The Ember cup I mentioned in an earlier post has enabled me to start drinking and enjoying hot tea. So I have now embarked on the adventure of finding out just what teas I actually like.
There are two main characteristics I am looking for in my tea. First, I want to actually taste something with a lot of flavor. Most teas that I have tried are too weak; they taste like barely flavored water. The main hot teas, heretofore, that I have somewhat enjoyed are the mint teas served in such places as Turkey and Morocco, very strong brews, indeed. Second, I want a caffeine-free brew as I am drinking it in the evening.
The teas I have found so far that have these characteristics are herbal teas, so I am starting to try those out. First I tried a “chocolate” tea. I did not find any chocolate flavors; it just tasted sort of muddy. I have also tried a buttermint tea. Not bad, but not great. The winner so far is “Sangria Zinger”. It actually tastes of fruit and is very pleasant.
As to how I brew: the Ember mug holds about 10 ounces, a bit more than a standard mug. The instructions for most teas tell you to pour boiling water over the bag and steep for 4-6 minutes. What I end up doing, though, is using two tea bags in my big mug and steeping for 10 minutes or so. More tea and more time seems to be the right combination for me. Once it cools down, I find myself with a terrific tasting brew that I can sip for quite some time.
The only problem with this routine is the time involved: I have to plan ahead by almost 30 minutes: 2 minutes to boil, 10 minutes to steep, and 15 minutes to cool off enough to sip. The whole process is quite enjoyable and worthwhile, but not nearly as easy as filling a glass with ice and pouring a can of soda!
Tuples and Attributes 