Tea for Cruising

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by troppo

I have drastically reduced my alcohol intake from the times I only dreamed of owning a boat to now that I have one.....

We have just converted some airmiles we weren't using into 4 dozen bottles of mixed red and white wine (2 dozen of each). Guess what our relatives are getting this Xmas and we'll still have a couple of dozen left.

* * BURRP * * !!!

[Cormorant]

I quit coffee a few years back when my espresso drinking got to the "substance abuse" level. Now I buy loose organic green tea in bulk, which I bring on the boat in ziploc plastic baggies. . . . which look an awful lot like a bag of pot.

I live in fear of misplaced USCG/DEA/LEO zeal. I usually clip the original label off the bulk packages of tea and put them into the ziploc . . . which of course is exactly what a drug user would do to disguise his stash. . . .

[Ofer]

I was interduced to Yerba Mate a couple of years back and realy enjoy it with a little honey. It takes some getting used to but i can't do without it now.

[GeoPowers]

Originally Posted by Ofer

I was interduced to Yerba Mate a couple of years back and realy enjoy it with a little honey. It takes some getting used to but i can't do without it now.

This is our family's hot drink of choice when it is not coffee-time. We were introduced when trekking in Patagonia and really enjoyed it. Heck, even the kids like it! We buy the tea bag version just to keep it simple.

[Pete7]

Do forget you will need a different tea depending on the water hardness for a perfect cuppa. I kid you not, we buy Yorkshire Tea for hard water areas at work.

Can you taste the difference? nope, which shows that the tea blender has got it right if you can't tell the difference from a soft to hard water area.

Pete

[Surrymark]

As Williams say, "you ask somebody for an opinion, and they think they have to have one." Anyway:

Hot water actually has a rich and varied taste, plus the benefits of water.

Tea? Why waste the indulgence of sailing on tea bags? Good tea bought in bulk, made right - there's a nice sailing ritual. Bit of sweetened condensed milk for that soda fountain beverage taste.

Queasy? Can't beat fresh ginger tea (store the ginger in a jar of white wine or vodka, to keep from drying out). Use too much ginger and boil it good. Bit of honey and a dollop of whiskey cures anything south of the scalp.

[avb3]

Originally Posted by Ofer

I was interduced to Yerba Mate a couple of years back and realy enjoy it with a little honey. It takes some getting used to but i can't do without it now.

Do you drink it in the traditional communal pot/cup? The one where you pass it around and sip through a pottery straw?

And your right, it does take a bit to get used to. I think it is common only in Argentina.

[Astrid]

I would be careful about you store and carry tea. Some friends of ours in Long Beach (SoCal) used to carry a type of tea that comes in little hard bricks (you carve off a chunk to maek a pot of tea) that supposedly looks alot like black-tar heroin.

Interesting. At one time most tea imported from China came in those small blocks as the compressed tea took up less space in the holds of the old clipper ships.

Brick Tea TE-956 at Jas. Townsend and Son, Inc.

I usually carry a few of these myself, but have never had the coast guard or anyone else mistake them for heroin bricks. On the other hand, with all the embossing they look more like some sort of decorative paper weight.

[Ofer]

Originally Posted by avb3

Do you drink it in the traditional communal pot/cup? The one where you pass it around and sip through a pottery straw?

sorry I am not sure I completely understand the question. I'll try to answer anyway.

I use the bulk Mate. I dedicated a kettle specifically for it and use a tea strainer in the kettle. I keep the strainer in the kettle full time and refill the strainer or add water as needed. I think this is the most efficient way to take full advantage of the tea available.

[DiverChick71]

Originally Posted by Surrymark

As Williams say, "you ask somebody for an opinion, and they think they have to have one." Anyway:

Hot water actually has a rich and varied taste, plus the benefits of water.

Tea? Why waste the indulgence of sailing on tea bags? Good tea bought in bulk, made right - there's a nice sailing ritual. Bit of sweetened condensed milk for that soda fountain beverage taste.

Queasy? Can't beat fresh ginger tea (store the ginger in a jar of white wine or vodka, to keep from drying out). Use too much ginger and boil it good. Bit of honey and a dollop of whiskey cures anything south of the scalp.

The dollop of honey and whiskey reminded me...When I was living in Costa Rica, our wonderful and well-meaning housekeeper gave my infant son a couple teaspoons of equal parts Ron Rico and Honey when he was teething. Had NO clue until I commented that he must be feeling better as he was sleeping so sweetly, and she showed me her secret. Sigh. I had to nip that in the bud when I found out, (mostly worried about the honey as we had purchased it unlabled from a stand up in the mountains and was worried about botulism) but apparently kids all over Costa Rica sleep very well through their teething period.

[David_Old_Jersey]

If the situation hasn't improved markedly after brewing a cuppa cha, then it's probably time to enter the liferaft..............

..........or breakout the chocolate digestives

[Curmudgeon]

Yogi Green Chai every morning. I wish they sold it loose, but all I can find is the bags.

[bob_77903]

Iced Tea is pretty much all I drink year round. Unsweet with lemon. Lipton Cold Brew. Put in a new Adler Barbour Cold Machine with large upright evaporator so I'd have ice cubes all the time wherever I'm at.

[atoll]

try chai masala,normal leaf tea with garam masala spice added into tea pot .
or brew up in a billy and add condensed milk or powdered milk,sugar/sweetner,let tea leaves settle,can be reheated, great pick me up in really hot weather,or for long night watches.........

[Livia]

Barry's black tea when I can find it, some green teas with other flavors added (jasmine or something fruity) and a fruity-berry herbal like Tazo's Passion or any of Celestial's Zingers.

But it's percolator espresso first thing in the morning