I bought some very special Keemun for nearly $400. The grief pound. The Golden Monkey is the current one.
The best story about Lapsang goes back almost 50 years, when I was in residence at a country teachers' college. I had the traditional brown 4-cup pot which I used to brew my teas, and which stayed in our common room. Late one night a fellow student from another common room decided to try my tea, so absconded with the tin of Lapsang and my teapot. He proceeded to add one for each person and one for the pot so that his own common room could sample my favourite. Next morning he returned the pot, half-full of leaves, wondering how I could stomach that awful stuff. No further raids, needless to say.
When I returned to my family home on holiday I tried to interest them in Lapsang. They tried it and it got the thumbs down from everyone except my youngest brother, who likened it to billy tea.
NP, thanks for your costings. I bought some recently as a treat and was a bit aghast at the price. I think it is a bit more expensive here, but a little goes a long way - and it's far healthier than baked goods.
For no reason I boil water in it and make tea with Kelly Kettle water. A handful of twigs does it.
I confess further to collecting camp stoves in general. (Yes I know, but....)
I use sawdust compressed into pellets for my cat's litter tray. The unused pellets would be brilliant to use for fuel (their original use is for pellet fires and they are cheap here as they are a by-product of the timber processing industry.
Very soft water here.
Refreshing and delicious 😋
Well, if you or anyone you know is artistically inclined, I have heard that one can stain certain kinds of paper with tea (and used coffee grounds, too) for use in collage and mixed-media projects. Also, I have saved used tea bags in the moment for skin problems such as minor sunburn or mild itching caused by sun exposure. Works very well for me.
I'm actually going to try staining some rice paper with used tea bags very soon. I haven't made any pitchers of iced tea all summer and that's very unusual for me. The pandemic and my possibly serious medical problems have taken over the part of my brain that dreams of iced tea. 🤣
So long as you buy plastic free tea bags.
I've never thought of tea bags as having any plastic in their making, but have not noticed any problem in the compost. Most of the time, we use leaves, but for herbals or a quick cup alone, we may use a bag. The other choice is a small sieve ball for a single cup.
Canned capitalism (cola drinks) are also not tea, though they do contain some useful chemicals like caffeine and have a reassuring dark colour. Problematically they contain sugar at excess levels.