Saturday, 10 January 2009

Have some tea with me

One of my greatest pleasures is holding a hot cup of tea between my hands, inhaling the sweet smell and the warmth that spreads along my hands. You'll have to admit that there is not much better then that. I love my teas. I have quite a big collection of teas and tea mugs, one for every mood and occasion. Sitting next to me is a mug with a little sparrow painted on it. Inside the cup is one of my favourite teas of this moment: star mix. The smell is just delicious and makes my tongue tingle when I take a sip <3

My tea mug (although technically owned by mum)

While preparing my tea a while ago, something puzzled me. It was late in the evening and I fancied a cup of tea. I put the (electric) kettle on filled to the brim with water. I got distracted -I can't remember what with, probably something to do with that naughty dog Ü- and when came back to the kitchen I poured water in my tea cup. And nothing happened! I thought I'd done everything right, I mean how difficult can it be to make tea? You boil the water, grap a mug and put a teabag in it, wait untill te water is boiled and then pour in your cup which will transform the water into the colour of honey. I did all that. Or did I? Now that I took a closer look at my teacup I noticed that the water seemed rather still, no damp spiraling up. Aha! I put my pinkie in the water and it was stone cold! I must have forgotten to press the button of the kettle. Throwing the water in my tea cup away I made sure that the next cup I made was boiling hot with steam and all and yes - as soon as I poured the hot water in my cup over the tea bag the water changed from transparent into 'pure gold' so to say :0) Now what really puzzled me since - and there is probably a very straight answer- why does the tea 'come lose' with hot water and not with cold water? I'm genuily don't know, so please help me out!

""Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside: candles at four o'clock, warm hearth rugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without."
~Thomas De Quincey


Saturday Shopping: Tea Time!

Unfortunely the gorgeous cat is not for sale :(

1 Bee Happy Sterling Silver Necklace by corrieberrypie
2 I love tea - Tissue Holder by LAMdesigns
3 Tea Cup Ring by myladida
4 Your My Cup Of Tea Pillow by Olive
5 Organic Catnip Bakery Grab Bag by CatzillaCrafts
6 Myrna Tea Cup Pincushion by onlyu
7 Have A Heart Brooch by Odannysgirl
8 Poppy Tea Towels by flyingrhymes

Pour yourself a lovely cup of tea and enjoy the day!

With love, Liesel

4 comments:

Irma said...

What a cute mug!

Lacey said...

I LOVE tea!! Adorable mug!

Rebecca said...

Hello Liesel! So sorry it's taken so long to make my way over..Horribly busy weekend here...

I'll attempt to answer you question.

First, you do not have to have water at a boiling for tea to open or steep. When making hot tea it is best to have tea at boiling for a black tea but just under for green teas or the taste will be quite bitter. Tea in cold water will eventually open it just takes much longer than when it is boiling. A perfect example is making sun tea( very popular in the southern US). You fill a pitcher or large clear jar with cold water and tea bags and place it in a sunny location for several hours. This is wonderful iced tea to serve at a BBQ.

So, your tea in the cold water would eventually open but it would take a very long time.

I hope that helps..And, I love your blog!

brightsidekid said...

Tea <3 That mug is so cute!