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Becky Parker Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005 Location: Michigan
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 6:15am | IP Logged
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Okay, I'm abviously hung up on the tea thing now. Sorry, but I am just curious about another tea related topic... How many of you that drink tea on a regular basis actually use a tea pot? I have a beautiful one that my mother gave me and it sits on my shelf, looking quite lovely, but I never use it. Well, actually I used it once when friends came for a tea party. But, usually, I just boil water in my tea kettle and pour it into the cup with a tea bag. Truthfully, one of the things that I enjoy about having tea is the "ritual"(if you will) of making the tea. I would like to use my tea pot more but I'm afraid the tea will get cold before I drink it all. (Sounds silly I know.) So, I'm just curious, do you use a tea pot or just a cup?
Becky
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lilac hill Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 15 2005
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 7:29am | IP Logged
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I use a pot, the girls tend to use teabags if they are only making one cup.
I have a few pots, some single serving size, teapots that can be broken--not a family heirloom or irreplaceable.
I like the taste of loose tea. Once I bought a tight strainer and I was able to adequately strain the leaves, it hardly takes anymore time.
Now that I found decaf loose Earl Graey, I use loose for our iced tea too. I purchase it from
www.baltcoffee.com(look in the Eastern shore tea section and click on bulk teas.) With others adding to my order I can even avoid the $6 shipping.
Viv
__________________ Viv
Wife to Rick (7/83), Mom to dd#1(6/87), dd#2(1/90), and dd#3(6/94) in central PA.
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Christine Forum All-Star
Joined: March 23 2006 Location: Washington
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 7:36am | IP Logged
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I have a beautiful china tea set that I use when I have guests. Otherwise, I am embarassed to say, that I simply put water in a corelle tea cup and heat it in the microwave, put a tea bag directly in my cup and cover it with a tea saucer for about 5 or 10 minutes.
__________________ Christine
Mommy to 4 girls, 5 boys, & 2 in God's care
Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother
Pretty Lilla Rose
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marihalojen Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 12 2006 Location: Florida
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 7:57am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
I would like to use my tea pot more but I'm afraid the tea will get cold before I drink it all. (Sounds silly I know.) So, I'm just curious, do you use a tea pot or just a cup?
Becky |
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Becky,
Have you considered a tea cozy to keep the tea warm? Very simple to make even without a pattern these are all straight stitching (like two pot holders sewn together.)
I love the idea of a teapot but when we drink hot tea it is usually of the single cup/teabag variety. Storage space is an issue here.
__________________ ~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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Rebecca Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 30 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 8:03am | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
Okay, I'm abviously hung up on the tea thing now. |
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But isn't it a fun thing to be "hung up" on!?!
I use my pot for teatime with the children. (and when company comes to visit) They all agree upon a favorite tea and I brew a whole pot. When I have my morning or bedtime cup (I don't always have this many...just sometimes. ) I will just brew a cup with a teabag or my tea infuser.
becky wrote:
I would like to use my tea pot more but I'm afraid the tea will get cold before I drink it all. (Sounds silly I know.) |
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Actually that happens in my home pretty often. Sometimes I heat it or just drink it cold . Hate to see a good cup of tea go waste!
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Mary Chris Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 27 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 8:09am | IP Logged
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I do use a tea pot just about everytime I make tea. I am a huge fan of Adagio Tea. I have two of their glass tea pots, the smallest and largest. I also have their Ingenuity for when I am making a small amount.
I purchased a tea cozy, will have to look for the site, and it keeps my tea warm for hours!
__________________ Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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rose gardens Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 23 2006 Location: Minnesota
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 11:35am | IP Logged
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I almost always use a tea pot now. It previously hid in the cupboard, while my more decorative teapots collected dust on display. Then I remembered the book, If Teacups Could Talk and realized that if my teapot could talk, it would say, "Let me out of this dark prison!"
I have delightful memories of a musical teapot that played "Tea for Two". One day it shattered beyond repair when dropped in the sink. If we never used it, we might still have the teapot, but I wouldn't have the memories.
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Lissa Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005 Location: California
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 12:00pm | IP Logged
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A pretty tea set is one of those things I have been meaning to buy forever but have never followed through on. For now I just use my Ingenuitea, which I love, but it only makes two small cups at a time so it isn't great for family teatimes. (Sometimes I make it double strength and then dilute with hot water from the stove.)
One of my fondest memories is watching Alice's tiny girls and my itty bitty Kate sip tea out of of Alice's beautiful china teacups...I couldn't believe she entrusted them to mere toddlers, but she merrily poured and served and and never so much as flinched as the girls perched precariously on the edge of their chairs and lifted those delicate cups to their lips.
__________________ Lissa
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Last summer, Adagio had 4 cup Ingenuiteas. I have one of those and I make it double strength and add hot water for my stoneware teapot. I also have a set of Tracy Porter dessert sets that I collected a la ebay. The girls love to use those for tea parties with friends.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Rebecca Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 30 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 12:53pm | IP Logged
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Lissa wrote:
One of my fondest memories is watching Alice's tiny girls and my itty bitty Kate sip tea out of of Alice's beautiful china teacups...I couldn't believe she entrusted them to mere toddlers, but she merrily poured and served and and never so much as flinched as the girls perched precariously on the edge of their chairs and lifted those delicate cups to their lips. |
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I think that children distinctively know when something is special and treat it respectfully. My mother bought me a lovely tea set when I got married. My children have never broken or misused the set. Only one teacup was broken and that is due to my own clumsiness in loading the dishwasher! I love the image of all of yours and Alice's sharing tea, Lissa!
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Becky Parker Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005 Location: Michigan
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 1:20pm | IP Logged
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Rebecca wrote:
[QUOTE=Becky Parker] Okay, I'm abviously hung up on the tea thing now. |
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But isn't it a fun thing to be "hung up" on!?!
YES! I can talk about tea, gardens and books anytime, anywhere!
You've all inspired me to use my teapot. Which leads to another question ... (sorry!) My mother also gave me an old silver tea service that was her mothers. It is terribly tarnished and the handle to the sugar bowl has come off. I think a jeweler could probably fix it. I have heard though that tea served from silver usually has an "off" flavor. Does anyone know about that? I was just thinking it would be fun to use next time my mom comes for a visit.
Becky
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Becky Parker Forum All-Star
Joined: May 23 2005 Location: Michigan
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 1:22pm | IP Logged
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Okay, I still can't get the quote thing. I tried to quote you Rebecca but obviously didn't do it right. Geeshe!!! I'll get it some day!
Becky
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rose gardens Forum Pro
Joined: Feb 23 2006 Location: Minnesota
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 2:33pm | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
...I can talk about tea, gardens and books anytime, anywhere! |
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Me too! I really came to this site today to post a question, but the gardens and tea discussions seemed more interesting than what I was going to ask.
Becky Parker wrote:
You've all inspired me to use my teapot. Which leads to another question ... (sorry!) My mother also gave me an old silver tea service that was her mothers. It is terribly tarnished and the handle to the sugar bowl has come off. I think a jeweler could probably fix it. I have heard though that tea served from silver usually has an "off" flavor. Does anyone know about that? I was just thinking it would be fun to use next time my mom comes for a visit. |
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No wonder you worried about cold tea in the tea pot! I don't know about the flavor difference, but I know silver cools the tea much faster than china or ceramic. It still sounds lovely to use the set with your mother anyway; sometimes taste and temperature take secondary status to beauty and presentation.
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Dawn Forum All-Star
Joined: June 12 2005 Location: Massachusetts
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 8:02pm | IP Logged
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When it's tea for me it's just the kettle and cup. If we are having company I use my china pot.
For the boys I bought a special, yet inexpensive, set with kind of a boyish look. We use that for our afternoon tea, the days we manage to have it!
__________________ Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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lapazfarm Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005 Location: Alaska
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Posted: April 25 2006 at 10:18pm | IP Logged
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When we started doing teatime regularly as part of our homeschooling, I took the children out ona special shopping trip to the local antique shops and let them each pick out their own special cup and saucer set (and I got one, too!). No two are alike, but they are each lovely and reflect the personalities of each child. So, it's not exactly a matched set, but it matches us just fine! And they do treat them with extra care because they are their very own and special.
Oh, and we usually make a whole pot using loose teas (usually herbal) in a reusable linen tea bag.
__________________ Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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