I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea. These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

TIA.

--
~~Bluesea~~
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Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

Bluesea wrote:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea. These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

Probably one or more of the following:

1. Generic Ceylon teas, mostly high altitude, very finely cut.

2. Generic Assams, again very finely ground

3. Argentinian tea.

But it may be so mixed it's hard to say there is any one "base tea" in some
of the bag blends. A lot of the bag blend taste comes from the very fine
cut that is required due to the poor fluid flow through the bag.

You might try a CTC Assam. If he likes Lipton's in a bag, try the Yellow
Label Lipton's, which is a cheap CTC tea that you'll find in Indian markets.
It's a huge step up from the stuff in the bag, but a big step down from
a high grade tea. It might be about the right size step he'd be willing to
take.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Bluesea" writes:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store
brand teabags, and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags
and loose tea. These are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like
anything else he's tried and I don't see the point in comparing
apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

I'm not going to answer exactly the question you posed. But,
considering what he drinks now, you might consider proselytizing this
guy from a different angle: loose tea is much cheaper than bagged tea
of comparable quality. These days my weekday breakfast tea is usually
some Caykur I got at a Turkish store in Sunnyside, Queens for $2.99
the 500g package.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Bluesea wrote:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand
teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea. These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried and
I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

Probably one or more of the following:

1. Generic Ceylon teas, mostly high altitude, very finely cut.

2. Generic Assams, again very finely ground

3. Argentinian tea.

But it may be so mixed it's hard to say there is any one "base tea" in
some
of the bag blends. A lot of the bag blend taste comes from the very fine
cut that is required due to the poor fluid flow through the bag.

You might try a CTC Assam. If he likes Lipton's in a bag, try the Yellow
Label Lipton's, which is a cheap CTC tea that you'll find in Indian
markets.
It's a huge step up from the stuff in the bag, but a big step down from
a high grade tea. It might be about the right size step he'd be willing
to
take.
--scott

Thanks. From memory (I haven't had Lipton's since high school), I was
guessing Assam and Yunnan and didn't want to rely on a memory from that long
ago.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
"Bluesea" writes:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store
brand teabags, and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags
and loose tea. These are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like
anything else he's tried and I don't see the point in comparing
apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

I'm not going to answer exactly the question you posed. But,
considering what he drinks now, you might consider proselytizing this
guy from a different angle: loose tea is much cheaper than bagged tea
of comparable quality. These days my weekday breakfast tea is usually
some Caykur I got at a Turkish store in Sunnyside, Queens for $2.99
the 500g package.

Thanks. I tried the financial angle, but I wasn't able to go lower than a
penny per cup because I don't know enough about what's out there. He's got
this routine that has him spending 2/3 of a cent for 12 oz mug of beverage
and I don't know how to beat that with a black tea of unknown taste. I was
thinking it's going to take improved flavor to convert him to loose tea.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Bluesea" writes:

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
"Bluesea" writes:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store
brand teabags, and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags
and loose tea. These are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like
anything else he's tried and I don't see the point in comparing
apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

I'm not going to answer exactly the question you posed. But,
considering what he drinks now, you might consider proselytizing this
guy from a different angle: loose tea is much cheaper than bagged tea
of comparable quality. These days my weekday breakfast tea is usually
some Caykur I got at a Turkish store in Sunnyside, Queens for $2.99
the 500g package.

Thanks. I tried the financial angle, but I wasn't able to go lower than a
penny per cup because I don't know enough about what's out there. He's got
this routine that has him spending 2/3 of a cent for 12 oz mug of beverage
and I don't know how to beat that with a black tea of unknown taste. I was
thinking it's going to take improved flavor to convert him to loose tea.

He drives a hard bargain. My breakfast mug runs an exorbitant 2.4
cents. Haven't tried Hy-Vee bags, though...

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
"Bluesea" writes:

"Lewis Perin" wrote in message
news
"Bluesea" writes:

I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store
brand teabags, and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags
and loose tea. These are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like
anything else he's tried and I don't see the point in comparing
apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

I'm not going to answer exactly the question you posed. But,
considering what he drinks now, you might consider proselytizing this
guy from a different angle: loose tea is much cheaper than bagged tea
of comparable quality. These days my weekday breakfast tea is usually
some Caykur I got at a Turkish store in Sunnyside, Queens for $2.99
the 500g package.

Thanks. I tried the financial angle, but I wasn't able to go lower than
a
penny per cup because I don't know enough about what's out there. He's
got
this routine that has him spending 2/3 of a cent for 12 oz mug of
beverage
and I don't know how to beat that with a black tea of unknown taste. I
was
thinking it's going to take improved flavor to convert him to loose tea.

He drives a hard bargain. My breakfast mug runs an exorbitant 2.4
cents. Haven't tried Hy-Vee bags, though...

I've got my work cut out for me.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

I suggest CTC Assam before trying any Chinese black (red) teas. I grew
up drinking Red Rose, Tetley, and Lipton in tea bags and find that the
Chinese black teas have a different flavor that I can't quite put my
finger on. The CTC Assams are a closer match to these blends and would
be a good first step for a devout teabag user. You might also want to
consider something like Twining's English Breakfast. Growing up I felt
that making a REAL pot of tea (English style) with loose tea from a
pretty tin was a treat when compared to just dunking a teabag in a
mug. Once your friends sees that using loose tea is easy, he'll be
more likely to move on to try other teas.

Alan

"Alan" wrote in message
...
I suggest CTC Assam before trying any Chinese black (red) teas. I grew
up drinking Red Rose, Tetley, and Lipton in tea bags and find that the
Chinese black teas have a different flavor that I can't quite put my
finger on. The CTC Assams are a closer match to these blends and would
be a good first step for a devout teabag user.

Thanks, I didn't want to try to figure out the base by tasting it myself
because I prefer the Chinese black and not Assam.

You might also want to
consider something like Twining's English Breakfast. Growing up I felt
that making a REAL pot of tea (English style) with loose tea from a
pretty tin was a treat when compared to just dunking a teabag in a
mug.

I've gotten more info and he has tried loose in teaballs and with a
strainer, but the tea's been in boxes, paper-lined, not tins as I would have
expected gift teas to be. I don't know at this point how it was brewed, if
by time or by color.

Once your friends sees that using loose tea is easy, he'll be
more likely to move on to try other teas.

Nooo, I don't think ease will get him, either. He sticks a teabag in a mug
with cold water and nukes it. That's why I'm convinced flavor's got to do
the trick.


--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

On Nov 29, 12:24 pm, "Bluesea" wrote:
"Alan" wrote in message
Once your friends sees that using loose tea is easy, he'll be
more likely to move on to try other teas.

Nooo, I don't think ease will get him, either. He sticks a teabag in a mug
with cold water and nukes it. That's why I'm convinced flavor's got to do
the trick.

Well, then, the bar's pretty low, isn't it? ;-)

If tasting a good loose tea made with non-nuked boiling water doesn't
convince him, I suggest you resign yourself to the fact that he is
beyond help.

Good luck and tell us how it turns out.

Alan

On 11/29/2007 9:58 AM, Bluesea wrote:
I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea. These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

TIA.

A friend will *only* drink teabag tea, ideally Lipton. I keep Red Rose
loose tea for him - he'll drink that, and likes it. According to the
box, it is "Pure Ceylon Tea" - "Premium Blended Mountain Estate Black
Tea" - it does taste like basic tea bag tea, but a bit better.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
On Nov 29, 12:24 pm, "Bluesea" wrote:
"Alan" wrote in message
Once your friends sees that using loose tea is easy, he'll be
more likely to move on to try other teas.

Nooo, I don't think ease will get him, either. He sticks a teabag in a
mug
with cold water and nukes it. That's why I'm convinced flavor's got to
do
the trick.

Well, then, the bar's pretty low, isn't it? ;-)

LOL! I'm positive the taste will be so amazing, he'll "Wow!" for days.

If tasting a good loose tea made with non-nuked boiling water doesn't
convince him, I suggest you resign yourself to the fact that he is
beyond help.

One step at a time. Right now, I'd be happy if he quits nuking his poor
teabag and starts the steep with water that reached 212 degrees, nuked or
not, BEFORE steeping. Then, on to loose tea.

It would be more of a contrast, though, wouldn't it, if I let him compare
his nuked teabag tea to properly brewed loose tea instead of having him
modify his nuking the teabag, first?

Good luck and tell us how it turns out.

Thanks! Will do.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

"Serendip" wrote in message
...
On 11/29/2007 9:58 AM, Bluesea wrote:
I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand
teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea.
These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried
and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

TIA.

A friend will *only* drink teabag tea, ideally Lipton. I keep Red Rose
loose tea for him - he'll drink that, and likes it. According to the
box, it is "Pure Ceylon Tea" - "Premium Blended Mountain Estate Black
Tea" - it does taste like basic tea bag tea, but a bit better.

Okay, thanks. I'll do that.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

Since he's such a tough customer -- what does he drink the tea for?

Antioxidants? Fat-loss? Caffeine? Flavoured water? Taste?

That might help us in figuring out how to beat the nuked teabag.

Maybe a big bag of restaurant grade powered Chinese oolong will do the
trick

MarshalN
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Bluesea wrote:
I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea. These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

TIA.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.

He drinks it for the flavor and because it's inexpensive. He nukes it
because he's lazy and doesn't believe that there's a good reason for
preparing tea properly; he claims that there isn't such a thing as properly
prepared tea. He's well-aware of the directions on the box, but says since
his method works for him and so many other microwave-brewers, it's the
proper method. He doesn't want to try another tea or fresh, loose leaf tea
because he's happy with what he has. He said that boiling water on the stove
uses more electricity and dirties a pan unnecessarily (yes, I asked how bad
is his water, anyway, if boiling water dirties the pan).

He says that he's tried many teas in the past, many of which were exotic
teas from friends, and he doesn't like anything that isn't a regular tea.
"Exotic" is anything that doesn't taste like Lipton. "Regular" tea is what
restaurants serve, like Lipton. Tea made for him by friends in their homes
tasted like limp cardboard - I told him that's what stale tea tastes like -
he wasn't moved.

Comparing loose leaf and teabags to fresh vegetables and canned, he said
that canned vegetables taste good, too.

You can lead a horse to water, but if he don't wanna, he won't.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.


"MarshalN" wrote in message
...
Since he's such a tough customer -- what does he drink the tea for?

Antioxidants? Fat-loss? Caffeine? Flavoured water? Taste?

That might help us in figuring out how to beat the nuked teabag.

Maybe a big bag of restaurant grade powered Chinese oolong will do the
trick

MarshalN
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Bluesea wrote:
I want someone to try some of the good stuff and would like to know
what's
the base tea(s) in Midwest Country Fare Tea, the Hy-Vee store brand
teabags,
and Lipton's for comparison purposes between teabags and loose tea.
These
are the only teas he drinks. He doesn't like anything else he's tried
and I
don't see the point in comparing apples to oranges.

Does anybody know or care to venture an educated guess?

TIA.

--
~~Bluesea~~
Spam is great in musubi but not in email.
Please take out the trash before sending a direct reply.