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| So im a coffee drinker, mostly in the morning hours, after lunchtime or in the afternoon i generally tend to switch to tea. Mostly I have been drinking Republic of Tea stuff, I can give you a list of flavors if you ask. Anyways for some reason I sorta just lost the "groove" for the Republic of tea stuff, so I moved on to some VERY VERY excellent tea from the Hy-Vee healthmarket ( hy-vee is a localized grocery store ) called
Guayaki Greener Green Tea : Organic Yerba Mate Green Tea -
I love this stuff, only problem is I get 15 tea bags for about 3.50, sorta pricey - So the other day we were at the health market picking me up some Organic Nicaraguan coffee Beans ( MMMM yumm ) and found that there was a bin of loose leaf Green Tean and Gunpowder Tea. So I filled up a baggy of each.
Later this got me thinking, why dont I make my OWN tea concoctions ?? So Im liking the Yerba Mate, and I Like Green Tea, and Ginseng ....maybe I can do it? Problem is, I wouldnt know where to get some straight on Yerba Mate, or Ginseng.
Is it even a good idea to make your own tea? or should leave to the professionals? |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
 
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hey SS, Guayaki makes a loose leaf tea also. That is how I buy it. Go to their website, Guayaki Another good brand for Yerba Mate is called "Aviva!" They have a website, Aviva! Be careful adding your own Ginseng to Yerba-mate, it may not combine well and/or you don't want to OD on Ginseng by adding too much. My personal feeling about Ginseng is that it is totally mis-used and represented here in the West. Yerba mate is great for weaning yourself off Coffee. Also, Yerba mate has its own properties very similar to Ginseng, it's an energy booster, contains antioxidants, yadda yadda....But, one thing you should always remember, NEVER BOIL Yerba Mate and if you can, rinse the leaves before you add Hot or Cold water to it before brewing. Yerba mate can be brewed with cold water. I brew Yerba sometimes for over 30 mins. (mainly cause I forget) but at least 10 mins of brewing time when using Hot water. IF you Boil Yerba mate, it will not digest properly and then becomes toxic to the body over a period of time. This is why there are warnings on the package about it. There are some articles floating around the net too, I think Guayaki address's this on their webpage. Good luck and welcome to the "Art of Tea". Isn't this fun, 
Edited by Cyndi 2007-01-20 12:08 PM
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| cool deal, i was hoping you would reply!
Yeah, i dunno, the ginseng thing was just an idea. More than anything. Id probably just mix it with some green tea. Speaking of green tea, what is "GunPowder" Tea ?
Cuz id probably just mix some yerba mate with that....i dunno...time will only tell eh?
Oh, and I dont use boiling water to make tea ( any tea for that matter ) mostly cuz well im dont like REALLY hot things so I always let it cool. Actually, I sorta wondered, if teapots actually get to a boiling point before whistling? I tend to stop the heat on the teapot about when i hear a "fizzy" noise, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then after i pour my cup of tea, i usually drop a few ice cubes in it.
Yesh, anyways Ive been drinking the yerba mate tea here at work, and using the hot water spout which is set quite a bit below actual boiling so it really works out for me..only problem is, it is city water.
yay....
anyways thanks |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | My tea fetish these days have been Revolutions' Earl Grey Lavender Tea. It's really good and I just love Lavender everything..... |
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| hey, i gotta question....or 2..
should ALL tea not be steeped at boiling? Ive been trying to keep from steeping any tea with water that is [obviously] boiling...yesterday though, when i went to make my last yerba mate green tea, and as i said, we have an industrial strength coffee pot with a hot water spout, but it never has seemed to come out hot enough to burn flesh as it has splashed on me before. yesterday though i made the tea, took a drink and it really burned my tongue. when i looked the temperature dial was set to "boil 3" even though it didnt seem to come out boiling, it was quite hot. i turned down to "boil 2" but today when i went to make some tea it was set to boil 3 again.
Now there are ALOT of tea drinkers here, and i want to make sure they dont make themselves sick. so any good ways to perhaps send something off to make sure the water isnt to hot for tea?
sorry, if that didnt make sense, im at work..and a lil busy....
thoughts?
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Hey SS, Rule of thumb...I use boiling water for black and red teas. As for green and white teas....I either bring the water to an 'almost' boil, or if I'm too late and it boils anyway, I set it aside for 5-10 mins, then steep my tea. Now, I have a Zoijurishi Water Heater Dispenser that is set at 203 degrees. This is what I use for both black and green teas, when I'm at home. Otherwise, refer back to paragraph 1. If I'm on the road and need hot water. I'll stop at a convience store and use their coffee dispenser's hot water, you know the RED dispenser that has water so hot it will burn your tongue off. Anyway, I always let this water cool for both black and green teas, as it is way too hot for me and any of my teas. |
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| I use boiling water for black and red teas, too. As for green and white teas, I set the water aside for a while or I make the steep time shorter. In fact, I just pour the water in the cup or pot and then pour the tea out immediately. The first infusion is for washing the tea and warming the cup. The second infusion is the best. After steep it many times when it become thin, i prolong the steep time or increase the temperature of the water. Black and red tea can be infused for so many times, and for green and white tea, just several times.
I've bought some Ginseng for my parents. My father mixed it with rice to make congee. If you like to steep it for drink, I think you'd better make it with boiling water and don't steep it with tea. |
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Tea Time for Sideshow
