How a tech and gaming community does high tea

Teramona

How a tech and gaming community does high tea

Ilriyas

Great article but two problems:

Now I desire tea and scones and I can get none of them at my residence!

(Also really would've liked to attend but life happens)

Thrax

You can find these people on Reddit, telling you the proper way to drink tea is to swallow the boiling water, chew the tea leaves, and then fuck bitches.

My body is ready.

Tushon

I mean, I was there to fuck bitches and burn my mouth. Neither of these things happened. I AM DISAPPOINT ...

but not really, because that shit was the bomb.

Teramona

Also, something I forgot to mention; I only used loose leaf teas for the party. The difference between loose leaf and bagged tea (usually) is that the former is literally the whole leaf of the plant. You can actually see them uncurl in the water, and it's really neat. Bagged tea is more or less ground tea leaves (unless "full leaf" is written somewhere on the package), and a lot of flavor and freshness is lost that way.

Also, also, 5 points to you if you got the Doctor Who reference.

GnomeQueen

Teramona said:

Also, something I forgot to mention; I only used loose leaf teas for the party. The difference between loose leaf and bagged tea (usually) is that the former is literally the whole leaf of the plant. You can actually see them uncurl in the water, and it's really neat. Bagged tea is more or less ground tea leaves (unless "full leaf" is written somewhere on the package), and a lot of flavor and freshness is lost that way.

Also, also, 5 points to you if you got the Doctor Who reference.

So loose tea is going to be stronger than bagged tea, I'm assuming? I ask, because I have yet to be able to recreate British tea as strong as what I drank in actual Britain, no matter what bag I use. Others have told me though, that usually the Brits themselves use bags usually as well, so it's not likely to be a loose tea versus bagged tea issue. Ideas? It's pretty close if I use two bags at a time, but that seems like a waste.

Thrax

If you're going to teabag, it's best to use two bags.

primesuspect

Don't discount the importance of the water that is used to make the tea. It could very well be that the water you used in England for tea was significantly less/more hard/soft mineral/non-mineral less/more-chlorinated than US water and it has a very profound impact on taste and strength.

I often do a very visual demonstration of tea made with tap water versus filtered water when people start getting on my case about being a coffee hipster and insisting on highly filtered water for my coffee adventures. I use tea because it's easy and very quick to visually see what a huge difference the water makes. Tea made with tap water is dark, dark brown and somewhat murky while tea made with good filtered water is "bright", amber-ish lighter brown.

Teramona

What Brian said. It sounds weird, but using the right kind of water is important if you're trying to make a good cup of tea. Not only that, but the temperature of the water when poured on the leaves can affect the taste. It's best not to boil the water completely, but to catch it just before it boils, and then pour the water directly over the leaves.

Other than that, loose leaf tea isn't necessarily stronger; it's just better. The strength of your tea is going to depend largely on what type of tea it is, and even what brand. I'm sure you've had bagged tea from restaurants that just tastes, for lack of a better word here, watery. What kind of tea are you drinking?

primesuspect

For science: the ideal brewing temperature for tea and coffee is 200F, which is just below the boiling point. The reason I enjoy the vacuum siphon method of coffeemaking so much is that, by design, it keeps the brewing chamber exactly at the correct temperature at all times.

Teramona

@Primesuspect... I hope you understand that coffee is just bean tea.

Also, that's really cool. All I can do is keep an eye on the water, but that's rather difficult using a kettle.

Teramona

Ilriyas said:

Great article but two problems:

Now I desire tea and scones and I can get none of them at my residence!

(Also really would've liked to attend but life happens)

LIfe is what happens when you're busy having tea.

Ilriyas

I only use spring water from the glorious mountain ranges of my native Canada in my tea!

Bandrik

I had a blast at the tea party. The food was amazing, the company was swell, and... oh yeah, there was tea. And boners. But mostly tea.

There will be more to come. There better be, or I'll be hella sad. I think our next tea party should be something like this...

Canti

Do want future tea parties. Apricot black is the best the best the best the best. Going to look for a decent tea shop in town soon but it's Missouri where people don't drink tea unless it's made by lipton and contains no less than 100 gorillion percent processed sugar soooo....yeah.

Teramona

Canti said:

Do want future tea parties. Apricot black is the best the best the best the best. Going to look for a decent tea shop in town soon but it's Missouri where people don't drink tea unless it's made by lipton and contains no less than 100 gorillion percent processed sugar soooo....yeah.

Lipton is tea the same way that Miller light is a beer. < /pretentious >

Ilriyas

Teramona said:

Canti said:

Do want future tea parties. Apricot black is the best the best the best the best. Going to look for a decent tea shop in town soon but it's Missouri where people don't drink tea unless it's made by lipton and contains no less than 100 gorillion percent processed sugar soooo....yeah.

Lipton is tea the same way that Miller light is a beer. < /pretentious >

So...you're saying it's the best.

Canti

.

Canti

Teramona said:

Lipton is tea the same way that Miller light is a beer. /pretentious

Edit - OH NOW IT'S WORKING

Canti

fuck it I can't get the image to work. spoilers - that's the joke.jpg end spoilers

Canti

Lulz - Canti [X] Teramona [ ]
Tea Bag - Canti [X] Teramona [ ]

I actually feel bad now

primesuspect

Sorry Canti. You lose this one. She was one of the very first.

Teramona

@Canti, that was bad and you should feel bad.

Also, I know less than nothing about bere.

Teramona

Vagina - Canti [X] Teramona [X]

Dammit, I just can't win.

Canti

Your badge list is deceptive then. Not my fault.

My pants are so confused right now.

primesuspect

"Most recent recipients"

Canti

primesuspect said:

"Most deceptive decepients"

GnomeQueen

Am I the only one that thought the second, Jasmine green tea, was the best? Seems like everyone else humped either the first or third teas.

Teramona

GnomeQueen said:

Am I the only one that thought the second, Jasmine green tea, was the best? Seems like everyone else humped either the first or third teas.

Green tea is not as popular in America as black tea is (This may be the case with England as well? I'm not 100% sure, but I know green tea is really popular in the Asian countries)... So that's pretty par for the course. I'm relatively sure that Daffy and Lynx liked the jasmine, though.

malia

GnomeQueen said:

Am I the only one that thought the second, Jasmine green tea, was the best? Seems like everyone else humped either the first or third teas.

Was also a huge fan of the jasmine green tea - I find it a lot more refreshing than black tea, where the bitterness can dry your mouth out sometimes. Of course, this may have something to do with not really being able to take milk in my tea...

lmorchard

Sounds like I missed a good tea party.

I am jealous that such things do not quite exist for coffee, and that we coffee nerds just kind of seem like pretentious twats when we try to invent it

But also, you know, I do this: