Afternoon tea: a British view
Jul 6th, 2006, 02:00 AM
#61
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"In 1603 when James VI of Scotland became James I of England, a new international entity was created: Great Britain"
Not so. The idea had been around since his succession became an inevitability, and James proposed the unification of parliaments into a single state soon after arriving in London. Both parliaments talked about it and around it, and backwards and forwards, until he took the hint and let it drop. The term had no real meaning beyond the vanity of the Stuarts until the Act of Union in 1707.
Not so. The idea had been around since his succession became an inevitability, and James proposed the unification of parliaments into a single state soon after arriving in London. Both parliaments talked about it and around it, and backwards and forwards, until he took the hint and let it drop. The term had no real meaning beyond the vanity of the Stuarts until the Act of Union in 1707.
Jul 6th, 2006, 02:02 AM
#62
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> When pouring a cup, the "concentrate" is poured in first---about an ounce. Then the boiling water is poured from the second pot. We make the concentrate from loose tea, not bags<
I hate to say this, but that is exactly what your average greasy spoon does to cope with an inrush of sweaty builders.
I hate to say this, but that is exactly what your average greasy spoon does to cope with an inrush of sweaty builders.
Jul 6th, 2006, 02:30 AM
#63
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hanl
What a nasty experience. I wonder if the coffee formed a plug because of the presence of too many fines in the grounds. Depending on the type of filter in the plunger, I can see how the fines could jam the filter, thus preventing an adequate backflow of water through the filter during plunging.
My own coffee grinder I suspect wasn't really designed to deliver the kind of grounds needed for cafetieres - I've come up with a kind of 'pulse - agitate' technique when grinding to circumvent the limitations of the grinder, and so as to get the grounds evenly ground, with none getting overground. Either way, your solution is probably a smart one and certainly can't hurt. (Many people feel the stirring helps the extraction and they're probably right.)
The more I think about this, the more this apparently simple procedure, ain't. For example, I'm lucky to live where the water is soft and quite good tasting straight out of the tap. I also live at sea level. I've never tried to make coffee with hard water, or at elevations much above sea level. Experts vary their opinions as to the temperature of the water, with some saying as low as 85 degrees C and others as high as 98 degrees C. I throw up my hands and say, experiment - both with one's conditions, and how one likes the final result: if too weak, aim for a higher temperature of water to start, if too bitter, try a lower.
What a nasty experience. I wonder if the coffee formed a plug because of the presence of too many fines in the grounds. Depending on the type of filter in the plunger, I can see how the fines could jam the filter, thus preventing an adequate backflow of water through the filter during plunging.
My own coffee grinder I suspect wasn't really designed to deliver the kind of grounds needed for cafetieres - I've come up with a kind of 'pulse - agitate' technique when grinding to circumvent the limitations of the grinder, and so as to get the grounds evenly ground, with none getting overground. Either way, your solution is probably a smart one and certainly can't hurt. (Many people feel the stirring helps the extraction and they're probably right.)
The more I think about this, the more this apparently simple procedure, ain't. For example, I'm lucky to live where the water is soft and quite good tasting straight out of the tap. I also live at sea level. I've never tried to make coffee with hard water, or at elevations much above sea level. Experts vary their opinions as to the temperature of the water, with some saying as low as 85 degrees C and others as high as 98 degrees C. I throw up my hands and say, experiment - both with one's conditions, and how one likes the final result: if too weak, aim for a higher temperature of water to start, if too bitter, try a lower.
Jul 6th, 2006, 03:34 AM
#65
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My water's very soft since it's direct from the sky with no man-made interference (cistern.) One nice thing is that when I make tea here, there isn't an oily-looking film on top after a while as there is when I make the same tea in London.
Jul 6th, 2006, 04:28 AM
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lol "I hate to say this, but that is exactly what your average greasy spoon does to cope with an inrush of sweaty builders."
I guess the builders and ladies have more in common than might have been guessed! We don't serve coffee in the afternoon because there's too much caffeine. I really don't care that much for tea, but it's a hot beverage with significantly less caffeine than coffee, and I cannot bring myself to serve decaffeinated coffee.
I guess the builders and ladies have more in common than might have been guessed! We don't serve coffee in the afternoon because there's too much caffeine. I really don't care that much for tea, but it's a hot beverage with significantly less caffeine than coffee, and I cannot bring myself to serve decaffeinated coffee.
Jul 6th, 2006, 04:48 AM
#67
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As the old sayings have it:
"well, it's warm and it's wet"
or
A: "Looks like rain"
B: "Tastes like tea"
Carrybean is right about London water (very hard): that's why I invested in a kettle with a built-in filter.
"well, it's warm and it's wet"
or
A: "Looks like rain"
B: "Tastes like tea"
Carrybean is right about London water (very hard): that's why I invested in a kettle with a built-in filter.
Jul 6th, 2006, 05:22 AM
#68
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Remember James Joyce?
-When I makes tea I makes tea, as old mother Grogan said. And when I makes water I makes water....
BEGOB, MA'AM, says Mrs Cahill, GOD SEND YOU DON'T MAKE THEM IN THE ONE POT.
-When I makes tea I makes tea, as old mother Grogan said. And when I makes water I makes water....
BEGOB, MA'AM, says Mrs Cahill, GOD SEND YOU DON'T MAKE THEM IN THE ONE POT.
Jul 6th, 2006, 05:31 AM
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MissPrism: long post and I didn't weed through all the replies.....might have been answered!
Yes, I believe it IS possible to get a special tap that has boiling water at all times. Sounds nice, though I'm not sure how popular it has become.
Yes, I believe it IS possible to get a special tap that has boiling water at all times. Sounds nice, though I'm not sure how popular it has become.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:03 AM
#71
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It is certainly possible. We've had one for years. There is a separate tap at the sink that dispenses filtered water (in addition to the reverse osmosis system, we are on a well) that is either cool, or boiling hot. I don't know the exact temp, but I know that when I am running short on time I can fill up a pot with water from that tap, put it on a burner and it is at a roiling boil in less than one minute. We can have pasta on the table in 10 minutes. DH uses it by the cup for instant coffee when he's in a hurry.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:20 AM
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<<Putdowns of Starbucks and its imitators are so common now, cliches themselves>>
And this one, like most cliches, is based on a fundamental truth.
FWIW, if Starbucks would just elimate "to go" cups, you would not be hearing a peep about how they are contributing to the downfall of civilized society...
And this one, like most cliches, is based on a fundamental truth.
FWIW, if Starbucks would just elimate "to go" cups, you would not be hearing a peep about how they are contributing to the downfall of civilized society...
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:32 AM
#73
All the talk about tea and no mention of samovar!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samovar
The "tea concentrate" doesn't mean you get an inferior product; if done properly, the results are great. In many middle eastern countries, this is how tea is brewed with a teapot on a samovar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samovar
The "tea concentrate" doesn't mean you get an inferior product; if done properly, the results are great. In many middle eastern countries, this is how tea is brewed with a teapot on a samovar.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:33 AM
#74
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Nobody forces anyone to go to Starbucks. They don't have any magic powers of persuasion. They're not clogging the airwaves and magazine pages with advertisements. Yet they are full of customers who are decidely not tourists. Also, there is more than a touch of hypocrisy in all these anti-Starbucks rants. It's a rare day when someone posts about the evils of Coffee Republic, or Costa Coffee or Caffe Nero or Jacquemotte's, etc.
A British reporter I know was putting on the usual anti-Starbucks dog and pony show at a conference in Vienna. Yet I happened to catch him redhanded ordering a latte at the Vienna Starbucks on the Karntnerstrasse (where there are plenty of alternatives). He hemmed and hawed and then rushed away saying he had a doctor to interview.
A British reporter I know was putting on the usual anti-Starbucks dog and pony show at a conference in Vienna. Yet I happened to catch him redhanded ordering a latte at the Vienna Starbucks on the Karntnerstrasse (where there are plenty of alternatives). He hemmed and hawed and then rushed away saying he had a doctor to interview.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:40 AM
#75
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It's the same with some of those healthy diet promoters. One of the U.S. tv network physicians had put out a healthy eating book and was all over the network promoting the evils of fried, fatty foods.
But during the book promotion frenzy, one of my colleagues ran into him at an AIDS conference chowing down a huge double portion of cheese fries. "Is that in your book?" my colleague asked him. The only reply was a furious glare.
But during the book promotion frenzy, one of my colleagues ran into him at an AIDS conference chowing down a huge double portion of cheese fries. "Is that in your book?" my colleague asked him. The only reply was a furious glare.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:48 AM
#76
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BTilke, I think the reason a lot of us, at least in the UK, resent Starbucks is because within a very short time there seemed to be one on every street corner in every town centre - and as such they are the most obvious manifestation of the way every high street is becoming the same.
BTW I've never been in a Starbucks - but that's because I don't like coffee !
And while I've never tried their products, the "coffee-flavoured milkshake" made me laugh : I've often wondered, when I've seen signs outside for the latest "mango frapuccino" or whatever, whether these actually involve coffee at all !
And I just don't understand the whole 'coffee to go' thing. The other day I noticed an obvious tourist waiting for a bus in Edinburgh city centre while clutching a Starbucks cardboard bucket, and thought: I hope the driver doesn't let him on with that, that's dangerous (assuming the contents were hot).
BTW I've never been in a Starbucks - but that's because I don't like coffee !
And while I've never tried their products, the "coffee-flavoured milkshake" made me laugh : I've often wondered, when I've seen signs outside for the latest "mango frapuccino" or whatever, whether these actually involve coffee at all !
And I just don't understand the whole 'coffee to go' thing. The other day I noticed an obvious tourist waiting for a bus in Edinburgh city centre while clutching a Starbucks cardboard bucket, and thought: I hope the driver doesn't let him on with that, that's dangerous (assuming the contents were hot).
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:56 AM
#77
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I always get a coffee to go from Costa. Two reasons: if I'm with my husband, he drinks his a LOT faster than I do and then gets impatient having to wait around for his slow-poke wife. The second is that I can't drink coffee that's really HOT, I prefer to wait 10-15 minutes til it cools to my preference. So I'll start it inside, then leave to finish it while I stroll.
But I agree with you, people shouldn't be taking their hot drinks onto buses. I thought most buses prohibited that anyway. However, it seems to be perfectly ok to do it on the Tube, I see that all the time. In fact, it seems to be THE accessory for the suits crowd in the morning.
But I agree with you, people shouldn't be taking their hot drinks onto buses. I thought most buses prohibited that anyway. However, it seems to be perfectly ok to do it on the Tube, I see that all the time. In fact, it seems to be THE accessory for the suits crowd in the morning.
Jul 6th, 2006, 07:58 AM
#78
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In my mind, the worst thing about Starbucks and all of the other coffee chains is that they press home the fact that it is <i><font color="red">almost impossible</font></i> to get a good cup of tea out! I almost never order tea out -- even after a nice dinner, I go home to have my tea. Why waste the money?
Jul 6th, 2006, 08:15 AM
#79
Starbucks doesn't only sell coffee, but you'd have to go inside and look at the menu to see that. My son and I laugh about how there seem to be more Starbucks in the UK than in San Diego, where we live. As they're pretty smart at marketing, one assumes that there are plenty of customers in Britain. I like Starbucks. I just wish I'd had the idea first!
