Can Our British Friends Help?

[danemodsandy]

SCREAMING UPDATE!

I FOUND A CADDY!

It was on Etsy, and it dates from the '70s (the 1970s, that is, not the century before), and it was cheap. It's the proper chest type, not a bottle caddy, and it has a lock, as a tea caddy should *. A photo is below.

I'm a little uncertain about the Ye Olde Antique Greene Colour, but it can always be refinished in an ever-so-genteel natural finish if I find that the YOAGC reminds me too much of Avocado.

The main thing is, it's mine now - God and the Post Office's ham-handed minions willing.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

* Tea used to be a very expensive, highly coveted luxury item. In the age of servants, it was only prudent to lock it up, hence the lock on chest-type caddies. You no more left tea lying about for the help to pilfer than you'd leave Courvoisier around today.

 

[ovrphil]

Congrats Sandy!

 

[frigilux]

A very handsome caddy it is, too! Looking forward to more photos---especially the interior---when it arrives. Congratulations, Sandy.

 

[danemodsandy]

Frigilux:

Here's inside - nothing special.

Yet.

 

[danemodsandy]

Looks Like:

Kay Miniver and a certain Mary Haines shared the same taste in tea caddies.

I've spotted the same caddy used in Mrs. Miniver again in The Women. One of the secrets of classic Hollywood is that their prop holdings weren't quite as extensive as they seemed - if you have a sharp eye, you'll see the same things appearing again and again.

The caddy is over Rosalind Russell's ("Sylvia Fowler") right shoulder, in the living room set of Norma Shearer's ("Mary Haines") Connecticut country house.

 

[frigilux]

Thanks for the peek inside, Sandy. Quite honestly, I had never heard of a tea caddy before reading this thread.  Didn't know if the inside was lined with glass or something to help preserve the precious cargo.  In fact, when was I much younger, I could have used just such a stylish lock-box to keep friends from pilfering my stash of...well, let's just say tea.

 

My knowledge of tea and its proper brewing and handling are sorely lacking.  In fact, the sum total begins and ends with a tea bag and a mug of water in a microwave.  I make the occasional cup of herbal during the winter and gallons of iced tea in the summer using those oversized Lipton Iced Tea bags and a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker. 

 

Any suggestions to help a novice branch out a bit would be appreciated. What kinds of tea do you like? How do you store and brew your tea?

[this post was last edited: 7/27/2014-07:47]

 

[gadgetgary]

A suggestion

I use that same Iced Tea maker year round with 8 regular bags of tea.
Works perfectly

 

[perc-o-prince]

Eugene,

I use a 1/2 gallon pitcher (it's plastic)- the kind where the top can be turned to one side to strain and the other to let ice cubes out. I put 6 large spoons of sugar and 3-4 round, stringless Lipton tea bags (not the US version) in the pitcher. I put the kettle on and shortly before boiling I pour the water over the sugar and bags till it's full. Let it cool, refrigerate, and done.

It's important not to add lemon, if you like it, until after the steeping. I don't know the scientific reason, but it seems it blocks the steeping quite a bit.

Drinking a glass now! As you can see, with just 4 bags in 1/2 gallon, it's still quite strong!

Cheers!

Chuck

 

[danemodsandy]

Eugene:

Tea caddies - the chest type, that is - usually have something inside to line the container. In the eighteenth century, that something was often sheet lead, because no one knew any better. Obviously, lead poisoning was the end result of that tactic.

Later, tin was used, and then, silvered paper, which is often still used today - the Williamsburg reproduction caddies use this.

I keep enough tea for short-term use (say, a week's worth) in the tea caddy. Larger quantities go into a tightly-closed tin, which then goes into a Ziploc bag, with the whole thing going into the freezer.

My favored brew is Earl Grey, which is black tea flavored with bergamot, an extract of bergamot oranges. The bergamot gives the tea a pleasantly fruity taste, and knocks the edge off the tannin taste - that "puckery" flavor you often get if tea is brewed a bit strong.

I prefer loose tea to teabags for tea-time. I am perfectly okay with teabags for iced tea, but I don't like them in front of company.

The brewing method I prefer is the classic one:

- Fresh water, in a tea kettle.
- A teapot, which can be any material you like, pre-warmed with boiling water which you then pour out.
- A tea cozy, which is a little padded cover that goes over the teapot to keep the heat in while the tea brews.
- A tea strainer, which is a little strainer with a handle on it; it sits on top of a teacup.

Freshly drawn water should be brought to a full, by-grannies boil on the stove in the teakettle. While it's coming to a boil, measure one rounded teaspoon of tea into the teapot for each cup you intend to make. If you have ever heard that there should be an extra measure "for the pot," you have been misled; don't do it. Allow the tea to steep for five minutes, with the teapot covered with the cozy. As soon as the steeping is done, pour cups of tea, holding the strainer over each cup.

People can then add sugar *, and choose between lemon and milk. Lemon and milk never go into the same cup of tea, unless you enjoy instant cottage cheese in your brew.

A full, five o'clock tea can be very complicated, with lots of equipment, but these are the basics.

* If you really want Ye Fulle Olde Tyme Britishhe Experience, try getting hold of Demerara sugar, which is beige in color (okay, okay, colour!) due to a small molasses content still in it. Dee-licious! More and more American grocery stores are carrying it. It's pronounced deh-murr-RARE-ruh, not deh-murr-RAH-ruh.[this post was last edited: 7/27/2014-17:31]

 

[solsburian]

I had a ex who swore by a Teapot as they felt it made better tasting tea rather than brewing tea in the cup.

IMHO the best kind cuppa is made from loose tea. The buttery at my place of work serve it and it always seems to be more flavoursome.

 

[ovrphil]

Tea time

Yep, that's about how my mother's mother made tea, always loose tea.. My Nanna always had some tarts (usually her home-made mince-meat tarts) to go with a "spot of tea".

Glad you are happy with your new tea caddy, Sandy.

 

[danemodsandy]

Ooh!

Home-made mince tarts! Yum!

I don't make mincemeat any more, and one of the regional peculiarities of this part of Iowa is that mincemeat is essentially unknown. My first few years here were spent without a mince pie at Thanksgiving; no store here carries them - and believe you me, I tried.

I laid in a few jars of Crosse & Blackwell mincemeat last year when they were marked down after the holiday; that's the only time TWGSITW * carries it. Even marked down, it was priced like a precious metal.

This Thanksgiving, there will be a mince pie if I don't eat another damned thing.

* The Worst Grocery Store in the World. I will not name names, but it's a very large chain seen all over the Midwest. Many people rave about it, but I notice they're from other cities. The ones here in Waterloo are absolutely horrendous, with stratospheric prices and belligerent management who take comments most unkindly.

 

[jkbff]

No No no.. Ya'll are doing iced tea wrong...

You put a gallon of water in a pot, add a cup and a half of sugar, bring to a boil then turn off.. Then you put two of those lipton gallon bags in the pot, let it steep while you entertain yourself on aw.org. After reading a few threads, ya go back and fish the two bags out, squeeze them gently and dump the elixir into a container that will hold a bit over 2 gallons. Mix with a gallon of water and place in the fridge.

The sugar can be adjusted to taste, my sister used to use 3 cups of sugar... I'd bring my own tea I'm actually using less and less each time because I am trying to get away from sugar.. I've stopped drinking pop so this is my replacement and I've started losing weight.

My alternative to sweet iced tea is the same lipton tea brewed with 6-8 bags of throat coat ( http://traditionalmedicinals.com/products/throat-coat/ ) and no sugar added. After the two gallons is chilled, you have a thoroughly refreshing tea. I'd make this more than sweet tea but the Walmart here can't keep throat coat in stock... I stock up when I can. Between the two brews, I make 2 gallons for my self every 2-3 days.

Sandy, congrats on the tea locker. I am wanting to experiment with loose teas but I've had enough bad brews to know I need to learn more first. When I lived in Kansas City, MO, a friend took me to a little herb/tea place that let you choose your own herbs and teas to make your own blends. It would have been cool had she not made a blend that had 3 of my strongest allergens in it.. :/ .. My sneezing/coughing fits in the store when she made me smell the blend should have been the first clue... 7 Years later my allergies have calmed down a lot.. Maybe I should give it another go.

 

[whirlcool]

We even have a proper tea cart in our living room. And we have a small collection of tea pots and proper tea cups from England too.

We use the large teapot on Sunday mornings when we are looking forward to a rather lazy day. We boil the water, fill the pot, then dump the water after a few minutes and then add the tea to sit in the steamed pot for about 5 minutes. Then we add fresh new water. We then let it steep to the desired strength. I feel that this method (shown to us in London by friends) makes the smoothest possible tea. We even have a tea cozy to keep the pot warm, which it does very well. We were using Fortnum & Mason's Coronation Tea, but F&M no longer exports to the USA. So we use Harney & Sons English Breakfast tea or plain old PG Tips or even a Twinings. Between us we can go through a pot to a pot and a half. By the time we are done with the tea we are quite ready to get on with the rest of the rest of our day. Harney also makes a wonderful Ginger & Licorice tea that's great for afternoon teas. BTW, did I mention that we use bottled spring water for tea making?

We like a full bodied tea. So because Herbal teas tend to be rather weak we don't use those often. We sometimes will use Green Tea but we have to use quite a bit of it to get the strength we like.

 

[danemodsandy]

Tea Caddy Arrived:

The green caddy in the photos above arrived today, safe and sound. It's not small, but it's not too big either.

I am still debating whether I can live with its Avocado-ness - the present finish is one of those '70s "antiqued" paint jobs, with wiping stain used over a base coat to simulate age. This technique never really looked old; the result was always a little too studied and precise.

Still, she's near, she's here and I just may get used to it.

P.S.: Marty cat is fascinated by it.

 

[frigilux]

I'd leave it as is; cats have exquisite taste. Marty will soon rub a corner of it with the side of his face to declare, "And this is mine."

 

[vacbear58]

Mincemeat

Sandy,

You might find this useful if you fancy trying your hand at mincemeat once again - you can always cut down the recipe to make more manageable quantities



Al

 

[danemodsandy]

Alistair:

I just don't do the quantity cooking and involved dishes that I once did. That looks like a wonderful mincemeat, though!

I should really get some Atora vegetable suet sometime and try it in mincemeat. On this side of the pond, real suet is very hard to get, and Atora beef suet is not legal here, owing to the fact that our Food & Drug Administration refuses to keep up with the progress the U.K. has made on BSE. We can only get the veggie Atora.

P.S.: A tea caddy spoon is on its way from a Canadian eBay seller; it's one of those little enamelled souvenir ones. The one I chose is from Blackpool, showing the Blackpool Tower. There was a terrific one from the Queen's Silver Jubilee, but it was much too expensive - so much so, that I was tempted to write the seller and ask, "You do realize this was just a commemorative, and not HM's personally?"

 

[gizmo]

tea in the USA

pardon the almost hijack, but...

my partner and I will be going to the USA in April/May 2015. My partner drinks black tea from (cough!) teabags but is choosy about brands. Is Dilmah tea in teabags widely / easily available in USA? It is his preferred brew. Or any recommendation for an English Breakfast tea in teabags that can be bought easily all over the joint?

thanks

Mr decaf espresso coffee drinker.

 

[davey7]

I've never heard of Dilmah tea, so I'm guessing it isn't readily available Stateside, certainly not in restaurants or the majority of supermarkets, though it may be in regional ones/specialty stores. I usually have some Twinings on hand.