Thursday 15 January 2009

Observation on Tea

OK.

I was in the library the other day, editing stuff. I was struggling with wakefulness, so I went to get something caffienated (sp?) at the Library Cafe. I was in line and at the last minute I decided that I would get a tea instead of a London Fog. I've grown to really like London Fogs after some friends recommended them and I was trying to find new sources of caffeine than Diet Coke. I like the smell of them, but also the taste, and the Library Cafe makes excellent ones. However, a regular tea is cheaper, so I order that. I've never had Earl Grey tea before. I had this mint tea meant to make me sleep better, and I thought it was so boring. I had a Chai tea once at a friend's place, and I thought it was pretty boring--not as numbingly dull as the mint stuff, but still not fun. But I love the smell of Earl Grey, so I thought, this is the tea for me. I also let it steep a really long time in there.

I was so bored. It's just like faintly-flavoured hot water! And not faintly flavoured, like flavoured water. Flavoured water is like pop next to tea. Maybe I need to dump even more cream and sugar to give it body. I don't know. It was better when I got to the bottom, but that might be because I did some serious tea-bag squeezing down there. It had dregs, perhaps, and was therefore stronger. Whatever the reason, I was bored. From now on, London Fog.

Or I could try more experiments with coffee beverages again. Someone told me I need to get a lighter roast; a friend of mine worked in a coffee shop and she explained to me the ins and outs of different roasts. Apparently, what they don't tell clientelle is that the longer they roast the bean, the less caffeine there is. A lighter roast technically has more caffeine in it, but it doesn't possess as strong a taste; the strong taste of an espresso, for instance, jolts people, and drinkers erroneously associate a strong flavour with more caffeine, creating a placebo effect that wakes them up. However, if I don't like the bitterness of a dark roast, I ought to try a light roast blend, armed with the knowledge that it, in fact, contains more caffeine...and so hopefully I'll get the full chemical and placebo combo. Or I could stick with my overpriced tea drink.

4 comments:

Scumbag Sam said...

hmmm... earl grey isnt my favorite. its all about how long you leave the bag in the water to 'ferment' as I like to say... its a bit too flavoursome for me though, and by that, I mean it tastes like hospitals smell.. seriously. ergh. Such a shame, I don't think you guys get PG tips - best tea ever, apart from Redbush, but thats caffine free.... I think I could talk about tea all day - a new one I love at the moment. Nettle tea. its seriously crazy how nice it is! Have to leave the bag in until the end though! thats what us hard core tea drinkers do!

Anonymous said...

but a london fog has an earl grey base! it just has way more sugar and a fake-vanilla sugar-loaded syrup added, and of course, it's made in steamed milk. how can you like one, but not the other?

a real earl grey, with actual oil of bergamot instead of artificial flavour could make you reconsider.

Cait said...

was it I who told you about the different kinds of roasts?

Christian H said...

No, Cait, it wasn't you.
See, that a London Fog has an Earl Grey base is precisely why I thought I would like regular Earl Grey. I just don't really care for hot water, I suppose. I like my liquids to have a bit more body to them. I've since been told that I should maybe try a milk tea? Really, that's what a London Fog is. In other words, I like the taste of Earl Grey (and LOVE the smell), but I wish that there was more of it (taste, that is) and that it would be thicker.

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