Monday 6 June 2011

My Cup of Tea

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Idiom: “my cup of tea” = something that one excels in or enjoys

When I did my T for Tea post last week, I got so fascinated with various facts that I forgot to mention much about my personal tea habits. So I got some questions ;) and I thought I might as well turn some of the answers into a second post.

First of all maybe I should repeat that I never learned to like coffee, so I always drink tea. In Sweden, coffee is the more common choice for most people. Even more so back in my youth perhaps, but it can still be a problem to get a “decent” cup of tea in some places. (An indecent cup of tea = luke warm water poured from a jug that is sometimes also used for coffee, over an old tea bag that has lost most of its aroma.)

At home I use loose-leaf tea, which I usually buy at a tea/coffee shop in town (see picture in the other post). In my own tea cupboard just now you’ll find four black teas, three greens, one rooibos (which comes from another plant altogether and contains no caffeine) – and also some herb peppermint tea bags. I’m not otherwise a fan of herb teas.

In the morning, with breakfast, I have either black or green tea.

Before/around noon and/or after lunch, and in the late afternoon, I tend to drink black tea. In the evening, I usually prefer green tea, or rooibos; i.e. less or no caffeine.

I guess my normal tea consumption in one day would be two or three mugs of black tea and one or two of green.

Since I’m lactose intolerant I never take milk. I usually drink it unsweetened but occasionally add a few drops of honey if I’m not eating anything or if it’s very strong. (I prefer my tea “medium” strong – not too weak, but not bitter.)

I mostly buy flavoured teas. Just now I’m having a bit of a “love affair” with a new black tea that smells like peppermint rock candy. (Not a breakfast tea, but just the thing for the afternoon.) More constant favourites are black currant tea, and a popular local blend which I’m not really sure what it contains. I also like Earl Grey but since I’m a bit oversensitive to citrus I hold back a bit on that. One of my new green favourites contains Goji berries (wolfberries); another one has dried raspberries and blueberries in it. In the winter I tend to drink more “spicy” teas and in the summer more fruity ones.

On a hot day I also like iced tea. Sometimes I buy ice-tea powder that one just mixes with cold water; or when I have the time, I brew my own (with less or no sugar).

Now have I answered all the tea questions? ;)

Today was not a day to wait for hot tea to get cold, actually it would probably have been quicker to put a cold drink out in the sun and wait for it to boil! Well, perhaps not quite. But we suddenly had 30°C in the shadow, “desert winds”, and it feels like we’ve been waiting all day for thunder that never came!

A week ago I was still complaining about the cold; and for all I know I might soon be back to that again... Remains to be seen!

 

 

 

 

7 comments:

  1. Wow, now that's a deligh-tea-ful post :)

    I like the cup!

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  2. I've seen the rooibos and they told me that it is technically not a tea. It is kind of funky looking so I didn't buy any, but now I wonder, how does the taste compare to black or green tea, is it good? I always pit honey in my tea, don't know if I could drink it unsweetened. Have you ever had white tea, it's good. Which would you rather have, real hot weather or real cold?

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  3. Ginny, I find it hard to describe tastes. What I can say is I think rooibos reminds more of black tea than any herbal tea does. I'm not sure if I have had white tea. I've rarely heard that mentioned and not seen it where I buy mine. Not under that label anyway. I know I've had tea in the past (many years ago) that was just called Chinese tea and I'm not sure whether that was technically white or green.

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  4. I grew up drinking tea and didn't become a coffee drinker until I was in my 30's. As far as tea goes, I like a weak cup of Lipton and coffee I like a weak cup of Dunken' Donut.
    My real love is sweet iced tea.
    I never drink more than a cup or a cup and a half of coffee, but I could drink iced tea all day long.
    My daughter is the tea fiend preferring loose Japanese teas.

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  5. the only tea i have ever had is what you call and indecent cup of tea, so if i had a cup like you do it, i might like it better. i do LOVE that cup and would gladly use it for my coffee. ha ha
    forgot to say yesterday when i first opened the sunglasses, i thought it was a dark art project. loved the shot of the glassess and it took me a minute to figure out it was glasses

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  6. I tried white tea, Monica. It's the purest or least processed tea. I wasn't too keen. I can buy it in my local supermarket in Stornoway (Twinings Tea I think) so I may give it another go. I did try Gunpowder Curl once. Good but so full of caffeine that a few sips sent the friend I was enjoying it with into orbit.

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  7. I'm pretty sure I've had Gunpowder tea in the past but never thought of it as especially loaded with caffeine? I'll have to keep a lookout for white tea, I'm not really sure how common or uncommon it is in our stores here.

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