User:TonySanor46
American phraseology has struck at the heart of one of the most quintessentially British pastimes: tea-drinking. At least as far as Benedict Cumberbatch is concerned, The Guardian reports. The actor recently took to the radio waves to air his chamomile-related grievances.texas.gov "Shall I really vent now? I’m sick of chamomile tea being called tea. It’s not tea," the actor said on Absolute Radio’s Dave Berry Breakfast Show while promoting his new animated film, [https://www.teamaker.de/es/tazas-de-te/ tazas de te] The Grinch.itsiticecream.com "Tea is a green leaf that comes mainly from the foothills of India and South America - places that have beautiful mountains. It needs to be a subtropical, alpine climate.
It’s a very specific process. Chamomile is not grown in these environments. Before you get too incensed at this seemingly very British distinction, Cumberbatch is correct. Chamomile and other "herbal teas" aren’t actually teas, but tisanes: typically caffeine-free beverages made by infusing barks, herbs, roots, spices and other plant matter in hot water. So, the crux of Cumberbatch’s argument is undeniably sound: the real deal is made from the leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. In relative terms, it would be like brewing chicory root and calling it coffee, which Americans are also prone to do, by the way ("Chicory coffee, anyone?").
The feel was thick, a bit oily, and the tasting experience ended with more trailing aftertaste than usually occurs with tisanes. Related to this being drank on its own it's fine, a bit richer and more complex than infused herbs tend to be. I'd probably rather drink a mid-roasted rolled oolong, which seems closest to this in profile, but those are more complex. It might work really well combined with black tea, since it is smooth and complex but a bit thin related to that broader aspect range. As chance has it someone just gave me what looks like a pretty standard plain Kenyan tea (Williamson Tea "Traditional Afternoon" blend), so I tried it mixed with that. I tasted that black tea alone first: it's CTC tea-bag black tea, not great, not awful, not surprising in any way.
The blend of the two was a little unusual. I'm just not accustomed to drinking black tea mixed with much, although I did buy a floral and Ceylon black tea commercial blend in Russia for the office staff here. That was ok, those inputs matched. It didn't help that I don't really love CTC black tea, that malty, mineral-tone, rust-like edge those have. This mix might've been what he had been drinking as a child but it would take some getting used to. That's especially if someone had already been on the page of drinking better Chinese black teas, deviating to drink a better orthodox Assam or Ceylon when those come up.
I think I liked the tisane better alone since it didn't run counter to my expectations for black tea in the same way. That malted grain and licorice range sweetness and flavor depth just seems odd paired up with it. Towards the end it started to make more sense and I'd bet if I had it a few times I'd like it a lot better. I drifted just a little further towards tracking down willow herb (Ivan chay) and other Georgian tea options in NYC but didn't get far with that. I asked about options in a NYC tea group and heard nothing back.
I had tried a reasonable Russian caravan blend from Sun's Organic in the NYC Chinatown but it wasn't really close to that initial flavor description. It seemed highly unlikely that even a tea based on the same mix of tea type inputs (from the same regions) would be similar when made from modern versions. Of course Google does turn up options fairly quickly, so it wouldn't take much to try finding that one tisane. After a few clicks an online option turned up locally (there), associated with a local physical store, and some of the same search options I'd checked in this investigation turned up other promising leads. As mentioned it really could've just been plain, unusual character Georgian or Azerbaijanian black tea, and it may not be possible to find an identically processed tea version today, 70 years later.
If someone had dried teas indoors using heat from a wood fire back then that could have contributed that smoke aspect, and what might well be seen as updated processing improvements might drop that smoke aspect out. Ordinary black tea shouldn't seem oily, a plain tea or a blend, so maybe that was from an herb, or it could've just been from a processing flaw, or atypical result. At one point I considered whether it may have even been a Liu Bao instead (a hei cha, not black tea at all), but I've not been discussing that since I rejected it as unlikely.
Most of us know all about the health benefits-and pleasures! When applied to skin, its strong antioxidants along with vitamins E and C fight the free radicals that can cause premature aging. And tea is also an astringent that will help with puffy eyes and blemishes, as well as toning lips, perking up the complexion, highlighting hair, and making our feet smell sweet. Plus its tannins are great at soothing sunburns. Make two cups of tea as usual, using two teabags. Place the used bags in the fridge. When needed, simply lie down and place one teabag over each eye.
Allow to remain for 10 to 20 minutes. Next time a blemish makes an unwelcome appearance, simply place a warm teabag on it for several minutes. Remove the bag, but don’t rinse off the tea. Just splash your face with warm or cool black tea and don’t rinse. Boil 1/4 cup water and add 2 teabags, steeping until cool. Remove the teabags, then add 1/4 cup witch hazel. Pour into a clean container and keep in refrigerator for up to 10 days. Soak a cotton pad with this astringent and apply to clean skin as often as needed. Tea will help your lips retain moisture and appear smooth: just apply a warm teabag to clean lips for 5 minutes. Boil 2 cups of water, add 4 teabags, and steep for one hour.
Refrigerate until cool. Soak a clean cloth or cotton ball with the cool tea and apply to affected area, holding it in place for 15 minutes. Do not rinse. Repeat up to four times a day. OR-allow 5 or 6 teabags to steep in a tub of warm water. Soak in the tub for 10 to 15 minutes. To reduce the swelling and itching of many insect bites, just apply a cool used teabag to the affected area for several minutes. This will also darken hair while it adds shine and pretty highlights. Simply brew two cups of strong tea and use to rinse damp shampooed hair. The tannins in tea help to fight odor-causing bacteria. Simply soak feet in strong tea for several minutes, then pat dry.
