Crossing Over: The Milkless Teacup

snipped-for-privacy@l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com3/23/05

Yup, somewhat coherent. My mind goes to those green teas that would be ruined -- I believe most people would agree -- by the addition of milk: Long Jing, Mao Fang, Bi Lo Chun, and many others. Any black tea could be assaulted with milk without displeasing everyone, so blacks would not be the place to go. I would think that most any Oolong, especially those in the light and medium roasted categories that Jing referred to in another post, would cring at the thought of milk. So, those are my suggestions -- more delicate greens and oolongs.

Michael

There are some of us who don't add anything to tea. Just learn to enjoy the taste of tea perse. It doesn't need anything else.

Jim

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Space snipped-for-privacy@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com3/23/05

Jim,

In a democracy many things, even ugly things, are not only allowable, but even protected by law. This is one of democracy's great flaws, some might say. Sad, but true. People add milk to their vanilla and chocolate flavored tea, and there is no way to stop them. Wish I had something more cheerful to report in this regard.

Michael

Disclaimer... this won't help at all! :)

I think "enjoyable tea" without milk (or with milk) is more a function of what you *like* than necessarily the tea itself. I don't care for milk in any kind of tea I drink, including those marked "perfect with milk" - no milk for me, thanks - I will never find it "enjoyable."

However, I cannot drink coffee without milk, no matter the coffee (and yes, I avoid espresso); suggestions have included making the coffee weaker (no thank you!) letting it cool (love iced coffee, with milk, of course!) and scores of blends - I still want milk.

Similarly, I often like just a touch of sugar or honey in very hot tea, but not as it cools. Who can account for taste? :)

You're also "fighting" culture here. People get indoctrinated into adding cream or milk to their tea because that's what everyone around them does. For years, I thought tea had to be served with lemon because every cup of tea I'd ever ordered came with lemon.

Granted, I was a kid at that time, but you get the point.

Personally, I've never quite enjoyed the taste of tea and milk. The only exception being the chai lattes that Starbucks and Caribou sell for those of us who can't tolerate coffee.

But one could argue that those aren't really "tea" anyway. But they're darned tasty.

Green teas and oolongs are meant to be consumed w/o milk. Since you're already accustomed to drinking some green teas w/ milk, my suggestion is that you try to acclimate yourself to drinking them w/o as well as trying new teas.

Some to try:

Green teas: Lung Ching/Dragon's Well Pi Lo Chun/Green Snail Spring Green Dew Gunpowder (uptontea.com) - start with 1/2 tsp per cup, not 1. Jade Gunpowder (uptontea.com) - start with 1/2 tsp per cup, not 1.

You might want to avoid green teas with "pan-fried" in the name as I've found them to be rather nasty.

Black teas: English Breakfast Wilson Select Irish Breakfast (adagio.com) Keemun Mao Feng Keemun Hao Ya Original Earl Grey (uptontea.com) Decaf apricot (uptontea.com) - if you want to sweeten this one, I recommend using apricot jam or preserves.

White teas: Shou Mei/Sow Mee Pai Mu Tan/Bai Mudan/White Peony Snowbuds - more expensive so, be sure to buy sample size Silver Needles - more expensive so, be sure to buy sample size

Sorry, that should read "Jade Pearl Gunpowder."

there is no way to stop them. Wish I had something more cheerful to report in this regard.

Heh. I find the notion of people objecting to how tea is flavored, whether by milk, vanilla, chocolate, or other to be more objectionable than the various flavorings, so there!!!

"It's all just flavored water, anyway."

Milk, yech. Chocolate, yech. Vanilla... now that's not bad, if done well.

The thing is, any flavoring can be done poorly and taste as much. It's not just about what you like but also about the quality of what you consume.

Yes, but can your Nutrimatic Drinks Synthesizer produce it without completely overwhelming the processing power of your computer?

I found strong Assams or Kenians mor palatable with milk, full fat not skimmed. Also, msny CTC's are smoother with full fat milk. The skimmed variety just adds colour but little flavour. Oolongs are ruined by that milk.

JB

my favorite tea is "green" oolong. i have it without milk. also i don't add milk to green tea. i also don't add milk to pu-erh.

but i just don't like black tea without milk. black tea all tastes pretty _bland_ to me without milk. & they all pretty much taste kind of alike. even the supposedly good black tea still tastes bland, not bad, not offensive, just uninteresting.

the only one i've had that tastes good by itself & doe not need milk to enhance or smooth out the edges was in a tea tasting. i was told it was called "fire phoenix" (limited edition from a wild tea plant from Taiwan). it

regards,

Pam @ Home

Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

Serendip wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@adelphia.com:

I'm almost the reverse. I enjoy milk in tea, though not always (and not all teas); and I very rarely drink coffee any way but black.

When I sweeten my tea, it's usually first cup only. I can't say for sure that's because it's the hottest, but it might have something to do with it. I do tend to leave out the milk (even if it's English Breakfast or Assam which, for me, cry out for it) at about cup number three, if I go that far. Partly that's because of temperature, and partly because I enjoy the variety--some with milk, some without.

danube wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@cwcom.delete.net:

Individual taste is a funny thing. I find Assams taste very good indeed with skim milk, as well as English Breakfast and others. it certainly changes the taste to my palate. But I like skim milk and to me it tastes much like, well, milk, whereas others have told me it is horrid, with less flavor than chalky water.

You have my condolences because I've got two Keemun samples (actually, I have samples of more than two Keemuns, but these stand out) that are so distinctly different, the Mao Feng is chocolaty while the Hao Ya tastes like wine, that I can't decide between them and may have to order full sizes of both. I can't imagine how handicapped I'd feel if I were in your shoes thinking that all black teas are "bland" and "pretty much taste kind of alike" and had to always drink them w/ milk.

But, you got others you enjoy, so it's not as though you're without.

BWAHAHAHAHA...*MY* computer?!

snipped-for-privacy@individual.net/23/05 15: snipped-for-privacy@is.invalid

Sorry about that. I got carried away on a tide of tea. Of course, it's all a matter of taste. I like the quote. Who said it?

Michael

Not a problem :).

Thanks, AFAIK, I did just then. It's derived from what the late Frank Dubiel used to post when people'd get carried away in a.c.p-p about fountain pen inks: "It's only colored water."

Good point - I don't *know* that it's temperature that has anything to do with not sweetening subsequent cups of tea, but figure that's probably it since it's the only change.