Lipton Yellow Label - again

Why don't you use a "tea-ball" type infuser that you could fill-up with lose tea?

I keep lose tea at work and use a largish mesh ball sold as "spice" infuser for stews. It fits into my large coffee mug. Or you could use infusers that look like a cup.

The point is: use your favorite lose tea and a small infuser. This will be functionally the same as a tea-bag.

I dunno. I find the regular tea bags more than enough. So much so that my teacups are always stained because there is so much tea in there. I buy Taj Mahal and Red Label. I have seen the Yellow label too.

Why not use 2 teabags at a time then?

My grocer only charges $2.99/box of 100 bags.

A bag and a half would be about the right amount for me. Two would be a little too strong. I don't really have access to good facilities for making tea at work. I have a Sunbeam Hotshot at my desk for boiling water. That's why I stick to teabags at the office. I don't want to bother with filling or emptying infusers or finding places to put them on my desk when the tea is done steeping, etc. I don't mind these extra steps at home, but at work, the simpler I can make things, the better.

Have you seen the empty tea bags you fill up yourself? That might be an option but I'm finding the single cup infuser basket thing to be pretty darn handy. I found one for $10 at World Cost Plus Market but the online retailers seem to offer them also.

Also, with all these Lipton Yellow Label posts I had to try some. When I was at the Indian market I saw a lady in line buy what had to be a

10-12# box of Brooke Bond Red Label so I picked up some of that as well. I find it a lot more flavorful that the Lipton so if they sell the Red Label in bags you may also try that out.

Good luck.

John F

I buy the Red label and it's nice. The loose bulk bag is mostly CTC but it has larger bits in it as well. The only time I use loose stuff is the rare time at home I make masala chai. Otherwise I use bags.

To the other person I say just get used to one bag and be done with it. Just let it steep longer. I don't know anyone for whom one teabag, especially of this strong Indian tea, isn't enough. Even for the Indians I know at work one bag is plenty. Can't argue with a real Indian. They were weened on the stuff.....

Ask any Brit what they think of those 2-gram double chamber string and tag teabags. If you have a mug that holds 10 to 12 oz, as mine does, you need at least a 2.5 gram teabag to produce a strong enough brew. Steeping a 2 gram bag longer than five minutes produces a more bitter, not a stronger brew.

I tried the Brooke Bond Red Label teabags (2 gram double chamber style) and did not enjoy them nearly as much at the Taj Mahal teabags (3 gram round bags). The 3 gram bag is a bit too strong for brewing tea in the mug, as I am forced to do at work.

I want to try the loose Red Label at some point. But I have nearly two pounds of Lipton Yellow Label to get through first, and I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more tea until that is gone. I've been making it in my 40 oz teapot, using five measuring teaspoons of tea. It makes a nice, dark brew and is wonderful on its own with no milk, no sugar.

I've heard of them. I will have to look around and see if I can find any.

Let me remind you that the rule of tea is not "My Way or The Highway," it's "Whatever Floats Your Boat," or in this case "teabag." Whatever turns you on, "other person," is the right way. Besides, I was in India for months on end and never saw a teabag; but, that was 40 years ago, and I'm told India's a different place now.

Michael

Right, railroad chai is often made with teabags these days.

/Lew

Lewis snipped-for-privacy@panix1.panix.com2/9/06 10: snipped-for-privacy@panix.com

Sic transit gloria mundi.

No dairy? Ugh. If I don't use dairy in my tea it gives me terrible heartburn. Personally I prefer light cream or half and half. I can drink it with some sweetener or not. Masala Chai with sweetener.

My mother-in-law drinks it black too. Yuck.

To each his own I guess.

If you want a strong tea with a larger bag, the Irish tea blends, Barry's or Bewleys are good. They are a mix of Indian and Kenyan. Also, at the India grocer they have another no name one called something like "Consumer's favorite", with the larger non string bag.

I really don't understand why one can have troubles with this.

Your tea is not strong enough for you? Then use more tea... or less water... or buy something stronger than Lipton's Yellow Label.

How about using a real (smaller) cup instead of an oversized mug?

A see a lot of tea drinkers diluting their tea with a lot of milk and sugar, and then complain they don't taste the tea anymore. Stop using such additives. If you want the taste of tea, drink tea, not sweet milk.

You want a concentration equivalent to exactly one bag and half? Brew 3 bags in twice the water.