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Post by patricklondon on Sept 11, 2017 5:12:36 GMT
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Post by questa on Sept 11, 2017 5:14:22 GMT
Esfahan, Iran. Our group wanted to see some gorgeous carpets so we went to a showroom that was covered floor to ceiling with carpets of beautiful colours, designs and textures. Our host was very theatrical. First he marched to the one door that led into the street and gave a flourish as he locked the door and displayed the key. "There" he said, "No one can get in or out." We glanced at each other, tourist kidnaps had occurred here recently. "Now we are all a big happy family, so Ladies you may take off your veils". Thankfully we removed the various scarves we were using as hejabs to wear in public. If we showed much hair or neck the locals glared at us.
Our host called out "Tea" and 4 young men sprang into action. Each was dressed in traditional clothes in bright colours and had been standing at attention waiting for the order. They carefully carried silver trays with small glass cups and decorated glass teapots on them. Each lad served his allotted part of the group while the host told us about the history and symbolic features of the carpets.
We had not had much to drink that morning and were very thirsty. Cup after cup and the lads were fetching more jugs. The host showed us his wares and continued his lecture on materials, 21st Century influences on carpet making etc. while we continued guzzling down the delicious minty tea.
The lads left their trays to assist in rolling out the carpets and handling the sales that were made. We finished off the tea, found the loo, put our scarves on again and departed with blessings from our host.
Yes, the carpets were gorgeous, I bought a small one, but the tea was magnificent.
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Post by bjd on Sept 11, 2017 6:25:30 GMT
Tea bags?? I don't drink much tea any more, but tea bags are a last resort if there is no loose tea.
I bet questa's Iranian tea was not tea bag tea.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 12, 2017 22:02:19 GMT
I guess it is an individual preference but I do not leave the bag in my teacup. But, I do leave the bag in when I buy a take away tea, but I pull the string up so the bag in not sitting on the bottom of the cup but more so half way up. Thanks, Mich! I thought it was strange that there should be a "rule" about it. I first heard about this on a tv show, where a young woman is taken aback because her fiance's English mother tells her the bag should be left in. As these things go, I then ran into another bag-in reference almost immediately afterward. Patrick, in that office there was no coffee and tea making station? I used to think it was a rule in American offices that they smell of burnt coffee. Lovely story, Questa. Bjd, many people who drink tea every day use tea bags. I used to think that the only decent tea had to be loose, but have come to my senses. Also, the only way I've been able to get my favorite tea (Red Rose, from Canada) is in bags. I'm down to three, if anyone wants to start a crowd-sourcing page & save me from despair.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 13, 2017 6:50:58 GMT
Yes but it was at the other end of a big open-plan office, so if anyone in the team was going, it was normal to ask if anyone else wanted anything. (Bossy mothers-in-law-to-be apart, there is no rule - some strange people like weak tea). My blog | My photos | My video clips My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by bjd on Sept 13, 2017 9:16:35 GMT
I'm strange then, I like weak tea, no milk.
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 13, 2017 9:30:47 GMT
Not at all bjd. That's exactly how I take mine.
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 13, 2017 9:49:06 GMT
I must admit I have a weakness for the tea in India, the chai, spiced, made with milk, spices, loose tea and plenty of sugar. Failing that, a robust black tea with one sugar and a spot of milk. Quite strong but not spoon standing up in it thing.
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Post by questa on Sept 14, 2017 0:44:23 GMT
My favourite tea is the Indonesian Ginger tea. Just a cup of local medium strength tea with a couple of cm of fresh ginger sliced into it, and sugar. Cooling and relaxing.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 15, 2017 17:30:30 GMT
Sounds delightful. When my stomach is upset, I often make a tea of just sliced fresh ginger and nothing else. Here's a ginger tip that could be used in tea making: use a garlic press on little hunks of ginger to express the juice directly into whatever you wish.
I need to rant. As stated earlier, I'm at a disadvantage here in obtaining good plain tea. I do have a stash of oolong and some nice green teas, but for a solid black tea, I'm at a loss. The Red Rose I had is almost gone, but I got a box of Community while in the States. There is nothing wrong with it, but it's a very undistinguished tea. So, the other day at Wal-Mart here in Oaxaca I saw Twinings English Breakfast tea and snapped up two boxes.
What the hell? Isn't this a well known and respected brand? I made a nice big mug and nothing -- no aroma, no flavor, no nothing. Okay, maybe the mug was too big, so I made another in a smaller one. Still nothing. This stuff has NO flavor beyond that of boiled water. What gives?
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 15, 2017 20:39:43 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 16, 2017 10:56:48 GMT
Did you remember to use the tea bag?
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Post by lagatta on Sept 16, 2017 11:29:31 GMT
Oh dear, bixa!
Nowadays I drink my tea fairly weak, not because I dislike the taste of tea - on the contrary - but there is a substance in it that upsets my tummy a bit. I'll try questa's Indonesian tea - but no sugar - as like bixa I use a fresh ginger infusion if I have a bit of tummy upset.
I drink my tea neat, and usually brew it in a pot. I have at least four, all bought from church bazaars or "yard" sales (which are often just the steps). Different sizes.
Bixa, didn't you buy some good tea when you were in London?
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 16, 2017 13:02:30 GMT
On a side note, teapots are good for pouring gravy if you don't have a jug.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 16, 2017 15:26:24 GMT
I dunno, Patrick. Tea will keep an awfully long time if stored in a covered container. This is the product I bought: teareview.info/twinings-english-breakfast-tea-review/Mark, with this stuff, you have to look in the cup to ascertain there's a bag and not just water. I love teapots and had to leave some wonderful ones when I moved here from the US. I still have three or four, but seldom use them, preferring to make a cup at a time with either a teabag or a tea ball. As for bringing tea back from the UK, I travel only with carry-on and don't take anything that would slow down the security process. Ohhh, Mark, noooooo. If you don't have a jug, you can use a bowl with a ladle.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 16, 2017 16:23:09 GMT
The oils in gravy would be very detrimental to a teapot. If the teapot is rather old, the glazing will have cracked a bit inside, so even washing the pot might not remove all the off taste. And as for an old question, yes Canadians in general, including francophones and people of many different origins do tend to drink more tea than our neighbours to the south, obviously due to the British influence and longstanding trading partnership. Before crockery was all Chinese, I think most dinnerware here was British; my white Johnson Brothers Athena set certainly is. Tea kettles are far more common in Canada than in the US, and friends from the States buy them up here. I never thought my pretty white dishes would be discontinued: www.microwavecookingforone.com/JohnsonBrothers/JohnsonBrothersAthena.htmlI often pick a plate or other piece up at church bazaars, charity shops and yard sales; it was very common here as major department stores often had sales on it. I doubt I'll ever have to order more online.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 16, 2017 17:48:47 GMT
Maybe you just got a badly-filled bag, or one filled with the proverbial floor-sweepings. I suppose these things can happen. I did find recently that somehow I'd ripped a bag between pulling it out of the tin and pouring the boiling water into the pot, so there wasn't much to give the water any flavour - and there have been occasions when I've been on autopilot and poured the hot water into the pot without actually remembering to put the bag in in the first place. Not that I'm suggesting that's what happened to you..... My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 16, 2017 18:35:15 GMT
That would be impossible. I am always highly focused and high-performing. That's me, yes indeed.
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Post by questa on Sept 17, 2017 0:21:35 GMT
oooohh, Look ! I can see a pony!!
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