Observer-Reporter forum

ellipses · Mod Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 9218 Location: WashPa!

I mentioned it before... it's a tea and coffee store in the old, red barn out by the meadows at Quail Acres... it's right beside the Dogs Rule store...

Anyway, when my wife took me there the first time, my first impression was that of claustrophobia and frustration... kinda like being in a cracker barrel gift shop. However, they have a GREAT selection of really decent coffees and teas at really good prices (13.50 a lb for coffee, and something like 2.50 an ounce for tea--- can't remember exactly on the tea)... Anyway, my beloved had gotten me a "quiet evening" tea blend from there... then, when I went the first time, I got an ounce of Russian Caravan (a smoky black tea)... and the lady gave me a sample of Mate (mah-tay) to try (wasn't a big fan)... anyway, the SECOND time back (proves that I like it, if not, I would never go anywhere near it)... I got an ounce of Lapsang Souchong, which is a black tea dried over a pine and pine-tar fire and it smells like a barbecue and tastes smokey and dry and awesome. Then, we went back yesterday and I got an ounce of Assam Bukhial which is a familiar black tea (much better than what you would get in a tea bag) that is very nice... as well as a half pound of ethiopian yirgacheffe coffee. This coffee is billed as "where it all started" which refers to the fact that coffee was "discovered" by an ethiopian goat farmer... anyway, it's a good every day kind of brew.

If you like coffee and/or tea, I can't recommend this place strongly enough... the lady is super nice and knowledgeable and the product that she has there is really fantastic.

While we were there, we picked up a few treats for the old lady dog from the dog treats store next door... The dog eats them with vigor, but then again, she eats everything with vigor... carrots, dog food, deer poop, etc... so I can't really comment on the quality of the treats, except that they are just fine for human consumption, too, since they are made from regular ingredients.

Around the back of the barn, we bought two bottles of wine from CT Miller... The first is a Jackman (red) and the other is a Vidal Blanc (white)... Haven't tried either, yet... but I'll let you know if they are good... they are from the CT Miller vineyard in Avella.

So, anyway... go to the coffee and tea place... it's awesome.

Here's their website: http://www.cattailcoffee.com/
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

ellipses · Mod Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 9218 Location: WashPa!

Doug Adams explains why Americans aren't as hot for tea as the Brits...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A61345
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

I actually prefer tea to coffee 90% of the time.

_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

amom · Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 9:05 am Post subject:

I love this guy! Being of English descent, I grew up with tea ... not coffee. Although I like my coffee, tea is my favored hot beverage. However, shame on me, I usually just throw a tea bag in a cup of cold water and nuke it for a few minutes. Shocked

_________________
-amom

"If stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out?"

- Will Rogers

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

That's how I did it in college ^_^ Now I have an actual tea pot and I boil water on the stove, but I still use the prepackaged bags. I have a tea ball though and have been meaning to buy some good leaves, but I had just forgotten. This thread has reminded me now; will have to pick some up when I get the chance.

BTW, the rules in this article are accurate for black teas, but they apparently vary for other kinds. Going off of memory here, but they recommend bringing the water to a rolling boil for black teas (as this article points out), but for a green or white tea, it should only just have boiled before it is poured, and for herbal teas they recommend coming as close to a boil as possible without actually boiling it before pouring. No idea what the standard is for rooibos teas is, but I assume its similar to black teas since its also a dark variety.
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

ellipses · Mod Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 9218 Location: WashPa!

If you are ever closer to my end of Rt 19, go over in Quail Acres and get a couple ounces of tea... I'm not big on teas with a bunch of other crap added like Jasmine or cranberries or chocolate... I just like the taste of the tea and whatever incidental flavors make it into the leaves (smoke, for instance)...

I am going to get an ounce of Earl Grey to try out... but as I said before... the other 4 that I have tried are really good...

Oh, and a tea ball is a must, imho... you can pack your own "bag" with loose tea, but it's a pain and I end up spilling leaves all over the place... plus, with the ball, when you open it up after brewing you can see how much the leaves have bloomed... it's impressive!
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

Yeah, I love the tea ball. Now that its getting colder, I will probably be picking up some tea varieties soon. I tend to avoid anything herbal as well. I prefer plain old traditional tea varieties with nothing but the leaves. I do have a box of pre-bagged tea I drink at work though; its from Stash and its a mix of black and green. Its my favorite commercial tea.
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

Thanks to this thread, I was inspired to pick up a couple bags of good loose leaf tea from a place called Hallowed Grounds up in Beaver County (I was in the area visiting family). I got two ounces of Japanese Senchu Green Tea, which I'm enjoying now, and two ounces of Irish Breakfast, which is like English Breakfast but with a fruitier palate. (Aside: palate refers to taste, palette to an artist's plate, and pallet to those wood things that goods are shipped on). I want to go back and get some Oolong, but its twice as expensive as all the others!

And, an update to the tea rules as they are according to Hallowed Grounds:

Black, Chai and Herbal : Boil the water

Green, White and Oolong : Don't boil the water

Rooibos is considered herbal.
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

Went back to HG and bought a bag of Taiwanese Ooolong tea and its like the best tea I've ever had.
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

check it out:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Teaprocessing-small.png

Edit: Took the image out because it was so big, but left the link to it.
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Amphikalein · Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:48 pm Post subject:

Next time i'm back in PA i'll be sure to check the place out, e.

i'm a BIG tea fan, though in the mornings i drink coffee. Tea is for the afternoons/evenings, with a really nice pastry or even just toast & jam. Or, getting really Brit, if i'm hungry for something more substantial with my pot of tea, it's beans on toast with shredded cheddar. Cool

We drink either PG Tips or Barry's, which are available through British or specialty food suppliers. CostPlus in Albuquerque carries PG Tips. They're both black teas, but put regular American tea brands to shame. i'm not a big fan of herbal teas, unless i'm not feeling well.
_________________
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~Martin Luther King Jr.

"May we, in our dealings with all the peoples of the earth, ever speak the truth and serve justice." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

Amphy's blog | Proud Member NDA

Brant · Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:37 pm Post subject:

I guess I'm the boring person here. I just stick with plain old Lipton tea bags to make iced tea with a shiznit load of sugar.
_________________

The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

- Thomas Jefferson

Cylinsier · Master Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 13229 Location: Oh shi-

Southern style!
_________________
The end is nigh! OR forums die APRIL 1. Don't lose contact! Join the forums at bogsource.com now!

Brant · Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:42 pm Post subject:

I don't go whole hog into making syrup, which is the way you make real Southern sweet tea, but as much sugar as I put in it, it tastes pretty much the same. I don't know if it still exists, but a couple decades back, there was a tea plantation in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
_________________

The priests of the different religious sects dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight.

- Thomas Jefferson