Tea? Why yes, I'd love some!
Last night I tried a new treat. I know there are several ladies out there who absolutely ADORE drinking hot tea. Anna, I know you're shaking your head in agreement right now. *wink* But, up until now I have not been one of them. I've always liked the idea of drinking hot tea; my aunt has always drunk it and I have a few friends who think it's divine, but each time I've tried it the taste was just way too weak & bitter for me. Yesterday, though, I decided to give good ol' tea another chance...
The last few days I have been suffering with the usual sinus infection, general crud that I tend to get 2-3 times a year. Except this time, I was a little more concerned than usual because there's been a lot of people out with the flu at work lately and I ran a temp all night at work on Wednesday. Yes, I know...I work with babies and what if I gave it to them? Not to worry, I didn't hold them any higher than my stomach, I'm not coughing, and my hands look like hamburger meat from all the washing. So, I think we're okay there. Oh, and when I got off work, I went to the doctor and my flu test was negative. Whew, huh?
Despite the flu-free diagnosis, I was still feeling lousy so I decided to check out the tea aisle at Wal-Mart while I was waiting for my prescriptions to be filled. There were a couple "medicinal" teas but since I was still a little skeptical about the possibility of it tasting bitter & yucky, I decided to save my money for now and break myself in with some (free) tea I had at home that a co-worker gave me for Christmas. It's looseleaf and came with a darling little Christmas tree shaped tea diffuser, or is it "infuser?" Anyway, I figured it couldn't be that bad since it smells yummy and goes in such a cute little instrument! It also has dried orange peel in it, so I thought it might give me a little Vitamin C boost.
I started out by letting the tea brew for longer than I have in the past. I wanted it to be a rich dark color, not look like dirty pond water! Then I added just a smidge of sugar and a dollop of milk for richness. Okay, I'll confess, I'm a sissy and can't stand searingly hot drinks! It's just kind of hard to taste anything when the tip of my tongue is throbbing! And too, I thought the milk might give it a little richness. After spooning some up and blowing on it until it was cool enough not to burn me, I gave it a taste. SURPRISE! WOW! I LOVED IT!! It was so good, and I now understand why so many women love to sit down & relax with a nice cup of tea.
It was so good in fact, that I'll show you the cup of tea I made this morning! :)
All the fixin's:
Beginning to brew!
Ahhh, doesn't this look inviting?
And the final product with my add-in's:
Okay, girls, here I come! I'm ready to explore more types of teas! Does anyone have any suggestions? Hope to hear from you soon!
Hi Ashlie! I'm so glad to know you have a blog. I'll be checking it often.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a hot tea drinker at all. In fact, when we moved to MA (the first time), I ordered tea in a restaurant. They brough me hot tea...not the iced, sweet stuff this southern girl was so used to! :)
Maybe I should try it too though...it might clear up my sinuses???
OOPS...I think I posted twice or four times! Can you delete them all, but one?? Sorry!! I couldn't figure out that you have to moderate them!
ReplyDeleteGirl, you are such a great writer! I felt like I was right there with you out about to drink some tea while reading this. As far as tea goes though I have no idea!
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather always drank hot tea and dipped his toast in it. I can't help you with the tea issue. I don't even drink iced tea.
ReplyDeleteI like the ice cold sweet stuff myself!! And I'm a coffee drinker. That looked very interesting, though. I bet it helped clear you up a bit!
ReplyDeleteTea is wonderful. Adding milk to tea is actually what takes the "bitter" taste out. Some teas you need to brew longer than others. The length of brewing time affects how strong a tea is (or how bitter it becomes) If you brew black tea too long, it does become bitter. If its not brewed long enough it will be weak. The trick is to brew it just the right amount of time.
ReplyDeleteI don't drink herbal tea because you can't add milk to it. (Yuck. I've tried...it DOESN'T work!)
You should try PG Tips. Its a staple tea in England and quite frankly, the best tea there is. Its so rich and warm. I rarely have a bitter taste from it, even when I accidentally let it steep a tad too long. Its perfect with milk. You can order it from The English Tea store at www.englishteastore.com
Earl Grey....English Breakfast...all good. But I really like iced Peach Tea. And I have only acquired a taste for tea at all recently.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny...the British think we are so uncivilized because we are all coffee drinkers - not tea drinkers.
So I guess I should say welcome to the "civilized" world....LOL