Why My Life Sucks

Today, we are looking at Twinings “Classic English Breakfast Tea”.  I made an ISO-3 cup of tea

Slight floral notes, but with a nice tannin after taste.  Mild, but has a bit of a bite at the end.

8 out of 10

Availability: You should be able to find it in most middle grade to upscale food stores.

My Sunday game was called, due to sickness and the Superbowl. I’ve been taking care of Mother for the last two days and have to take her to the doctor later today.

My tea kettle broke, which means I fell back on boiling water on the stove. It may be the in my mind but tea made with actual boiling water taste better than tea made by super-heating (i.e microwaved), and damn sure taste better than tea made with the “hot water” tap on a retail shop’s coffee machine.

We have also established this weekend who the Alpha critter in the house is. Keenii, the cat. Otto, the Alpha Dog gives space to her. Of course Ashley, the other cat, doesn’t really care and is friends with the dogs. She does what she wants to do regardless, so it could be argued that she is alpha.

Today we are looking at “Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold”

Starting with making an ISO-3 cup of tea.   It’s more “mellow” than PG Tips, but still has that touch of tanin that I like in a tea.  No floral notes, and very little “nose”.

The format of the tea bag is flat, not a “flow through” or a pyramid sytle.  This does mean it takes just a hair bit longer to brew.

It’s a good tea, I’m giving it a 8.5 out 10

Availability:  I got my box at the “All things English” shop in Broken Arrow, I’ve seen it at Moondragon Tea shop.  In other words, your going to have to look for it on this side of the pond.

At work, I normally use 3 tea cubes and 2 tablespoon (30ml | 1/8th cups cup) of Half and half. This does not make exactly the same tasty beverage as the home version, but it still 7 and a half out of 10. The way that half and half interacts with tea is different than how whole milk interacts, and I prefer the milk taste.

I just figured out that my ISO 3 standard cup of tea has 85 calories. That’s about half the calories of a soda, and 40% the calories of a hard cider. It’s possibly a little more because the tea it’s self should have some calories. At an average of 5 a day, that’s about 425 calories. I don’t even want to think about what my coffee’s calories are.

For some reason, Brandy, the Min-Pen has decided that used tea bags (so far only PG Tips) are a good chew toy. She digs them out of the trash and takes them all over the house. Getting to be just a bit of a PITA.  At least it better than her other favorite chewy thing, cat poop.

I followed the “standard test procedure”

Tea appears to be lighter in color than base line PG Tips. It is a “lighter” tea, but the tannins are noticeable, which is good. It has an interesting smell, sweet, not quite floral, more like honey

Capsule review:
8 out of 10
Availability: most mid to higher end food store should have it.

I followed the “standard test procedure“  Results:

Tea has noticeable floral notes and has less of the tannin taste than PG Tips does. While I find this to be a minus, tea tannins are a developed taste.
I really don’t get much tea flavor out the Lipton tea, the sugar and milk are much stronger in it than in the PG Tips. It’s “weak tea”. It’s a nice beverage, but I think it will be “I have no other option”.

Capsule review:
5 out of 10
Availability: Damn near every food store in North America

Update: The floral notes become more and more noticable as the tea cools, so that the last bit of tea is quite flora, which “isn’t my cup of tea”.

• Cat yodeling. Fun for all, but be careful, could upgrade to “angry cat in arms” which is some what less musical
• QT was out of milk so I’ve been using half and half. I ran my “standard” test with half and half instead of the milk and found that it cuts the tannin taste even more than the milk does. Still an excellent hot beverage.
• The snow is still here, and they still haven’t done any thing to our road. Given that it’s a purely residential road with maybe 2 dozen houses on the whole horse shoe it’s unlikely that they will ever do any thing.

I’m starting with PG Tips in the pyramid bags, mainly because it’s pretty close to perfect tea for me.

For tea bag teas this is the testing procedure:
Boil water. While waiting the water to boil put tea bag and 1 table spoon (measured) of sugar in mug.
Pour water over the tea bag/sugar.
Let brew for 3 minutes. (using a timer)
remove tea bag
mix tea and sugar for 10 seconds or so.
Add 1/4 cup whole milk (also measured)

Wait about 2 minutes cooling time.

Review:
PG Tips
9 out of 10
Good solid body with a slight acrid tannin taste, nicely mellowed by the milk. It’s the tea that “English Breakfast” teas are trying to taste like.

Availability: Was carried by Walmart, who has dropped it. In Broken Arrow the “All thing English” shop has it in 40,80 and 160 tea bag boxes.
Recommended as a good base line tea

QT tea is made of fail. It’s better than there coffee but it tastes “funny” I’m not sure if it because it’s Lipton tea bags, the fact that it’s not boiling water or that their “dairy half and half” is a bit off. Some tests later today should help isolate the issue(s)

*update*
It’s the “Dairy half and half” creamer. Just made a cup of tea using Lipton bags (bought at QT) and with real half-and-half it doesn’t have that “off” taste. Also real brewing helps (vs just hot water). I think I’m going to start “rating” tea like I was doing beers for a while.

I’ve decided that Tea, not Beer, is the primary beverage in my life now. Dr. Pepper was in the running, along with some various pure cane sugar colas but all in all tea fits more than any thing else.

Hot with milk/cream and sugar, it’s my morning drink of choice now. Iced, with sugar added while brewing, it’s very high on my cold beverage list. Hell, iced with out sugar still puts it higher than an American megabrew beer.

Made a mug before work and made one once I got to work. Real Tea, Real Sugar and Real Milk / Half-and-Half. Makes for a happy camper. Wither or not this translate to a happy productive worker remains to be seen

I tried to make a hot tea with milk/cream in it at QT this morning. Results, while better than their coffee, isn’t worth the buck forty. The artificial flavor in the in “french vanilla steamer” just about ruins the whole thing, plus low grade tea bags. Back to PG Tips teabags and real milk and/or half-n-half for real morning goodness. Of course for that I either have to make one to travel from home or wait until the shop opens, no time killing trip to QT in the AM.

Given 1 24oz cup filled 2/3 with QT “normal” coffee and 1/3 of the cup filled with the French Vanilla “steamer”. (a QT steamer is hot milk with flavors. Or hot milk like substance, not quite sure on that.)
Even with a massive amount of sugar added, it’s just not as good as either the breakfast blend stuff I make at home, or better yet tea. (See yesterday), so the good news is I’m going to save 1.40 each morning now.

1 mug boiling water
1 PG Tips “pyramid” tea bag
5 sugar cubes
1/4 cup Land O’Lakes half/half

Yeah, it’s a cuppa, but it’s what I need. Well, 4-5 of them is what I need….