Comments on: Tea drinker’s bill of rights

By: eM

eM — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:24:47 +0000

preach it my brutha! and I must say that when you are having a near perfect restaurant meal, (say, brunch in West Seattle::cough::) the loose leaf black tea delivered sans milk, a saucer on which to deposit the tea basket, or any mention of steeping time that may or may not have lapsed makes ME want to cry

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 02:15:26 +0000

Part of the problem is that so few eateries/cafes (tea shops excepted) are set up to serve tea. I mean, when I worked in a coffee shop, we did actually have ceramic teapots and looseleaf tea to serve, but no way to serve hot water except boiling, straight from the boiling-water spigot. And this was at a pretty schmancy place. The infrastructure for coffee (boiling water, big urns for coffee, a dedicated espresso machine, presspots for French cuppings) is so totally different than for tea, it's kind of amazing any of these places serve tea at all.

Which is why I usually just order a chai in a coffee shop.

By: nomitai

nomitai — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:30:55 +0000

The right to have the hot water poured over the leaves or tea bag. Don’t dunk the bag in hot water - it’s not the same. I bought some Numi tea at their table at some function at Seattle Center, and the server handed me a cup of hot water and the bag. Meh.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:18:26 +0000

The right to be offered milk, cream, or lemon.

I'd be rich if I had a quarter for every time I get a cup of luke warm water with an unnamed tea-bag swimming in it and a side of cream. Argh.

Nthing about the temperature of the water. Most of the water I get from restaurants seems to come out of the side spigot of a coffee maker. This results in water that is typically below the boiling point; but if coffee's just been made the water can actually be luke warm or room temperature!

The right to put your tea bag/loose tea into the pot yourself.

Thank you for dunking my tea-bag for me. And so -- how long did the tea sit there waiting for the rest of the order before you brought it to my table?

By: Cheryl A

Cheryl A — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:32:33 +0000

I would clarify that the right temperature is always more than lukewarm. I hate, hate, hate when you want a steaming cup of tea and you get a lukewarm pot of water, with no lid.

By: KT

KT — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:53:58 +0000

At a minimum, cafe staff should be educated in the basics of tea: green tea needs less-than-hot water, ask "do you want room for cream?" for black tea.

If I order tea to go, it would be nice to have a timer; or be given the tea steeped for the correct time so I don't have to fish out the bag.

If I order tea for here, I want a small dish or even just a dixie cup to put the tea bag in in case I want a refill.

The Dushanbe place in CO sounds great; there's a very nice tea house in Bend, OR - Townshend's - my only complaint is they bring out your tea pot for you to pour your own water, with a candle heater to keep it warm, but then you have to carry your (very small) teacup over to the counter to get cream and sugar. They should bring you a little cream pitcher and sugar with your order.

By: josh g.

josh g. — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:12:43 +0000

Best tea experience I've ever had was at the Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder, CO. They brought out your tea, steeping, with a little hourglass to let you know when your tea would be ready. (And they had different amounts of sand in hourglasses for different types of tea.) Their menu had two pages of food and about 7 pages of teas to choose from. I ordered a $5 tea (white tea of some kind, I think? I forget now) and felt very fancy.

So basically I'd just like one of these to be near where I live instead of halfway across the continent.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:58:41 +0000

Also, when serving tea in a restaurant, offer refills of hot water for teas that can be brewed again. Tea drinkers shouldnt have to sit with an empty cup while coffee refills go on and on and on.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:36:25 +0000

My needs, my minimum requirements that are too frequently not met, are smaller and sadder and start with "the water shouldn't be microwaved".

I think it is the duty of all tea places to serve tea with a little treat that you totally forgot was coming (like a cookie) the way they do in Holland. Best Practice would be to have the best little treat for that particular tea, so if a bite-sized quiche is best, they should bring a bite-sized quiche.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:25:32 +0000

My pet peeve about tea isn’t in cafes, but when I order tea at restaurants. A corollary to #4 is that if they bring you a pot of tea with the tea still steeping in it, that they provide you a place to take out the tea, so it doesn’t get oversteeped. Or better, they should just brew it the right amount of time themselves before serving it.