One of my fave teas is good ol' Earl Grey. I've found only one brand I did not like, but this outta many EGs. Basically, I wanna know if EG and other black teas use a dye. Not only is my white tea cup stained after a cuppa EG, but my stainless steel tea spoon is also stained! I've yet to run across anything that would stain stainless steel. Only Earl Grey tea.
Is this true of other black teas?
nb
Yes, all black teas stain, but it's not a dye, it's the tannin in the tea, English Breakfast certainly does...
Usually leaving your Cup/Spoons etc to soak in a weak bleach/water solution will get them sparkling clean again...
Thanks for the replies and info. ;)
nb
Black teas have a large amount of tannin in them.... how much depends a lot on how the tea is processed. This _is_ a dye, but it's a natural dye that comes from the tea plant.
However, it shouldn't stain a stainless-steel spoon, not if you are washing it regularly. It will stain teacups if you don't wash them.
Try a CTC tea, it should stain even more than Earl Grey.
--scott
I will say that there ARE some Chinese greens that have artificial coloring added to them, but that's a whole different problem of a different color.
Inncorrect, I drink Black Tea blends such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey, and they even stain my stainless steel teapot, spoons and cups.
Just leave them to soak for a couple of hours in a bowl of warm water with a small amount of bleach added which is much more effective removing tannin staining than washing-up liquid or dish soap.
You shoudl get a load of the inside of my zhesha teapot. If you think black stains badly, you have no idea what years of Oolongs can do to a thing!
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