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A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

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Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#31

Post by 4lun »

mwest wrote: post #26
facepalm wrote: post #24

It's so curious that in the UK there is no notion of time when brewing tea. In Germany you are supposed to remove the tea leaves after 3 minutes. Or if you keep them longer, the tea will change its nature from being wakening to being tiring. (Actually times vary a bit depending on the tea - green tea is usually shorter). Eventually the tea will get bitter if the leaves are left in the water.

In the UK, tea should be brewed for 6 minutes (see BS 6008:1980). :-)

Wow, you weren't kidding: http://skippy.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/BS6008-1980-Preparat...

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#32

Post by foldr »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #10

Orwell is silly. You want your tea strong? Certainly. You want your tea pure, tasting like tea? Definitely. You want your tea bitter? ... While I can appreciate that for anyone who has to deal with the exigencies of war and rationing there is no real alternative, really good tea , made from the better parts of the tea plant, is not bitter even when exceptionally strong. It does, however, taste wonderfully of tea. Try…

Black tea does get bitter if you infuse it for too long because of the tannins in the leaves. (The higher molecular weight tannins infuse more slowly and are the ones that have the bitter aftertaste.) It's got nothing to do with the quality of the tea.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#33

Post by qq66 »

phpnode wrote: post #17
leoedin wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you actually read the link you provided? The Maillard reaction doesn't appear to be relevent to milk and tea combining at the sub-boiling temperatures discussed. Unless you have another source that actually supports your statement?

Yes, I read it - I was rather hoping no one else would, it seemed just about plausible enough to be convincing.

Refreshing candor.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#34

Post by phpnode »

qq66 wrote: post #33
phpnode wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I read it - I was rather hoping no one else would, it seemed just about plausible enough to be convincing.

Refreshing candor.

This is a religious matter and as such no tactics are off limits. Tea first is wrong.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#35

Post by KC8ZKF »

leoedin wrote: post #14
phpnode wrote: post #4

it's a shame for such a distinguished person to make such an amateur mistake - point 10 is indeed answerable: 1. people who put the milk in first have become adept at adding exactly the right amount of milk to a cup of any size. It's a ubiquitous skill, learnt virtually as soon as the person begins drinking tea in this (proper) way. Orwell was clearly inexperienced. 2. adding the milk last requires simultaneous stirr…

It seems, at least according to one double blind study[1], that there's not actually a noticeable difference in taste. [1]: http://tomstafford.staff.shef.ac.uk/teatastetest/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_tasting_tea

"David Salsburg[5] reports that a colleague of Fisher, H. Fairfield Smith, revealed that in the test, the woman got all eight cups correct.[6] The chance of someone who just guesses getting all correct, assuming she guesses that four had the tea put in first and four the milk, would be only 1 in 70 (the combinations of 8 taken 4 at a time)."

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#36

Post by drcube »

moron4hire wrote: post #20

I'm a coffee drinker. For some reason, waiters and baristas look at me funny and ask if I'm really sure when I say I don't want anything in my coffee. Apparently there aren't any other black coffee drinkers left in the world. So I've taken to telling them I want my coffee to match my soul: "black and bitter". This tends to get the point across that I'm serious when apparently "no, no cream or sugar, I just want black…

I've recently come to see the light regarding light roasts, too. Tastes more like coffee and less like bitter.

But the other comment about tea, they're right. Tea in bags is hardly fit for making sweet iced tea. A hot cup of black tea requires loose leaf stuff from outside the US. And it's quite good. Not sure it beats coffee, but it's a lot closer than Lipton would have us believe.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#38

Post by jcrites »

moron4hire wrote: post #20

I'm a coffee drinker. For some reason, waiters and baristas look at me funny and ask if I'm really sure when I say I don't want anything in my coffee. Apparently there aren't any other black coffee drinkers left in the world. So I've taken to telling them I want my coffee to match my soul: "black and bitter". This tends to get the point across that I'm serious when apparently "no, no cream or sugar, I just want black…

I enjoy your mention of strength of spirit, because I rather feel that people who drink coffee are too weak of spirit to handle espresso :-)

Give me a few shots of straight, black espresso. Perhaps with a little whipped cream on top if I'm in the mood. Very easy to make quality espresso in the home with modern pre-ground capsule machines.

If you also like coffee black, I recommend giving espresso a try. Unfortunately there is quite a lot of variation in what coffee houses serve. Some indie shops serve espresso that is extremely bitter and not smooth; in my opinion these are not well made. I usually prefer the espresso made by larger chains or capsule machines. It is heavy on industrial consistency and quality control, with less emphasis on artistry (more relevant in mixed espresso drinks). Good espresso by my taste is strong and smooth, and only very marginally bitter, and at that only as an after taste.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#39

Post by blt »

My Chinese co-worker introduced me to Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong tea, and it is incredible. Most of Orwell's points are still relevant, but the water is cooler and milk is not used. I realized that even nice tea bags like Twinings are basically floor sweepings compared to quality whole leaves.

Re: A Nice Cup of Tea by George Orwell (1946)

#40

Post by moron4hire »

jcrites wrote: post #38
moron4hire wrote: post #20

I'm a coffee drinker. For some reason, waiters and baristas look at me funny and ask if I'm really sure when I say I don't want anything in my coffee. Apparently there aren't any other black coffee drinkers left in the world. So I've taken to telling them I want my coffee to match my soul: "black and bitter". This tends to get the point across that I'm serious when apparently "no, no cream or sugar, I just want black…

I enjoy your mention of strength of spirit, because I rather feel that people who drink coffee are too weak of spirit to handle espresso :-) Give me a few shots of straight, black espresso. Perhaps with a little whipped cream on top if I'm in the mood. Very easy to make quality espresso in the home with modern pre-ground capsule machines. If you also like coffee black, I recommend giving espresso a try. Unfortunately…

Oh yes, I love a good espresso, but you are right, some shops either burn the beans or over extract and make it far too bitter.
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