Tea-related edicts

[redbird]

drplokta has declared himself Dictator of the World, and is appointing minions. He started with geography, but today has added food-related minions.

I am Minion in Charge of Tea, and have issued two edicts thus far:

1. Any restaurant, cafe, or other commercial establishment that offers black tea (a.k.a. "red tea" if you're Chinese, a.k.a. India/Ceylon as distinct from Japanese or Chinese green teas) for sale must use boiling water to make the tea.


2. Cold teas for sale must have been brewed as real tea, and then chilled. Yes, they may contain sweeteners, fruit juice, or other ingredients, but only as labeled on the packaging. "Iced tea powders" are hereby banned. "Sun tea" is acceptable for the brewing of cold tisanes, but not of actual tea made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis.

Comments

[rosefox]

O Minion, may I humbly request an edict regarding the use of slightly-less-than-boiling water in the making of herbal tisanes?

[rosefox]

Backs of boxes, mostly, though of course instructions vary. I know my pearl jasmine tea from Peet's includes the instructions to let the water boil and then sit for two minutes before pouring so that it's not oversteeped by the time it's cool enough to drink. I also prefer my hot drinks on the cool end of hot, if that makes sense, so I've started making all my infusions that way. (I don't drink black tea or coffee, which I'm told must be made with boiling water.)

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

Black tea, yes. Coffee, no. The optimum temperature for coffee-brewing water is 86C, whatever that is in F.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Hm. That's the 1st time I've ever heard that herbals should be done at less than boiling. Reference?

JB and his Many Teas and Tisanes (http://www.lse.org/~jailbait/tea.html)

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Dear Minion,

When time permits, can you speak to the custom of brewing tea in pots and filters that smell of coffee?

kthnxbye,

[redbird]

For you, yes:

Tea edict the third:

Tea must not be brewed or served in vessels that have been contaminated by coffee.

Explanation: Coffee is a strong and lasting flavor, and pouring boiling water through a filter or other system that has been used for coffee will cause the water to pick up enough coffee flavor that it should not be used for tea. This edict does not require separate tea and coffee cups, if you clean your dishes properly between uses.

[liv]

Knowing nothing else about drplokta's world other than he put you in charge of tea, I'm already thinking I quite want to move there.

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Yay. You used the correct nomenclature to refer to an herbal infusion!

[pnh.livejournal.com]

I now worship you.

[red-queen.livejournal.com]

What, only now?

[elusis.livejournal.com]

At the risk of being labelled a heretic, iced tea powder is very useful in making my instant chai mix, which has been declared "very delicious" by even tea snobs. Copious quantities of sugar, creamer/milk, and spices make anything better.

[red-queen.livejournal.com]

drplotka clearly knows what s/he is doing. You have my fealty. I am forced to violate edict #1 at work, since the hot-water dispenser does not dispense *boiling* water, and I dislike microwaved water. Feh.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

Microwaving water in the right kind of container in really *clean* ceramic improves the flavor. Covered ceramic, if you're at all concerned about the cleanliness of the microwave oven. (You may be associating the unpleasant taste or smell of plastic cups or a dirty oven with the microwaving process.) If you still have a problem, you might want to consider an electric kettle.

[jbsegal.livejournal.com]

Yay! This is a good world...

[roadnotes.livejournal.com]

Note to self: must replensih stock for the next visit of the Minion in Charge of Tea.

[nolly.livejournal.com]

Additional note: In order for cold (iced) tea to be called "sweet tea", the sugar must have been added while the tes was hot.

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

Come and join us in http://www.livejournal.com/community/food_minions/ - the fun starts today ...