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Your e-Mails

Theo	Hello Nicey, Is this the start of a worrying trend? I'm talking about the Twinings Stephen Fry adverts currently on TV, in which Stephen cheerfully extols to us the virtues of a tea that 'you can drink all day everyday'. Until I witnessed the ad, I'd have considered myself able to drink any tea all day every day, but now I'm not so sure. Reading between the lines, Stephen seems to be gently alluding to the existence of some type of mysterious tea fatigue. Having been in the business for so long, I trust Twinings have done their research on this matter, so if they know something that we don't I'd certainly appreciate being told what it is. All the best Theo
	Nicey replies: Very insightful Theo, yes it does also imply that you can't drink their other teas everyday. Also if the new stuff needs to be drunk all every day, then there will be no tea drinking bandwidth left to drink their other stuff. Have they really thought it through I wonder?
Rupert Bassadone	Hello Nicey, I have no idea if you use this method already, perhaps someone (no doubt, in fact) has thought of this, and passed on it's potential usefulness.  However, in case they haven't, I will share this with you.  And then it is up to you if you wish to pass it on, and indeed, use it. For many years I had trouble with extracting the tea bag from the mug, with a) as little spillage as possible and b) not burning myself.  One of the obvious and well known methods is to press the teabag against the side of the mug with the spoon, which works well, but depending on how full your mug is will gauge the amount of water you manage to strain from the teabag.  Not only this, but it can often cause spillage, if your not very careful.  The alternative would be to use your fingers, often with the tea bag on the spoon, and then pressing occasionally, in between blowing your fingers cold, until you can stand no more and throw the tea bag in the bin.  And of course there is always the option of simply accepting a significant loss of tea and taking the bag straight from the mug, into the bin. Now here's what I do.  Before I continue it's important to note that for this to work in it's most efficient manner, you will need to have a plastic milk carton, one of the normal ones, nothing special, just your average plastic milk carton.  So, after I have dropped the tea bag in my mug (I have a pint mug by the way, it saves me getting up for a refill so often, although I often end up with mildly warm tea towards the end, if I end up drinking it too slowly), filled the mug up with boiling water, added the milk, and gave it a stir (I'm left handed, so find myself stirring my tea anti-clockwise.  But hey, no ones perfect), I then extract the bag using the spoon, and, now this is the important bit, I use the milk cartons lid to press down on the bag (whilst still on the spoon, obviously) to strain it of all it's glorious concentrated tea, essentially creating a teabag sandwich, between the lid and the spoon.  I usually turn the 'sandwich' sideward, so the tea can strain directly into the mug.  And then disposing of the bag couldn't be easier: Once all the tea has been squeezed from the bag, simply manoeuvre the lid and spoon (with teabag safely held between) over the bin, and release the bag. Of course, if you have a compost, then replace 'bin' with such. I hope this knowledge serves some purpose; I could think of no better source to share it with. Much obliged, Rupert Bassadone Bristol, UK
	Nicey replies: Righty ho.
Jane Purdon Tunnocks Tea Cake Review	Dear Nicey With apologies if this has been covered before, but I feel moved to praise the magnificence of the Tunnock’s Tea Cake.  These are the only biscuits served up at my place of work, and by golly they are good.  What a wonderful nation the Scots are, that they are capable of producing such delights. On another subject, have you done a poll on additions to a nice cup of tea in moments of distress?  Two sugars I think can work wonderfully.  In extreme distress, I have even been moved to include a tot of whisky.  Do other tea drinkers however think that such practices are an abomination? Yours sincerely Jane Purdon
	Nicey replies: Extreme distress really means that ones margins of tolerance for tea broaden considerably. As you mention you'll often get given tea with sugar, which normally I would choke on, but can be tolerated in situations such hospitals etc. As for adding booze I would prefer to have a chaser thanks, maybe with an ice cube, and a little dish of nuts or perhaps some twiglets.
Helen Rees	Dear Nicey, When we were kids, we spent every  Sunday in the summertime  at Llangennith beach on the Gower (South Wales). My mothers idea of a picnic was a whole roast chicken, a pressure cooker of potatoes and veg taken straight off the top of the cooker and put into the boot of the car not to be opened until we were ready to eat and an enormous red thermos full of gravy. This would be eaten  in the field above the beach obviously for fear of sand. The adults wouldn't actually venture onto the beach at all in fact. There were always warm hard boiled eggs too and angel cake and pink wafers. We had a  little camping gaz stove and a kettle for tea. It would take all afternoon to boil. My Gran (bless her) would sit there on her deck chair all day in her Sunday Best Coat and Chapel hat despite the blistering heat (1976 if you're wondering - we might be the wettest place in Britain now but we did have sun once I'm certain).   Ps just eaten a custard (or iced) slice. Is that soggy cream cracker on the bottom? Could they go in the venn diagram between crackers and cakes? Loved the book. Helen
	Nicey replies: Splendid we now have beans, soup and gravy as Thermos contents, but I'm willing to accept weirder ones, porridge perhaps? As for the bases of Custard slices I had always assumed that this was puff pastry that had been transformed by the immense humidity and pressure exerted by an inch and a quarter of custard, into a strange slighty glassy substance. Perhaps custard slices are a model of some geological processes such as the laying down of sedimentary rocks, or the earth's lithosphere.
Tammy	Love your site.  Do you have any suggestions where I can find tea bags or boxs with fun, whimsical messages on them.  I have a massage studio and serve a variety of tea daily and thought this would be something fun to have for everyone.  Thanks, Tammy
	Nicey replies: Well I'm sure you're all having quite a lot of fun already. I think just having a decent selection of tea bags would bring a smile to most peoples faces, PG, Tetley, Typhoo, Yorkshire and some right on Fairtrade ones would keep most people happy. Then how about a well stocked biscuit tin. Finally a copy of our book to flick through. Failing that you could always just write fun whimsical messages using a black marker pen on the outside of of the boxes you have.
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