Thread: Tea anyone ??!!

Don,
it looks good and it will not be hot, if you grab.
The cracked design formed later - if the glaze is - on the go, after some brewing.

Cheers,
Béla

As far as I was aware, tea should never be brewed with boiling water -- just off the boil, about 90-95C is what you want. For black tea, of course, and I'd steep for about 3 mins, give or take depending on the tea and my preference...

Green tea is totally different and, depending on the tea, should be steeped with water anywhere between 40 degrees and 80 degrees for a much shorter time.

Originally Posted by fonthunter

Billy Tea

Originally Posted by NoseWarmer

Mick,

I have to ask... What is Billy Tea... I've been hoping to figure it out on my own but... Is it the brand or the brew method?

Actually, these days, it's both a brand and a method. Having said that the method is far better than the brand.

Billy tea the method is to take one billy as per Bela's photo, and bring the water to a rolling boil. Throw in a handful of tea leaves of your choice and let it go for 30 secs before lifting the billy from the campfire (Usually with a forky stick or something) Give the wire handle of the billy a moment to cool before taking hold and swinging it around in big North/South (Head/Feet) circles a few turns to settle the leaves to the bottom. Use the forky stick as a bottom lift on the billy and pour into the waiting pannikan for drinking.

'Billy Tea' the brand is a finely chopped, medium strong (assam based I think) black tea, that can be had loose leaf, and in teabags as well. It is supposed to have a rounded smokey flavour reminiscent of the Australian bush, and I suppose if I was to go out and lick the ground six monthes after a bushfire had been through it might just be that way too. A slightly musty, ashy tasting tea that isn't able to stand up to the sales pitch written about it. However, it is a tea I keep in stock, and did enjoy, until I found a whole new world of tea tastes thanks to this thread. If you want something that tastes like it has been made billy tea style (method, not brand), then Russian Caravan is pretty damn close to that taste.


Mick

hey mick, i think lapsang could also be considered made billy tea style also, but then again, i think by what you describe, they just threw a chunk of charred wood in the pot with it and then brewed the tea, but i love it anyways.

Originally Posted by MichaelFrancis

I'm a little confused on steeping times and different teas. Also, I searched google, but I seem to come up with various views on this. Should the steeping time be longer for each subsequent infusion?

Originally Posted by Nightblade

If you are drinking general black tea of european taste . refer to directions on post # 1932 . If you are drinking greens and Oolongs, or Asians in general talk to Bela.

Yea, I'm referring to all loose leaf teas, blacks, oolongs, greens, etc.

Mick, is it this one for the tea brand?



So how would Billy Tea go with this:

Originally Posted by MichaelFrancis

Yea, I'm referring to all loose leaf teas, blacks, oolongs, greens, etc.

It does not matter whether it's in a bag or loose,what matters is the color. You're over thinking this. Black tea 2-3 min . Green I would do the same but that is just me...Bela' is the green tea expert. read again what he and I posted. Cheers

If I were you, I'd google the steeping time for the exact type of tea that you're drinking. Every tea is different and will have different steeping times and methods depending on whether it's black tea, green tea, oolong or whatever and also depending on what type of tea within those categories.

Don't forget that that's without mentioning people's personal taste—while one person may brew their favourite black tea for 2.5 minutes exactly, you might prefer it stronger and brew it for 3 or 4 minutes.

Search for the recommended steeping time for your tea and then play about with it. Use more leaf...or less...use cooler water or hotter water, steep for a longer or shorter time and see what you like best. I'm told that even the type of water you use will affect the flavour of your tea.

You see, tea can be very simple—stick bag in pot and drink when ready—or it can be verging on a science. It really just depends on how weird you are, I think.

Let me also say to break any confusion. when I wrote down the instructions for the basic pot Of tea, This can be applied to either loose or bag. Most folks just don't have the luxury of having a tea store where they can purchase loose tea is all. Again..."THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE APPLIED TO LOOSE OR BAG TEA".Good luck to you my friend and ask questions anytime.

Today's tea: Phu Tho green tea from Vietnam - Hanoi



Cheers,
Béla