Another (Probably Obvious But Helpful) Lesson
You can't mess with green tea.
I know - all these years, and I never really paid much attention to it. I got a bunch of assorted teas once, and there were some green (and white!) ones in there. I'd brew them up once in a while, but couldn't understand why some people seem obsessed with them.
Now I know why.
There are two very important variables to manage with this process: 1) water temperature; and 2) steeping time.
You probably knew this already, but I did not. I even went so far as to ascribe the specific and detailed instructions on the side of a tin of white tea to Woo. Boy, was I wrong.
Boiling water, which is required for important beverages like coffee, espresso, and black teas, is harmful to the greens and whites. The oxidation and/or roasting process protects the others.
Steeping tea longer releases those bitter tannins. This is true for black tea as well, but it happens more quickly for the greens and whites. (However, this is not true for herbal teas, which aren't teas at all but are herbs - evidently they can steep forever because there aren't any tannins! So keep taking that still-steeping mug of peppermint tea to bed with you!)
Yesterday, I heated a mug of water to a warm temperature (I didn't go as far as to stick a thermometer in it, however; I just know it wasn't boiling). Then I steeped the teabag of green tea for two minutes.
The result? It was delicious.
Moral of the story: Perform the experiment before proclaiming Woo. Or consult Mental Floss.
There is actually yarn stuff going on over here as well, but I don't have anything new to show just yet. Crazed Scandinavian is finally dry and is ready to enter the winter accessories rotation. Audrey Hepburn requires some additional engineering, which I'll tell you more about just as soon as I've got it mostly figured out :)
I know - all these years, and I never really paid much attention to it. I got a bunch of assorted teas once, and there were some green (and white!) ones in there. I'd brew them up once in a while, but couldn't understand why some people seem obsessed with them.
Now I know why.
There are two very important variables to manage with this process: 1) water temperature; and 2) steeping time.
You probably knew this already, but I did not. I even went so far as to ascribe the specific and detailed instructions on the side of a tin of white tea to Woo. Boy, was I wrong.
Boiling water, which is required for important beverages like coffee, espresso, and black teas, is harmful to the greens and whites. The oxidation and/or roasting process protects the others.
Steeping tea longer releases those bitter tannins. This is true for black tea as well, but it happens more quickly for the greens and whites. (However, this is not true for herbal teas, which aren't teas at all but are herbs - evidently they can steep forever because there aren't any tannins! So keep taking that still-steeping mug of peppermint tea to bed with you!)
Yesterday, I heated a mug of water to a warm temperature (I didn't go as far as to stick a thermometer in it, however; I just know it wasn't boiling). Then I steeped the teabag of green tea for two minutes.
The result? It was delicious.
Moral of the story: Perform the experiment before proclaiming Woo. Or consult Mental Floss.
There is actually yarn stuff going on over here as well, but I don't have anything new to show just yet. Crazed Scandinavian is finally dry and is ready to enter the winter accessories rotation. Audrey Hepburn requires some additional engineering, which I'll tell you more about just as soon as I've got it mostly figured out :)
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