Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Yet another, and perhaps most basic reason to respect the common wisdom that there's no arguing about taste. Oh, I'm quite willing to argue taste, even in subjective matters.
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Moderator
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Moderator
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Salut! And have at it!
alternaut ◉ moderator
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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I'm at a convention at the moment with a couple of my sweeties, one of whom is British and has the habit of preparing tea for everyone on a regular basis. It's a lovely habit that's almost nice enough to make up for that whole "globe-spanning slave empire built on tea" thing.
I'm sitting in the hotel suite sipping a cup of tea as I type this, and it's reminded me all over again how pleasant it is to make tea a normal part of the daily routine. (Not that there's anything particularly routine about being at a convention, but you know what I mean.)
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Tacit said: I'm willing to concede the issue may be with the peculiarities of my taste buds. . . Jchuzi said: Considering that so many people like these items, it must be something in my genes. Unfortunately, there's not enough research done to completely clear up the distinction between what's culturally induced and what is biologically determined with respect to the flavors we perceive in our mouths, but living in the southwest I am well acquainted with the controversy over cilantro, which arouses such passionate love or hate that it may be one of the most studied examples of differing tastes in food. Those who are interested can follow some of the links in this NPR report from 2008 and read this 2010 story in the NYT. As usual, I find I don't fit neatly into any of the categories that the experts like to set up to describe the situation. I hate half the things supertasters are supposed to hate, but love the other half. I love cilantro, by the way, though I can sort of taste the soapiness that others decry. As far as taste in the fashion sense of the word, I can't begin to understand what creates those preferences in people. I think my main objectives in fashion are to find clothes that actually fit (a hard enough task if you are buying ready made clothes) and to not call attention to myself. The things I see in fashion magazines and on some celebrities just look comical to me. Makeup and body modifications, while seen by some as a form of individual expression, to me just obscure a person's individuality and uniqueness. I recall being horribly embarrassed as a child when my mother, following the current fashions, started buying red, white and blue striped bell-bottom pants and the like for me and my brother to wear. Perhaps that's what traumatized me into adopting my current bland fashion sense! I saw a couple of kids on the bus yesterday who looked to be around 6 years old and were sporting mohawks and pierced ears, and they seemed perfectly comfortable with their appearance. Times have changed. I guess I should comment on the original subject of the thread, too. As far as teas go, I prefers fruity herbal teas (probably not considered to be "real" teas by true tea aficianados since they don't actually contain tea!). Give me a cup of Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger or Lemon Zinger (hot in winter, iced in summer) and I'll be happy.
MacBook Pro, 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HD, OSX 10.6.8
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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OP
Joined: Aug 2009
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I found cilantro to be a bit off-putting when I first tried it but I now like and appreciate its flavor. A friend of ours cannot abide peppers, whether of the red, green, yellow or orange variety. By way of contrast, I love all of them. You're right about herbal "tea" not being tea. By definition, tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant. By that definition, mate is also not included as tea. For those who have never tried it, it has a unique flavor that I really enjoy. For me, it has the effect of caffeine but, oddly enough, doesn't keep me awake.
Jon
macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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But have you noticed that yerba mate translates as "killer herb"? Actually, mate has muchas significaciones. Take your pick: teapot, bald head, checkmate, ....
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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But have you noticed that yerba mate translates as "killer herb"? Amusingly, this Wikipedia article clears up that misconception, but still uses the improper accent in its title! "Checkmate" I get, but not "teapot", and I thought a bald head was a "pate" not a "mate". What am I missing?
MacBook Pro, 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 500 GB HD, OSX 10.6.8
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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RE What am I missing?A good Spanish-English dictionary?!
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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TeaSource in St. Paul, MN has Russian Caravan.
MicroMat Inc Makers of TechTool
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Apparently, there's a place called Limbo here in Portland that carries Russian Caravan too, or so I'm told. Have to check it out when I get more time.
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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MicroMat Inc Makers of TechTool
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Coffee drinkers have their feces-processed beverage, Kopi Luwak, but it appears tea drinkers are to be blessed with one of their own - Panda Poop Tea - at only $200 a cup. The entrepreneur described the first brew as "fragrant and smooth". I wonder how he defines fragrant.
ryck
"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Moderator
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Moderator
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Well, I don't want to rain on your parade (or p€€ in your tea as the case may be ), but this panda p°°p tea lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that makes the kopi luwak so extra special, don't you think? Not to put too fine a point on it, we're talking about fertilizer here, it's not like we brew the p°°, right?
alternaut ◉ moderator
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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....but this panda p°°p tea lacks a certain je ne sais quoi that makes the kopi luwak so extra special, don't you think? We're on the same page. I guess I should have used one of the faces but I didn't see one with a tongue fixed firmly in a cheek....hence the speculation on the entrepreneur's definition of "fragrant". In another press story they quoted an Englishman who said it tasted like s**t, and my guess is that he didn't say salt.
Last edited by ryck; 03/23/12 04:41 PM.
ryck
"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers
iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4 OS Sonoma 14.4.1 Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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OP
Joined: Aug 2009
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Even the French are getting into tea. France's silent tea revolution. I can personally recommend teas from Mariage Freres and Le Palais des Thés.
Jon
macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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Joined: Aug 2009
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And, aside from the glass and pot of water, they do have one quite elegant touch, milk arriving hot. My wife would like that. As much as you like tea, Jon, I have a feeling you're not about to surpass Monsieur de Landgrave who would have 40 cups. Talk about bladder control.
Last edited by ryck; 04/20/14 04:19 PM. Reason: Missing "not"
ryck
"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits" The Doobie Brothers
iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2020), 3.8 GHz 8 Core Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 2667 MHz DDR4 OS Sonoma 14.4.1 Canon Pixma TR 8520 Printer Epson Perfection V500 Photo Scanner c/w VueScan software TM on 1TB LaCie USB-C
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Moderator
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I can personally recommend teas from Mariage Freres and Le Palais des Thés. Of course, you might want to add where you can get them, shy of hopping over to Paris or to NYC's upper West side for that matter. For instance, I know that in 'your' neck of the woods Zabar's carries Kusmi teas, Dean & DeLuca offers Mariage Freres products, while Le Palais des Thés recently opened up shop near Zabar's. These purveyors may be on your regular shopping route, but what for the rest of us who cannot stick our noses up those tea bins?
alternaut ◉ moderator
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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OP
Joined: Aug 2009
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As much as you like tea, Jon, I have a feeling you're not about to surpass Monsieur de Landgrave who would have 40 cups. Talk about bladder control. How about the tribal chief who drank 40 cups and, that night, drowned in his own tea pee?
Jon
macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
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Re: My Cup of Tea
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Joined: Aug 2009
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OP
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Thanks for supplying those links.
Jon
macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
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