Earl Gray Bravo, Part II

Well, this time I tried the Earl Gray Bravo significantly weaker than yesterday, and it was still VERY strong. But it was better. I could really taste the bergomot... very citrus-y, and mady my teeth feel sticky, like I'd just eaten a lemon. I liked the way that it blended with the tea. I didn't put sugar in it, but I should have!

Another thing, with the ingenuiTEA, I have a candy thermometer, so I was testing the temperature of the water...when it forms bubbles on the inside of the pitcher, it's about 200 degrees F. I didn't get it up to a full boil, but it was bubbling a bit...I'm discovering that the heat of the water makes a difference in how strong the tea is...

Tuesday Tea

I'm drinking the Earl Grey Bravo from Adagio. I love the tea leaves, mostly smaller black leaves, with some odd looking blue ones that almost look like blue fuzz. The aroma of the bergamot orange is quite powerful in the tea tin. The flavor is even stronger! Wow! I still get the aroma, not as strong though. I may need some sugar for this cup...it hits you right in the back of the mouth! Yikes.

Meanwhile, in thinking about the ingenuiTEA, I have some suggestions. First, the filter basket at the bottom doesn't stay at the bottom when I pour water into the pitcher. It comes loose and gently floats to the top. Then I have to stick my hand into the water to get the basket back in its spot. This is not optimal. I think the basket should have a rod that is as tall as the top of the pitcher, so it will be heavier, and I can stick it in the pitcher without getting my hands wet. In fact, I don't know how to do this, but it would be nice if I could lift the basket out without losing the tea leaves in the water.

I do like that when the steeping is done that the leaves begin to fall to the bottom of the pitcher. That's nice.

1/10/08

Sigh. I'm running almost completely out of tea. I may buy the Twinings Earl Grey loose leaf just to get me by until I decide on the Adagio varieties I want next. I may also buy their English Breakfast, just to see if it's any different from the variety that they sell in tea bags. It's at the grocery store, which is something. It's the only loose leaf that's there. I'm still leary of going to Teavana because of the expense...on the other hand, there's a few tea rooms in the area that may have some loose leaf...I'll have to try those. Saturday maybe I'll go out see what I can find.

Today I had just the ceylon sonata...a bit strong, though. I knew it when I was making it that it would be strong...I wish I could resolve the many trips to the bathroom after drinking two and a half cups of tea in the morning...

11/23/07

Today, we're drinking coffee. Not at work today, at my sister's. Duncan Donuts coffee. Vanilla something coffee. It's good stuff.

Yesterday, though, I had some waayyy strong tea. My sister's in-laws are Iranian, and they made Earl Grey tea, but he steeps it for 20 minutes! It makes for a very strong, bitter cup of tea. Yikes! I was offered some baklava to go with it. It was about the only way I could keep drinking it. It was loose tea as well. When I found out that they had it, I had to have some! I was surprised when he said how long it would be before it would be ready, then I found out why. Whew! It was a good day yesterday.

My brother in law's mom said that English tea is the best. Since I'm not sure what that is, I don't know. I didn't think to pursue it, since there was so much activity at Thanksgiving at her house.