Your ViewsKeep your e-mails pouring in, it's good to know that there are lots of you out there with views and opinions. To help you work out what is what, are now little icons to help you see biscuit related themes. And now you can see at a glance which are the most contested subjects via this graph (requires Flash 6.0 plugin). Please keep your mails coming in to nicey@nicecupofteaandasitdown.com | If you like, you can use this search thingy to find stuff that matches with any of the icons you pick, or use the fantastic free text search, Yay! | Your e-Mails |
Jim Fussell |
Morning Nicey,
I remember in the dim and distant past, we had a small discussion on mugs and the colour of them affecting the tea therein. After my hols i've arrived back at the comfort and safety of ncotaasd to see you are having a discussion on personal mugs. I was wondering if you or anyone else ever got to the bottom of this dark mug phenomenon? The way in which no matter how hard the bag is squeezed or how little milk is applied, the resultant brew is a pale, tasteless affair with a strange film over the top. I was given a mug a while back from my sister which was very smart indeed, a red and blue number. But despite my numerous attempts, a satifying cuppa could never be obtained and so at risk of causing offense I resorted back to the old faithful. Any thoughts? Has anyone ever made a succesful brew in a dark mug?
Regards,
Jim |
Nicey replies: Yes well said Jim, this is an important element in tea presentation isn't it.
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Lee Wallis
Custard Cream Review |
I am a big fan of the custard cream and specifically the dunking of them. Because of this I have a word of warning for those travelling abroad trying to find a biscuit of equal standard as those in the UK. A recent excursion to Australia found me trying several different brands of custard cream and none matched the texture to even the bargain brands in the UK. I discovered round versions and ones with different patterns and they all seemed to be slightly harder. This made dunking a more tedious process and several seconds were lost resulting in less dunked biscuits before the tea or coffee gets cold. I endured a year in this country under these conditions and it was only the beautiful scenery, relaxed way of life and incredibly friendly people that helped me through these torturous times. Keep up the good work
Lee |
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Catherine Stoddart |
Hello nicey,
I remember reading an interview with Damon Albarn about 7 years ago where he claimed to be addicted to tea, and said that it was important to make tea with water that was boiling, advice that I follow to this day. Because the water must be boiling, I always put the milk in last incase it cools the water and the tea is slightly less nice. Michael Barkers very good point about scalding the milk has delayed this evenings cuppa. I don't know who to believe. I'm considering making two mugs of tea when my other half gets home and conducting a blind taste test on him.
Actually, Damon Albarn also said that he always uses fresh water, never reboiling the water. I've always wondered what he does if he goes the toilet and the kettle boils? Does he throw the water away and start again? Or was he talking rubbish? Maybe we'll never know.
I'm off for a cuppa tea and some digestives. I think I'll make it my normal way, I don't think I can handle the excitement of a new brewing technique and The Weakest Link. |
Nicey replies: Yes well boiling water is very necessary for getting the best from the tea, George Orwell, is very insistent on this as well.
Interestingly when making tea up mountains as I'm prone to from time to time the water boils at a much lower temperature but the tea still seems to work. Maybe the boiling is necessary to help the volatile substances in the tea to be released, where as the temperature is not as crucial. Of course this is all negated if one is forced to use the local Lipton's Yellow Label tea which is fairly standard when abroad.
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Victoria Jones
Abbey Crunch Review |
Having just read your fantastic review of the great Abbey Crunch I felt I had to write as this is the official biscuit of my home town - Colchester in Essex.
The Abbey Crunch has enjoyed official biscuit status in Colchester for approximately 500 years. The monks of St John the Baptist Abbey were famous for their crunchy oat biscuits which were also baked and enjoyed by the townsfolk. All that's left of the Abbey today is its 15th century gatehouse and its biscuits.
The current biscuit is taken from a version baked by local firm Priory Biscuits until just after the second world war. The company was owned by a Frank Curtis who claimed to get the recipe from his mother. She in turn said that it had been handed down to her. McVities probably bought the
recipe after the company closed down, and a picture of the Abbey still appears on packets today.
I remember my father making these biscuits, and friends back in Colchester also remember grandparents, aunts and uncles baking them, making the Abbey Crunch a big part of Colchester's history.
Keep up the good work with the site, I look forward to reading more reviews.
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Sarah-Jane Winn |
Dear 'Nicey',
Great web site, do you, or will you. do any features of nut free biccies? My son has a nut allergy and its a real pain trying to find biccies for him, usually its the very nice but a tad boring full time, Rich Tea's.
Many thanks, keep up the good work, sent the site to my sis in laws in LA and NZ!!! |
Nicey replies: Things like the mighty Penguin tend to be OK as they have their own dedicated production line, due to the volumes involved, so you don't get that may contain nuts thing. United Biscuits have an up to date web page were they list their nut free products.
Hey the Abbey Crunch is listed as nut free, Yay. |
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