Loose tea on the trail?

sodak said:
I wish I liked tea, you guys make it sound so good, but the taste gets me every time...
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it's a matter of personal taste. some stuff is crap, some stuff is very nice... and that probably goes for anyone.

i've found really good tea in dollar stores, but they ran out quickly. it was some red colored tea with rosehips and was great to make sun tea with and serve cold. it was similar to Celestial Seasonings' Red Zinger... and that stuff turns bright red if you add a little lemon.

in the boonies i like making tea with Douglas Fir needles, and i wish i had some raspberries around here because the tea from the leaves sounded interesting.

but Earl Grey? :barf:
 
Shotgun said:
I was thinking about taking fancy tea with me when I hike but don't really know much about brewing loose tea. I was wondering if any of you guys do and what you use to brew it. There's infusers, french presses, and I'm sure other things I don't know about but I was hoping there was a slick way of doing it that didn't require purpose/singular use gear. Any tips, tricks, or teas that you like? I'm thinking of trying some things out this weekend as well as hunting for a good black tea.:D
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If you don't want any specific use gear, I say just take a tin mug and drop the loose tea in. It's not bad if you accidentally swallow some leaves, but if you don't like feeling them wash down, you can get some simple cotton sacks (you can find them in the culinary section).
They're also useful for putting whole seasonings in when slow roasting meat, things like whole garlic cloves and leafy products like rosemary. I generally have some free cotton sacks to take with me for cooking purposes, though I mostly end up just dropping my tea in my mug freely.

I'm a fan of green brew oolong teas(they're a black tea, but the process used to make them outputs an olive green color tea), like the monkey picked, but I also love a smooth sweet jasmine special green.
My friends generally steal away a green tea I have that's mixed with tropical vegetation and fruit (passion fruit flowers and pineapple). It tastes less like a tea and more like a fruit drink.


special green tea=(the leaves are picked just before the plant reaches maturity in the season, leaving them with a strong and bitter taste when you bite into the leaf)
 
Shotgun said:
That's nice. I was thinking along the lines of something similar to that but bigger so it can be used for a foraging bag. I wonder what that type of cotton would be called or if it has a name at all.
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theyre just cotton muslin. you could easily stitch yrself up whatever size(s) ya need.
 
sadiejane said:
theyre just cotton muslin. you could easily stitch yrself up whatever size(s) ya need.
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Wash the material first. Most raw material has sizing agents in it like formaldehyde.

Easiest yet it to use the cowboy method I described earlier for coffee or tea.
 
Just put it in loose! Strain it with your mustache. If the leaves get through your mustache, use your teeth to strain the tea. If the leaves get through your teeth, either spit, or chew and swallow.
 
When I'm out in the woods and the urge for some tea hits me, this is what I do.....

I usually have a zip-lock baggy of cinnamon bark, cloves, and fresh mint leaves.
If you carry them this way, their is no need for bags, tea balls, etc.
You just drop 2-3 cloves and a few small chunks of cinnamon bark (snap apart a few chunks of cinnamon half the size of your pinky finger) in the pot, put it over the fire. Once you have the water at a boil, take it off the fire, let it settle, and enjoy.
All you'll have floating in the water is a few pieces of ingredients.:thumbup:, as opposed to a lot of sludge.
The same goes for the mint leaves. (I usually have the mint on it's own, or with green tea).




Disclaimer: Clean your pot/kettle as soon as it cools down, otherwise it tends to hold the smell(IMHO, that's not a bad thing, but whatever)

Snap apart and use a few small pieces at first, until you figure out if it's too much for you.
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Add a few at first, goes great with cinnamon.
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The mint is pretty mild, sometimes I add the mint after the water has boiled to let it steep, changes the strength.
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If anyone tries the clove/cinnamon combo, let me know what you think:thumbup:
 
Sometime, try adding powder ginger to your tea...of whatever variety. Zings up the taste, compatible with most teas...haven't tried them all. Weighs next to nothing in a pack.

Could alter any negative experiences...honest. :)
 
Nissan/Thermos makes a 12 oz. vacuum insulated tea tumbler with an infuser built into the lid. $20? The advantages are: the tea ball in the lid is well protected from damage, the tea stays hot much longer, and the insulated tumbler can be used for other beverages (hot or cold) as well as soup or chili.
 
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