| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Clare |
Posted - Jun 26 2005 : 10:58:18 AM
Hi girls. My coffee Toastmaster coffee maker pot recently cracked and I've decided not to get a new one.  Sometime earlier this year I purchased a French Coffee Maker to use with soy coffee, which it recommended for best flavor. I've since rethought soy coffee, but I still have my French Coffee Maker. I'm using this as an alternative, and find that the coffee is so much less bitter brewed this way that I can forego alot of creamer or stevia... which is healthier all around. Any of you tried this method? The only downside I find is that I miss the smell of the drip coffee in the morning because this method does not do that.
(In case some of you don't know about this method - which I didn't either until recently - the French Coffee Maker is a pyrex carafe that you pour your amount of coffee into the bottom of, pour boiling water over it and let is steep for the desired amount of time. After steeping you push down on the press portion of the lid and this keeps all of the grounds at the bottom of the carafe, so you can pour a perfect cup of coffee! It reminds me very much of the stove top perculator coffee that mom used to make when I was a kid.)
Other than my morning cup of coffee, I enjoy herbal teas and blends, either warm or iced. Nothing like peppermint sun tea! I also drink lots of water (or try to). I've cut out soda pop a long time ago, and am glad I did after all the health warnings that are coming out now.
What are your fav beverages and methods of preparation? Love to get some new ideas!
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| KJD |
Posted - Oct 19 2005 : 6:21:52 PM
LisaBee: Here I am enjoying my first cup of Tension Tamer. It is delicious! I think I won't dread my winter sore throats so much this year with this delicious tea. I'm not snuggled up with a Teashoppe Mystery at the moment, however...I'm getting ready for school tomorrow (homeschool) and helping the Astros whip the Cardinals - reasons enough for Tension Tamer! Thanks again for directing me to a new nightly comfort. |
| Tatiana |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 4:57:28 PM
Hey girls:
Horchata is a milk like drink made from rice. It is non dairy, comes in several flavors, and you'll find it in the grocery store near the mexican cheeses. The recipe on page one is a different drink. I know you can make it from scratch but haven't seen recipies for it.
Tania |
| westfork woman |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 12:08:06 PM
I have always been a tea drinker, since childhood. I drank coffee for several years, way too much of it, and it didn't like me as much as I liked it. I felt like I was flying around the ceiling, and my stomach hurt. So I quit, but I can't walk by a coffee pot without smelling in the wonderful aroma of brewing coffee. I used to be able to drink very strong black tea all day long, but in the last couple of years the caffiene got to me, so now I am drinking decaf tea. The newest one is a White Tea & Green Tea Blend, from Good Earth. It has a great flavor and aroma. Our other favoite drink, is just Koolaid lemonade. I buy a whole box of it at the begining of summer, yes I know it has sugar, but better that than sweetener or pop. This summer, I added frozen raspberries to every glass, it was heaven.
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
| BlueApple |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 08:46:42 AM
Yes, please - although I have a wedding to get through (my daughters) so to be honest I won't be really wanting one until summer or next fall. But definitely keep me in mind. Poodles are very smart and very loyal. Mine have always bonded to mainly one person (ME) although they are very loving and protective to the whole family.
Julia
BlueApple Farm |
| LisaBee |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 08:25:25 AM
Julia, I will take some pictures today and post them. The lady I bought my house from (Linda) breeds tiny poodles, and I am going to start helping her. I will be on the lookout for one for you, and I know you won't have to pay the ridiculous prices that most breeders want. Let me know if this sounds good to you and I will get some details from you. I am already in love with my little guy. I have heard that poodles are very smart, and that they don't shed at all...two wonderful things!
"There is no teacup too large, nor book too long." |
| BlueApple |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 08:10:25 AM
LISA! I've been searching for a red/brown tiny toy poodle. I'm probably weird but I love poodles and grew up with them. My little girl is 10 and I would live to get a brown/red tiny toy. Are you able to send picts through email - I would love to see him!
Julia
BlueApple Farm |
| LisaBee |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 08:04:56 AM
Thanks for providing the info, BEB. I only started drinking herbal teas about a month ago, and now I can't imagine going to bed without a cup. Last night, surrounded by a mountain of boxes waiting to be unpacked, I opened only one...it came in the mail a few weeks ago. Since last night was my first night in the house, I made myself a teapot of Tension Tamer, lit the fireplace in the library and curled up on the couch with my new baby Chai and all of the back issues of MJF magazines I ordered (they were in the box I opened). Not a bad way to start life in a new, old house! KJD...I would love to hear about your Maine Coon. Fix yourself a cup of TT tonight and send me an email! I adopted mine through a Maine Coon rescue society, and I think it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I want them all!
"There is no teacup too large, nor book too long." |
| KJD |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 07:50:24 AM
Thanks! Addin' it to my grocery list. |
| BlueEggBabe |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 05:33:47 AM
Tension Tamer is made by Celestial Seasonings......
and I agree, heavenly.
it is available most anywhere.
www.feedsackfarmgirls.blogspot.com
"If more of us valued good food, cheer and song above hoarded gold,the world would be a merrier place."
J.J.R.Tolkien |
| KJD |
Posted - Oct 17 2005 : 04:16:33 AM
Lisa,
Who makes Tension Tamer? I could use a sleep inducer! Your pets sound adorable. We had a Maine Coon who died a couple of years ago. My son desperately wants another. We have a soft gray cat of unknown genes now. A poodle in your pocket is a vision I'm smiling about. My lab probably wouldn't fit in mine! |
| LisaBee |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 9:04:10 PM
I think the cucumber water with a little bit of mint sounds wonderful. As for my favorite current drink? Let's see...I have a Maine Coon cat named Earl Grey, and today I received (as a housewarming gift!) an eight week old male red (Cinnamon color) teacup poodle. He weighs about a pound and is just a bit bigger than my hand. Full grown, he will probably weigh about 3 lbs. I have decided to name him "Chai TeaCUP Latte" (Chai for short). He is sooooooo adorable and thinks he is a real tuff guy. Right now, I am sewing a bigger pocket on one of my aprons to carry him around with me. Some tuff guy. My nightly tea favorite right now is one called "Tension Tamer". It has eleuthra, cinnamon, catnip and lemon in it. It was handy in the tea aisle at the grocery store when I was traveling, so I tried it, and I LOVE it. Makes me sleep like a baby.
"There is no teacup too large, nor book too long." |
| Julia |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 8:41:14 PM
Colette, you sound like my kind of girl. I drink a lot of tea, mostly earl grey and english breakfast, decaf. I do a lot of tea parties for the ladies in our church. I like the black teas best but do green too. So if you are ever come to the Oregon coast, the kettle will be on.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
| mustbeteatime |
Posted - Oct 16 2005 : 7:50:02 PM
Mmmm - cucumber water sounds really refreshing and I can't wait to try it. I am a tea drinker, but I also drink water, milk, and hot cocoa (made from scratch mostly - it's really easy). Coffee drinkers at my house have to figure out the drip pot themselves and are subject to whatever kind of coffee we might have - since I don't drink it, I don't think I am very good at choosing it!
With regards to tea, I drink a lot of it iced in hot/warm weather - decaf mostly since I drink so much of it. The nice thing about decaf tea is that it is done with a water process, not chemical, like many coffees are decafinated with. I've found that I like Red Rose better than Lipton's or Tetley (less bitter, I think). My trick for less bitter tasting tea is to only brew it for 1 to 2 minutes - be sure to use enough tea, but brew shorter time. If you like sweet tea, the flavored syrups work great for adding flavor as well. Making a simple syrup to sweeten iced tea works better than trying to stir sugar into cold tea. Side note: you can sell the little figurines included in the Red Rose tea boxes on eBay!
For hot tea, Twinings Earl Grey or English Breakfast... for less expense, Bigelow has a line of vanilla teas that are very nice with a bit of sugar and milk if you are so inclined. I like using loose tea best to avoid any off taste from a teabag, but do use teabag tea as well. Again, I use the normal amount of tea per cup, but only brew it for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes so it won't get bitter.
For me, the best part of tea is sharing a cup with friends - usually after we have lunch together. We use our teapots and prettiest teacups and saucers and visit around the dining table when we finish our meal. We do this to celebrate birthdays and some years I have a Valentine Tea where we exchange valentines - just like in grade school. I also try to get up earlier than the rest of the family in the morning to enjoy a hot cup in peace and quiet.
I have a small collection of tea infusers in fun shapes hanging in my kitchen and have a variety of other strainers and teabag/spoon rests and am always on the lookout for more cute little "tea" things!
Enjoy the good things in life - especially when there is time for tea! |
| mellaisbella |
Posted - Oct 13 2005 : 06:43:34 AM
Wow! you girls all have great drinks to try!! My favourite drink is hot water, (I usually boil the kettle) and grated ginger root. It is a very soothing drink. I bring some grated ginger root on planes with me when I travel and just get the flight attendant to bring me some hot water. Ginger is known for it's calming of the digestive system and it is just plain yummy!!
"I wanna touch the earth, I want to break it in my hands, I want to grow something wild and unruly" |
| westernhorse51 |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 5:57:20 PM
I have one cup of coffee every am, sometimes one around 3pm before work. Other then that I drink all kinds of teas & infusions all day & night. I made some infusions out of my dried herbs and mixed some of them with black loose teas. I love tea and am learning about it with herbs. its fun. Other then that I drink tons of H20 Michele
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
| KJD |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 5:46:57 PM
We are French press users here - every morning - starbucks breakfast blend mixed with hazlenut flavored coffee - our own house blend! We're so spoiled, we rarely drink coffee anywhere but home. We take our French press and house blend camping, sailing, vacations. We use cream and sugar. That's one son and myself. My husband and other 2 sons are Twinings Earl Grey drinkers. |
| Julia |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 08:04:33 AM
Yum Susan, horachata sounds good as I love lemon and ginger. I drink mostly tea and water. I do like a good cup of french pressed coffee though. This time of year I drink more cocoa,from scratch and Hot lemon and ginger,"tea". I'm going to try the cuke water too.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
| bramble |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 07:21:38 AM
Marlene-- Any health food store would probably have it, our regular market carries it now . Sometimes you just have to ask and they will order it in a small quantity and if it sells , they keep it on the shelf. (Atleast that's our market, but I think alot of folks don't know you can request items...they don't ALWAYS get them however!)
Has anyone tried the TAZO teas ? They are really fragrant which makes the drinking all the more pleasurable! Two favorites here are the Orange Spice, and the Jasmine. Yum Yum! The varieties are very true to their names. Some teas smell good but have little taste, these taste AMAZINGLY GOOD!
with a happy heart |
| MBurns |
Posted - Oct 12 2005 : 06:59:22 AM
I love chai vanilla tea. it is a good substitute for coffee.
Anyone know a good source to order. I buy it at a gourmet store. |
| realme52 |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 5:06:21 PM
Just because I ran into it by coincidence and it fits into this topic I wanted to share something I read in "The Herbal Quarterly" (Fall 2005, pg.10) I am quoting the magazine. Under the headline of "Which Tea Wins" they write that there is a lot of talk about the benefits of different teas......contains antioxidants that prevent and repair cell damage at the root of heart dissease, cancer, most strokes, and other degenerative conditions....most of the research involved green tea...contoversy remained over antioxidant benefits of the other teas..."Recently,Italian researchers set out to gain clarification on this issue. They brewed various green and black teas using 3grams of tea steeped in a cup of boiled water for 5 minutes. Then they used photochemilluminescence (=technique) to probe the samples to determine their water-soluble antioxidant content. Here's what they found in descending order of antioxidant capacity: Japanese green tea, Chinese green tea, flavored green tea, black tea, flavored black tea, rooibos African red bush tea, Chinese oolong tea. The Japanese green tea at the top of the list had about eight times more antioxidants than the oolong tea at the bottom. So, if you drink tea for flavor, choose the one you like best. But if you want antioxidants, green's the way to go." (end of quote)
I drink just whatever the "mood of the day" dictates, mostly herb tea from my own herb garden and green tea with lemon (cause I don't like the "grassy" taste) which I buy. I like a certain brand of root beer, but rarely buy it because it has so many calories (sugar...)
from this hour i ordain myself loss'd of limits and imaginary lines -Walt Whitman |
| quiltedess |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 09:14:36 AM
OK, I'll admit it. My drink of choice is Diet Coke, especially with lime. I hate that it has Nutrasweet in it but I tried the new Splenda one and it tastes awful to me. Diet Coke from the "fountain" tastes better than out of a bottle or can and I figure all the ice in it helps me get more water in me. I don't like to pour it from a bottle or can over the ice, because then it loses its fizz. But that doesn't happen when it's a fountain drink. Why is that? Plain water is hard for me to drink, though it is pretty good with a squirt of lemon.
Nancy |
| cecelia |
Posted - Jul 27 2005 : 08:22:00 AM
Oh I thought I was the only one to ever drink cucumber water! Try adding some spearmint to it.
My hubby doesn't drink coffee, only tea, but he loves pop (soda water? carbonated drinks?). I told him to stop drinking it (too much sugar & empty calories) but it's like talking to a brick wall! Now I've at least got him drinking carbonated flavored water (no sugar, no artificial sweeteners, just flavor). I drink coffee, mostly in winter (1 cup per day), mostly tea, lots of water with cucumber, mint, lemon or lime slices (not all together!). I also like "shrubs", which are old-fashioned drinks made with a bit of vinegar and fruit juice - kind of a natural soda water, but I don't drink these too often and have found it's good to rinse out your mouth after due to the vinegar - don't want my teeth eaten away by the acid!
Cecelia
ce's farm
"Curiosity is one of the forms of feminine bravery" Victor Hugo |
| Clare |
Posted - Jul 26 2005 : 9:15:22 PM
Marcia, What kind of one cup filter do you use? I agree, the sludge thing is a pain. A filter would be great. I tried using a regular coffee filter and it disentegrated before I finished pouring!! Please advise! 
**** Love is the great work - though every heart is first an apprentice. - Hafiz
Set a high value on spontaneous kindness. - Samuel Johnson****
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| Celticheart |
Posted - Jul 26 2005 : 9:12:33 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Horseyrider
Clare, you may have missed this one, but a couple of years back it was in the news that the French press method of brewing left a carcinogen in your coffee. I was puzzled as to how it was any different from regular brewed coffee, but learned that they found the carcinogen was removed by the filter in drip types. I'd had a French press coffee maker at the time, and threw it out.
I didn't know, but I have a 1 cup individual filter I use when I use my French Press just because I don't like the sludge in the bottom of the cup. Also only use milk or cream(only if I splurge) no artificial white stuff for me either.
Marcia
"I suppose the pleasure of country life lies really in the eternally renewed evidence of the determination to live." Vita Sackville-West
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| Clare |
Posted - Jul 26 2005 : 9:11:21 PM
Good question, Rebecca, and I don't know! I bought a stevia plant this year too, but will have to learn how to use it as a sweetner. I buy powdered in the little green packets in a box at the store. Expensive, but it takes so little that it all goes a long way. Guess some research is in order!
**** Love is the great work - though every heart is first an apprentice. - Hafiz
Set a high value on spontaneous kindness. - Samuel Johnson****
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