Tea Time

LeCreuset kettle, french press, cast iron tea pot, a big cup of caramel candy rooibos with a little milk and splenda, and really bad nighttime lighting.

A hot beverage is my UNFATTENING life saver.  Perfect mid-morning or mid-afternoon when I've forgotten to pack myself a snack or before bed when I'm feeling unsatisfied but should be going to bed soon anyway. It's warm, it's filling, zero Calories (unless you add cream and sugar), and there are so many flavor options.

I don't drink coffee or caffeinated tea regularly, so I reserve those for before noon.  I don't ever bother with decaf because they still contain some caffeine and taste...different.  

I'm pretty straightforward when it comes to coffee.  I like diner coffee. If you have a Keurig, I'll take a Donut House, thanks.  I'll drink a Starbucks cafe latte and figure it's a good way to get a dose of calcium, but I hate their coffee straight because it tastes burnt.  I hear the blonde roast is pretty good, though.  At home I grind whole Dunkin' Donuts beans freshly each time and use a french press.  

Tea on the other hand... I'm admittedly a huge tea snob. I currently have about a dozen different kinds of tea and non-caffeinated 'teas' in my cupboard right now.  My favorite purveyors are Capital Teas and Teavana.  If I lived in NYC or Canada I'd probably go to David's Teas.  My favorite black tea is black dragon pearls, but Teavana is sadly, currently out of stock.  My favorite green is gyokuro genmaicha because it tastes like rice. Otherwise, I like trying all the flavors.  I easily drop waaaaaaay too much money every time I walk into a tea shop.  

When it comes to making tea or coffee at home, I'm...particular.  I use all three of those pots in the pic above to make a few large cups of tea or coffee. America's Test Kitchen and Alton Brown would approve.

First, I fill the water kettle with cold water.  I stick a probe thermometer down the spout and heat the water to the desired temp.  Too cold and you aren't going to taste anything.  Too hot and you'll extract all the yucky overly tannic flavors.  For coffee, I set my thermometer to 198degF. Below, I've copied a table for tea brewing amounts and temps from Capital Teas.

From Capital Teas 

"Preparing Tea

Tea Type	Amount of Tea (tsp.) per 6 oz. water	Brewing Temperature (°F)	Recommended Steeping Time (min.)
Green	1	175	1-3
White	1.5	175	3-4
Black	1	195	3-5
Oolong	1	195	3-5
Mate	1.5	175	3-5
Rooibos	1.5	208	8-10
Fruit Tisane	1.5	208	8-10
Herbal	1.5	208	8-10

For iced tea, brew at double the strength for the maximum recommended time, then dilute with ice."

Once the water reaches the desired temperature, I pour the water over the tea or coffee in the french press.  I put the lid on and wait the recommended steeping time.  I usually wait 3-5 minutes for coffee.  The rest of the hot water in the kettle goes into the cast iron Japanese tea pot to prewarm what is essentially a holding vessel.  When the timer goes off, I push the french press's plunger down.  I empty the iron tea pot and fill it, and my cup, with the coffee or tea.  

Doing all of this requires a little more effort and dish washing but it ensures your beverage is perfectly brewed and kept warm.  Sure, a typical drip machine or a Keurig or a bag of tea dust is faster, but I don't like to drink coffee or tea for the caffeine kick alone.  It's not just a functional drug.  My little tea/coffee ceremony gives me the opportunity to do something slowly, properly, and appreciatively...basically mindfulness in a cup.  The more mindfully I eat, the less likely it is to overeat.  So, spreading this concept from a simple cup of tea or coffee to every bite I take should really help in THE UNFATTENING!!!!!!