Canthook

Our post on Canadian Television early this morning failed to mention that today is a federal holiday in Canada. It's Canada Day, a celebration of their nation's birth.

It's a little rainy in some parts of the country - they've cancelled tonight's fireworks in Montreal - but it's plenty warm down here south of the border, and a perfect time to enjoy one of Canada's better exports - iced tea.

Red Rose Tea

I started out, some months back, to do comparisons of all the various teas that I could find. I didn't get very far. It's a tradition for reviewers to really get nasty and crack wise about the deficiencies of the products and services they review, but it's really not a whole lot of fun for me. I'd rather share fun and joy with my readers.

So I'll sum it up quickly: there isn't another tea that's worth a whole heck of a lot.

Mind you, when I drink tea, I drink tea, not flavored sugar water, not something polluted with so much lemon that your hair curls up. Drinking unsweet tea takes a little getting used to, but it's really worth it, because sweet tea simply makes you thirstier, while unsweet tea quenches and satisfies. It'll be a little bitter, but if you choose your tea properly, it'll not be too bitter.

The Red Rose Secret

Tea varies a lot, because it's not only picked at different ages, but it's fermented to different degrees and with different processes when it's done.

Now, if you're observant, you will eventually realize that Red Rose tea and Salada tea are very similar in flavor and are made by the same folks. Some people swear that there's no difference at all, that it's strictly a matter of marketing: Red Rose is marketed as a hot tea, while Salada is marketed as an iced tea, Red Rose comes with little porcelain figurines in the box while Salada can be obtained in super-large tea bags for making a pitcher at a time.

And the fact that Five Guys recently changed the labels on their iced tea urns from Red Rose to Salada, and the flavor didn't change in the slightest, suggests that those people are right.

Making Sun Tea

The easiest way to do this is to take a gallon jug of water. If you use water from the store, get spring water, not distilled water. Distilled water is for cleaning, and it's not healthful to drink. Distilled water tends to get biologicals in it, because there's nothing to prevent them from growing. Spring water is less vulnerable, although you shouldn't keep it for more than a few months.

Now, the problem with spring water is that it's got a lot of calcium and magnesium in it. That means that it doesn't do as good a job of extracting the tea from the leaves. You will end up with weaker tea this way than if you use tap water. On the other hand, the water itself tastes better, so it's six of one, a half-dozen of the other.

I take five bags of tea, fold them slightly, and stick them through the neck of the jug, then cap the jug with the tags sticking out. You can place the tea in the sun if you wish. It really doesn't make much difference whether you do or not.

The Hot Process

The hot process involves steeping five bags of tea in scalding, not boiling, water. If the water is boiling, it extracts more bitter, relative to the flavor. Let the water cool to room temperature, and pour it into a jug to make a gallon of tea.

And in both of these cases, you'll notice that you end up with room-temperature tea. You should keep your tea at room temperature. It will last about three days at room temperature, after which it will start to turn cloudy, and the flavor will start to turn dull. If you don't drink a gallon of iced tea in 3 days, you should make smaller batches.

Serve Over Ice

Fill your tumbler with ice, and pour the room-temperature tea over the ice slowly. The slower you pour, the more ice you will melt, and the colder your beverage will be. This also aerates the iced tea, and the air in the ice tea makes for a more sparkling flavor.

Iced tea is wonderful on a hot summer day, when you've been working in the garden, or especially when you've been baling hay. On the other hand, it's pretty good in the middle of winter, too.

But trust me about the brand. Red Rose is the brand to buy, even if it comes in a box marked "Salada". A note: the caffeine in iced tea is anecdotally an excellent treatment for diabetes, depression, ADD/ADHD, and women's monthly disorder. If you think caffeine sounds like a dumb idea for ADHD kids, who are already bouncing off the wall, try it anyway. ADHD kids apparently lack stimulation, and with the caffeine working as a stimulant, they don't need to bounce themselves off the wall. They can relax and enjoy life a little more. On the other hand, my urologist claims he loves people to drink ice tea, because it provides more business for his kidney stone zapping machine.

Oh, well, you win some, you lose some. According to statistics, people who rob banks, skydive, or drive on bald tires have a lower rate of death from cancer. I suppose it might have something to do with a higher rate of death from accidental cause....

Other Bloggers On Related Topics:
ADD - ADHD - Canada Day - depression - diabetes - hot tea - iced tea - kidney stones - Red Rose - Salada - sun tea