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hardly_trying t1_j7s2r1m wrote

Worked at a tea shop chain once and had to memorize a bunch of facts about the different types of tea and their benefits. Tea is wild, man. Loose leaf ftw

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redlinezo6 t1_j7sh3t7 wrote

Are there types of tea you are/aren't supposed to add milk to? or is it preference?

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draw2discard2 t1_j7sw3dj wrote

You can't add milk to chamomile "tea" (or herbal teas that may have it or something similar in it). It curdles the milk, so you get a bunch of milk solids floating around in your cup.

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klusterdas t1_j7vvcg5 wrote

If it isn’t made of tea tree leaves it’s not tea, is it?)

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draw2discard2 t1_j7wx3ne wrote

"Tea" is used for basically any infusion with leaves and hot water even though these are not all tea. Chamomile tea, herbal tea, fruit tea are not tea but referred to as tea. A tricky one is "red tea" which people often think is just another color like green or black or white, while it is actually just a wild plant from South Africa (roibos) that isn't tea at all but is used as tea.

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Absorbent_Towel t1_j7vxupn wrote

If tea leaves are steeped in water, it's a tea. Herbal teas use more than just the leaves like stems, roots, and flowers.

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hardly_trying t1_j7shya2 wrote

Entirely preference. Most important thing is knowing how hot and how long to brew each type of tea. The rest is preference.

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Pay08 t1_j7uwx0z wrote

It still baffles me that British people drink tea with milk.

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cbeiser t1_j7v2epu wrote

You're missing out of you're not. We are talking about black tea tho

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Lebrunski t1_j7ss1o8 wrote

LOOOSEEE LEEEEEEAAAAFFF LIIIIIFFFFEEEE

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Hambulance t1_j7v2kw6 wrote

You seem like the person to ask about best/easily cleanable loose tea vessels.

I just can't win.

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Lebrunski t1_j7v2ulz wrote

Strainers? I find them easiest to clean right after steeping. Little bit of warm water usually is all I need and a bit of finger nail for the more stubborn pieces.

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Hambulance t1_j7v2yq4 wrote

Is a strainer a tea ball?

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hardly_trying t1_j7wdp5j wrote

Yeah, same idea. Little metallic strained with a chain and/or hooks onto the side of your glass. Can also find them in "spoon" form.

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Crosstitch_Witch t1_j7w5oip wrote

If you don't mind me asking, what makes loose leaf better?

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hardly_trying t1_j7w7t5b wrote

You can assure it's freshness by actually observing it and storing it properly. Also, you can dry out leaves that have been steeped once and reuse them. And bagged tea is typically ground and grainy. Loose leaf tea allows for pieces of fruit, flowers and whole spices. (I'm talking actually pieces of star anise and all spice, etc.) Finally, traditional teas from the cultures where tea leaves are grown are almost always loose leaf (or loose powder, for matcha) and they were designed to be best experienced in that form.

Also, if you enjoy tea, eventually invest in an electric kettle. None of this heating a mug in the microwave nonsense. Or, heavens forbid, do not BOIL a bag of black tea on the stove. It makes the tea gods sad.

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Crosstitch_Witch t1_j7wbfyg wrote

Apparently, i am a heathen who has probably been causing the tea gods severe depression because i do both of the things you said not to do. Lol I've never had loose leaf before, it always seemed like a hassle to get into, but I'm also a very lazy person.

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hardly_trying t1_j7wca8k wrote

Its understandable. I was raised in the Southeast US and I have seen/done my share of tea sins before I was aware. lol. Really, just a kettle and a little metal steeper are all you need. Use a tsp or so of tea and don't let it steep more than 2-3 minutes. Sweeten as desired.

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Crosstitch_Witch t1_j7wdlay wrote

Yes, i am South US and southeners really like to do things the easy way, it becomes a bad habit that's hard to break. I may get into it, I'd have to get all the things though. I just found out there's a tea bar not too far from me that uses loose leaf tea too, so maybe i can try some there as well.

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hardly_trying t1_j7we3hf wrote

Pricing may scare you at first! Just remember you only need a couple of ounces to begin with and you can get 2-3 steepings out of a single tsp of high quality leaves. So, you'll get 15-30 cups out of that two ounces.

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Crosstitch_Witch t1_j7wegqq wrote

Oh neat! Thank you very much for all the info, I've been getting more into teas lately since i can't have coffee as much anymore, so I'll definitely look more into loose leaf.

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[deleted] t1_j7tganq wrote

[deleted]

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minion_is_here t1_j7tlbh9 wrote

weed and tea come from the same plant? nature be crazy

edit: lol I was riffing off "it's the same thing;" obviously they're comparing the idea of strains of weed to types of tea

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slvl t1_j7tudcv wrote

Nope, different species entirely. But I guess you could make tea from hemp.

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Funny_stuff554 t1_j7u8n3w wrote

Weed and green tea are definitely not the same plant lol. Cannabis has thc while tea has caffeine...

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