Tea Bags vs. Loose tea leaves

meritaten

you do realise that tea leaves can be re-used? the second cup made from them is weaker than the first (traditionally the servants used to dry then re-use the tea leaves, but during the war it became common practice - havent you ever wondered why tea seemed to be so readily available when other foods were in short supply?). you compensate for the weaker brew by steeping it longer. I can remember my nan saying they used tea at least three times before composting it.

staffie1

Is there any waste if you're making a cup of tea just for yourself?

Eyeore

No I have a small teapot which does two tea cups or one mug, OH works on a Saturday so I just use one small spoon of tealeaves for me then on a Sunday I use the bigger teapot, oh dear does that sound a little sad? ;-)

staffie1

Eyeore wrote: »

No I have a small teapot which does two tea cups or one mug, OH works on a Saturday so I just use one small spoon of tealeaves for me then on a Sunday I use the bigger teapot, oh dear does that sound a little sad? ;-)

No that's not sad...it sounds very practical

Eyeore

Phew thanks for that staffie1 :-)

aeb_2

I use leaves too

I Peru they make it in a large dried gourd. In the morning it's strong to get you up and going, the gourd is refilled with hot water mid-morning still quite strong. It's filled again at lunch time and again at tea time. The final filling is before bed and by then it very, very weak and soothing so an ideal bed time drink. Works out very economical.

I refill my pot just three times - but visitors get fresh leaves!

Doingmybest2bgoodhurrah

We use loose leaves as well, it tastes so much better but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Hyacinth Bouquet when it comes to cleaning my tea pot. I know they say that tea tastes better from a brown pot, but does that mean a pot that's brown through use or a pot that started out brown in the first place? Either way, my pot gets a regular go with bicarb. It take a bit more effort to use loose leaf, but the taste more than rewards you. I've even introduced a tea pot at work and a hand knitted tea cosy. Its surprising how many people don't know how to make tea the "proper" way.

My Nan had one of those brown pots with a cream coloured stripe and her tea always tasted so good. One time she bought bags but didn't tell Grandad. She made him his cuppa and he screwed his face up when he tasted it "What've you done to this tea, it tastes like paper!" he said. Just shows doesn't it?

[Deleted User]

The first time I ever had a tea-bag was in Belgium in 1961 when I was on holiday,(I also saw colour TV there as well, and it was mostly blue/green with splashes of red now and again) I came home and remember telling my Mum about this fantastic new invention .I had asked for a cup of tea in a cafe and was given a hot glass of water with a bag with string attached. I was quite taken with the idea and when I got home, after telling my Mum, she said 'it'll never catch on in the UK we are the greatest tea drinkers in the world and teapot make the best tea'.I wonder what she would say now 50 years later.
Also on my holiday that summer I first slept with a duvet (I visited Belgium,France,Germany Luxembourg and had a week in Switzerland at a place called Brunnen) I was suprised at having a huge pillow as a blanket instead of sheets and normal eiderdowns.Travelling through Germany the housewives aired them by hanging them out of the windows.My holiday cost me £35 guineas and because of the restrictions on taking money out of the UK I could only take £25.00 spending money I remember having to get it in all different currencies to suit the country I was in at the time I actually brought some cash home with me and I had been away for two weeks .It was my first time travelling abroad and I was 18 and had saved for over a year to get enough money together for my trip.I travelled on a British Visitors passport which lasted for a year, and cost me 7/6d (38p)How times have changed,I go on holiday tomorrow with my DD and son-in-law and five children, a fortnight self-catering in a house at Ventnor including the ferry has cost just under £2600.00

Barneysmom

Doingmybest2bgoodhurrah wrote: »

We use loose leaves as well, it tastes so much better but I'm afraid I'm a bit of a Hyacinth Bouquet when it comes to cleaning my tea pot. I know they say that tea tastes better from a brown pot, but does that mean a pot that's brown through use or a pot that started out brown in the first place? Either way, my pot gets a regular go with bicarb. It take a bit more effort to use loose leaf, but the taste more than rewards you. I've even introduced a tea pot at work and a hand knitted tea cosy. Its surprising how many people don't know how to make tea the "proper" way.

My Nan had one of those brown pots with a cream coloured stripe and her tea always tasted so good. One time she bought bags but didn't tell Grandad. She made him his cuppa and he screwed his face up when he tasted it "What've you done to this tea, it tastes like paper!" he said. Just shows doesn't it?

The brown teapot refered to is the Staffordshire teapot.

Sadler Betty teapot is the one to have or Price Kensington if you can find one.
The best teapots in the world, the are brown but have a lovely blue sheen to the glaze (lustre).
Very porshe and very British

I got one form a hospital WVRS stall for 50p but I broke it

There are some out there, some on EBay.
I found this one but there are more about....
I have nothing to do with this sale btw .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VINTAGE-BROWN-BETTY-SADLER-TEAPOT-/250869236624?pt=UK_PotteryPorcelain_Glass_PotteryPorcelain_China_SM

This one is a beauty, the glaze is perfect, and look at the shape of that spout, I bet it sings as it pours

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Sadler-Brown-Betty-Teapot-Holds-2-Pints-/280722544984?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D250869236624%252B250869236624%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2048635231390425781&_qi=RTM637056

Red_Doe

Another one here who uses leaves and prefers it. Plus there's the added advantage that I can read the dregs afterwards.
I use the Brown Betty teapot too but have a small collection of pots and for 'posh' bring out my Alfred Meakin, a very pretty teapot, pale green with little flower sprigs all over it.
My favourite cups, the ones I use to cheer myself up when the world is going to pot (sorry ) all around me, are china cups and saucers from the Royal Doulton range, quite old, with Scottish clan names on them and tartan bows and sprigs of heather, which I got very cheap in a jumble sale many years ago now.
Normally a diehard coffee drinker, for some reason I've been turning back to my cuppa lately. It's very comforting.