Guest guest Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Hello everyone, I would like to read your opinnion. My question is: What's better to use when prepare the tea for Kombucha? Tea bags or tea leaves? Thanks dinovanta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 In message <008501c86425$fcffcfd0$6500a8c0@biblekid2> you wrote: > << reckon that 1 teabag is about the equivalent of a heaped teaspoon of tea - > well, I don't do things in great exactitudes but in approxitudes. > In Kombucha brewing that works well, in my experience anyway :-)>> > > My goodness, I have been using 1 heaping Tbsp!!! Can one put > " too much tea " into the approxitude brew? I will use less next time, > good to know, thanks, Millie, I only posted the moderate version before. You have posted the version which I normally abide by ;-) Quite acceptable. An overabundance of tea is only an issue with people that have a caffeine sensitivity. As long as your KT comes out good the other side, I should not worry. Me, preferring a stronger taste, like the generous version ;-) All the best with blessings and kombuchaly ;-)) Margret:-) -- +------------------ Minstrel@... --------------------+ <)))<>< http://www.therpc.f9.co.uk <)))<>< http://www.AnswersInGenesis.com +----------------- http://www.Gotquestions.org ------------------+ 'I have come into the world as light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness'(says Jesus in 12:46) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 << reckon that 1 teabag is about the equivalent of a heaped teaspoon of tea - well, I don't do things in great exactitudes but in approxitudes. In Kombucha brewing that works well, in my experience anyway :-)>> My goodness, I have been using 1 heaping Tbsp!!! Can one put " too much tea " into the approxitude brew? I will use less next time, good to know, thanks, Millie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 << reckon that 1 teabag is about the equivalent of a heaped teaspoon of tea - well, I don't do things in great exactitudes but in approxitudes. In Kombucha brewing that works well, in my experience anyway :-)>> My goodness, I have been using 1 heaping Tbsp!!! Can one put " too much tea " into the approxitude brew? I will use less next time, good to know, thanks, Millie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 <<Because of the small size of the pieces of leaf in tea bags, bagged tea will result in a brew with a much higher caffeine and tannin (read: " bitter " ) content.>> I am relatively new to KT and very new to tea in general. I am completely a coffe born and raised Caribbean girl, where tea is only for sick people <g> and you don't want to go near it otherwise! So thanks for teaching me on this, really appreciate all the knowledge as I am determined to learn TEA at this old age! I am teaching the old dog new tea ; ) Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! Millie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 <<Because of the small size of the pieces of leaf in tea bags, bagged tea will result in a brew with a much higher caffeine and tannin (read: " bitter " ) content.>> I am relatively new to KT and very new to tea in general. I am completely a coffe born and raised Caribbean girl, where tea is only for sick people <g> and you don't want to go near it otherwise! So thanks for teaching me on this, really appreciate all the knowledge as I am determined to learn TEA at this old age! I am teaching the old dog new tea ; ) Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! Millie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > An overabundance of tea is only an issue with people that have a > caffeine sensitivity. As long as your KT comes out good the other side, > I should not worry. Me, preferring a stronger taste, like the > generous version ;-) I'll second that. The trace nutrients in tea (C. sinensis) are present in sufficient quantity in even very weak tea, and there are no toxic (to the kombucha) compounds even in very strong tea. Herbal teas are another matter, as they may have essential oils that could be toxic. A member of this group is currently testing a brew in straight chamomile, for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > An overabundance of tea is only an issue with people that have a > caffeine sensitivity. As long as your KT comes out good the other side, > I should not worry. Me, preferring a stronger taste, like the > generous version ;-) I'll second that. The trace nutrients in tea (C. sinensis) are present in sufficient quantity in even very weak tea, and there are no toxic (to the kombucha) compounds even in very strong tea. Herbal teas are another matter, as they may have essential oils that could be toxic. A member of this group is currently testing a brew in straight chamomile, for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! I buy most of it from the bulk organic herb sellers on eBay. There's one (I don't have the link to it), called something like Amish Herbs or something like that. I get my rooibos from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! I buy most of it from the bulk organic herb sellers on eBay. There's one (I don't have the link to it), called something like Amish Herbs or something like that. I get my rooibos from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! Found the seller to which I was referring: http://tinyurl.com/2oalnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Millie - I buy bulk tea from health stores - you can also find it at frontier.com and my favorite place for bulk tea and all kinds of herbs (with fantastic prices) is www.bulkherbstore.com I personally prefer buying organic - then you can feel better about the leaves not being grown with pesticides. Good luck in your search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Me too! I use 4 heaping Tbsp per gal. But I like it like this....the tea is delicious and it doesn't seem to be a problem...I've grown 2 babies. I find that my taste for tea is on the stronger side then what's recommended anyway. Diane > > << reckon that 1 teabag is about the equivalent of a heaped teaspoon of tea - > well, I don't do things in great exactitudes but in approxitudes. > In Kombucha brewing that works well, in my experience anyway :-)>> > > My goodness, I have been using 1 heaping Tbsp!!! Can one put " too much tea " into the approxitude brew? I will use less next time, good to know, thanks, > Millie > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 > Is there a good place to order quality tea for Kombucha? I would love to know where you tea connoisseurs are finding your treasures. Pretty soon, I will know white from green from rooibos. How exciting! > > Millie > Hey Millie, I really am happy with the tea from www.mountainroseherbs.com It's a good quality organic tea and they have many varieteas oops....the prices are good for bulk packages much better than Frontier Herbs. HTH Diane )))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Just a thought: You could probably use nylon stockings too to brew your loose leaf tea??? Sunny > > I don't know which is actually " better, " tea bags vs. tea leaves. But > I did run across a very handy product the other day at a tea store > near where I live. I bought some t-sac tea filters which you can fill > with loose tea so you don't have to do a bunch of straining after > brewing your tea. They are made in Hannover, Germany, and the website > is www.t-sac.com > > They come in a bunch of different sizes. I got the biggest ones, #4, > which can be used in 12 cup teapots. I figured this was a good size > for a batch of kombucha. > > The filters are made of chlorine-free unbleached recyclable paper. > > Sue > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 I used an australian tea press (such as the Smart Tea maker or the ingenuiTea) to make a concentrate of the tea that I then add to room temperature water eliminating the need to cool the tea much. donnalynn Re: Tea bags vs tea leaves Just a thought: You could probably use nylon stockings too to brew your loose leaf tea??? Sunny > > I don't know which is actually " better, " tea bags vs. tea leaves. But > I did run across a very handy product the other day at a tea store > near where I live. I bought some t-sac tea filters which you can fill > with loose tea so you don't have to do a bunch of straining after > brewing your tea. They are made in Hannover, Germany, and the website > is www.t-sac.com > > They come in a bunch of different sizes. I got the biggest ones, #4, > which can be used in 12 cup teapots. I figured this was a good size > for a batch of kombucha. > > The filters are made of chlorine-free unbleached recyclable paper. > > Sue > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile./;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > > Just a thought: You could probably use nylon stockings too to brew > > our loose leaf tea??? > MT: i was just using a regular coffee maker. then, instead of using a > coffee filter, i just started throwing teabags in there. works fine. > mercurius trismegistus Funny thing is in India, they just throw the tea leaves in the water or milk and boil it. Then they pour it through a strainer. I love making Chai this way with all milk like I learned in India. Diane www.peacefulacres.wordpress.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > > Just a thought: You could probably use nylon stockings too to brew > > our loose leaf tea??? > MT: i was just using a regular coffee maker. then, instead of using a > coffee filter, i just started throwing teabags in there. works fine. > mercurius trismegistus Funny thing is in India, they just throw the tea leaves in the water or milk and boil it. Then they pour it through a strainer. I love making Chai this way with all milk like I learned in India. Diane www.peacefulacres.wordpress.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > Funny thing is in India, they just throw the tea leaves in > the water or milk and boil it. Then they pour it through > a strainer. I love making Chai this way with all milk > like I learned in India. Yum! I love making chai. The thing with brewing by decoction (brewing in continuously-boiling water) is that it extracts much more tannin. If you've ever tasted chai without the scalded milk that makes up a good portion of it's liquid, you'll know it's very bitter and astringent sans milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > Funny thing is in India, they just throw the tea leaves in > the water or milk and boil it. Then they pour it through > a strainer. I love making Chai this way with all milk > like I learned in India. Yum! I love making chai. The thing with brewing by decoction (brewing in continuously-boiling water) is that it extracts much more tannin. If you've ever tasted chai without the scalded milk that makes up a good portion of it's liquid, you'll know it's very bitter and astringent sans milk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > Call me behind-the-times . . . I find bagging my tea in any manner to > be too much trouble and too newfangled. *grin* Gimme a teapot and a > good old fashioned tea strainer. I was actually looking for a nice big tea strainer when I went into the tea store, where they suggested the t-sacs. I used to have a big tea strainer years ago, so big that I rarely used it. Now that I need it again...where the heck is it? I probably gave it away, thinking I'd never use it again. I do a lot of garage sale and thrift store shopping, though, so I'll be on the lookout for a replacement! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > I do a lot of garage sale and thrift store shopping, > though, so I'll be on the lookout for a replacement! Same here! Viva la used goods! The tea strainer, though, I believe I picked up for 99c in the kitchen gizmos section of a local grocery store . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 - do you have a good recipe for chai with milk? I would love it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 > > - do you have a good recipe for chai with milk? I would love it. Here's my current chai recipe file: http://blinkstwice.com/chai.txt A recipe sans cardamom (since that's the hardest-to-find chai spice) is at the end of the file if you can't find a good Indian grocer in your area, though some would argue that's not " real " chai. The Platonic Archetype of chai is a cardamom and tea decoction combined with milk. The generalized procedure is: 1. Bring water to a boil, maybe with tea and spices, maybe not. 2. If no tea and spices yet, add the spices, and maybe the tea. 3. Boil thirty seconds to an hour, possibly adding the tea at some point, and maybe adding the milk at some point, returning to a boil 4. If still no tea, add the tea and steep for some amount of time. 5. Strain into cups. If still no milk, serve with hot or cold or scalded or boiled milk, and maybe sugar. Chai is the potato salad of India: everyone's mother makes it differently. It took some doing, but I believe that 90% of the chai recipes I've found comply with the above procedure. Now kombuchai would be interesting . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2008 Report Share Posted February 1, 2008 I do. I learned to make it while in India...I make a mix and then add 2 heaping Tbsp per 1 Cup of milk and bring to a boil. Sorry I don't use measurements, but you can figure it out...more tea of course then spices. Black loose leaf tea Cardamon Pods Cinnamon Chips Nutmeg Dried Ginger Root or Ground Whole Cloves Sugar Bring the milk and tea/spices to a boil. Let it froth up and stir for about 3-4 min's. It's funny they ALWAYS blew on the froth, I just stir it to keep it a little cleaner! The spices can vary, in fact they didn't use any at the orphanage where I was...I guess it was too expensive. But we keep playing around with it until we get it to our tasting. Enjoy Diane www.peacefulacres.wordpress.com -- In kombucha tea , " Heinz " <luv2scrap@...> wrote: > > - do you have a good recipe for chai with milk? I would love it. > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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