Author Topic: Tea without milk  (Read 6445 times)

Tea without milk
« on: 02 April, 2008, 10:54:53 pm »
My tea tasting continues. Drinking at least four cups a day I am still not finished with my samples from nothing but tea. An interesting thing has happened though in that I have started to appreciate tea without milk. I always have a dash of milk in my tea but tasting the Oolongs I was advised not to use any milk and persevered for a bit and lo an behold not all teas need milk !
I don't think I will ever drink PG tips without milk but for a delicate Darjeeling or an Oolong I think I am converted.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #1 on: 02 April, 2008, 10:56:31 pm »
The smell of tea with milk in gives me the boak. I don't like tea anyway, and even washing a teapot out can make me retch a bit, but tea with milk in is the worst. It's so nasty!
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


alchemy

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #2 on: 02 April, 2008, 11:02:05 pm »
Just the smell of either tea or coffee with milk in it makes me want to  :sick: :sick:

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #3 on: 02 April, 2008, 11:05:37 pm »
Tea needs milk and milk only. Coffee doesn't need anything.

Anybody who doesn't agree.............

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simonali

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #4 on: 02 April, 2008, 11:43:20 pm »
I have green tea and Darjeeling without milk. What is this Oolong like? Not tried that one.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #5 on: 02 April, 2008, 11:51:06 pm »
green tea, earl grey and occasionally normal tea without milk.

If I drink tea away from home I usually take it with no milk as I use skimmed milk at home.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #6 on: 02 April, 2008, 11:53:34 pm »
Oolongs are as different from each other as Black teas are (Drajeeling, Assam, Ceylon etc are all black teas). Basically its to do with how much the leaves are oxidised in the preparation of the dried tea. Green tea has the least oxidisation (none) then Oolong then Black tea (very oxidised).
Oolong teas should be brewed at 80deg not 100 and you can reuse the leaves several times (not dry them out but keep adding more water so one pot of tea lasts for several brewing's).
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

urban_biker

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #7 on: 03 April, 2008, 11:03:08 am »
I'm drinking PG without milk while I'm at work. I've got no fridge here so no way to keep milk fresh. The tea tastes fine although it can get a bit bitter when you get to the bottom of the cup. Something you get used to though.

It's supposed to be better for you of course.
Owner of a languishing Langster

tiermat

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #8 on: 03 April, 2008, 11:07:37 am »
One thing I have found, after year of drinking all hot drinks "sin leche" is that Tea is rank if made with unfiltered water (obviously it will depend on your location as to the level of rankness), but simply putting the water through a Brita or similar before boiling it for the tea makes it much nicer.  It also has the added bonus of not leaving greasy tide marks in the cup....
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

IanDG

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #9 on: 03 April, 2008, 11:13:32 am »
rooibos (red bush) is another no milk tea for me, but my South African friends take it with milk

tiermat

  • According to Jane, I'm a Unisex SpaceAdmin
Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #10 on: 03 April, 2008, 11:14:38 am »
rooibos (red bush) is another no milk tea for me, but my South African friends take it with milk

And probably with half a cup of sugar, if my SA friends are the norm for such things in that country.... :)
I feel like Captain Kirk, on a brand new planet every day, a little like King Kong on top of the Empire State

Really Ancien

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #11 on: 03 April, 2008, 11:21:56 am »
Yunnan teas don't need milk or sugar as they are not bitter even if over-steeped. I haven't seen any at my local stockists for a while. I think the Russians are buying it all.

Damon.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #12 on: 03 April, 2008, 02:09:17 pm »
What I think:

When brewed 'strong', i.e. for more than one minute, good-quality British-style black teas (e.g. Taylor's Yorkshire Tea  :D ) work best with a touch of milk to take the edge off the bitterness. Cheap black tea brewed 'strong' is like mud but palatable if weak without milk.

Most other teas and herbal infusions are somewhere between crap and horrid if served with milk. Some of the stronger chinese teas, e.g. Keemun (aka Prince of Wales) are ok, tho. I'm glad I discovered all this in my student days.

Soya milk is at least as good as cows milk, something about the grainy texture, I think. It's especially good in Rooibos


border-rider

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #13 on: 03 April, 2008, 02:17:46 pm »
That's what I've found too

Everyday tea at Chateau Volio tends to be with milk, but fancy teas tend to be without, and when I'm abroad the tea is def. of a type that works better with no milk.

Chris S

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #14 on: 03 April, 2008, 02:21:55 pm »
Green tea no milk, but with lemon.
Brown tea needs milk.
Coffee should never ever have milk in it. Ever.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #15 on: 03 April, 2008, 03:03:55 pm »
Green tea no milk, but with lemon.
Brown tea needs milk.
Coffee should never ever have milk in it. Ever.

What not even a latte  ;D
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #16 on: 03 April, 2008, 04:22:18 pm »
I usually add a squeeze of fresh lemon to normal brown tea, including Sikkim. Nothing in roibos, Japanese green or Chinese teas. I prefer a dash of cream in coffee, rather than milk.

Make all tea and coffee with filtered water.

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #17 on: 03 April, 2008, 05:27:41 pm »
I only have milk in tea cause it stains the mug less....
Getting there...

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #18 on: 03 April, 2008, 09:14:47 pm »
I spent years teaching my friends and rellies that I wanted builders tea. With the bag soaked for ages and mashed and squeezed to get it nice & strong and then a wee sup of milk. Unless I was drinking Earl Grey which was black.
Then at my last job I suddenly really went off tea with milk (I blame the bogging tetley tea).
So now it's just black tea with the tea bag sort of waved in the general direction of the hot water.
It's all fine until I get a really stewed black one.  :sick:
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #19 on: 03 April, 2008, 09:16:35 pm »
Tetleys et all al are black tea ... Just rubbish black tea some kind of blend of Assam and Ceylon usually.
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Julian

  • samoture
Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #20 on: 03 April, 2008, 09:32:55 pm »
Mousetrap tea needs milk.  Definitely.

Rooibos tea needs soya milk, unless it's rooibos chai in which case soya or dairy works fine.  White tea with flavours in can have a dash of milk.  Earl Grey needs honey instead.  Chinese tea is perfect by itself.

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #21 on: 03 April, 2008, 09:36:05 pm »
Tetleys et all al are black tea ... Just rubbish black tea some kind of blend of Assam and Ceylon usually.
When I said black I meant sans lait.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #22 on: 03 April, 2008, 09:56:16 pm »
Oops sorry Mrs Pingu
I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.

Mrs Pingu

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Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #23 on: 03 April, 2008, 10:00:53 pm »
 ;)

Tea = yum.
Except for the yucky Pineapple & Rooibos I bought a few years back, not really my cuppa.....
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: Tea without milk
« Reply #24 on: 03 April, 2008, 10:51:41 pm »
Tea generally has milk (skimmed), unless green or china.

Coffee, well... espresso - no milk (but perhaps a bit of funky brown sugar). Any other - a dash of milk or, even better, double cream. I've even floated clotted cream on top - totally brill.
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