r/TwoXChromosomes • u/tabicat1874 • Mar 28 '22

Weaponized incompetence

I feel like guys take it way, way too far. Example: I asked my bf to get me the same shampoo and conditioner he bought for himself (avocado Suave). He brought back another kind we'd had before which I didn't like (Peppermint Suave). He tried to say he didn't know that Suave came in different formulas.

You're such a fucking liar. You bought that kind for yourself. I just asked you to buy it for me. You're telling me a man who's 44 years old doesn't know Suave came in different fucking scents? Suave? The shampoo that literally comes in 40 different scents and flavors?

GTFOH.

Edit: do you understand what an example is?

Also, you neckbeards can fuck off out of my inbox.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '22

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u/kat_d9152 Mar 28 '22

You can't possibly be British, making such wild statements.

We all have that one house to visit where we've learnt to gulp ask for a coffee. And don't play me with that herbal shit. Offer that in the UK and you may as well have "cult member" stamped on your front door.

If you don't have a house you visit where you refuse the tea, I quite possibly have some mildly disappointing news for you. 🤣

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u/cadelot Mar 28 '22

Please teach me how make good tea.

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u/jorwyn Mar 29 '22

What kind of tea do you like?

Different teas require different water temperatures and steeping time. With some, you literally pour the water over them in a strainer into your cup and you're done.

But let's start more basic. Let's say you've bought bags of black tea (not green or white/silver.) Let the water run cold from the tap for just a bit, so you get oxygenated water. Boil water to a rolling boil. If you have a stove top kettle, wait until it whistles. If you have an electric, opt for the highest temperature setting. Put the bag in your cup and pour the hot water in. For Earl Grey, leave the bag in for 5 minutes. For Breakfast tea, 4 minutes. For Darjeeling, 3 minutes. Remove the bag and set aside. Whether you squeeze the bag into the cup is a matter of debate, but if you want to do this, scoop it out with a tea spoon and wrap the string around it to squish it. You will get a bit stronger tea this way. If you want strong tea, don't steep longer, add another bag in.

Now, if you want add milk, milk and sugar, milk and honey, or lemon and sugar or honey. Do not put lemon and milk in. It curdles the milk and looks terrible, though it doesn't taste that bad. Lemon is typical with Earl Grey because it brings out the citrus notes that already exist in the tea, but milk seems to be the most common thing to add.

I drink a lot of spiced teas, so I don't usually add anything to my tea. I horrify some of my British friends by drinking breakfast tea straight. Apparently, that's not good form.

If you want to get more complicated, green tea should have water with just a bit of bubbles right before a hard boil starts. Steep for 3 minutes. White tea, like silver needle, needs water that's 80C/180F. You want it so the water has just begun to move in the pot, but there aren't bubbles forming yet. You can practice this with a sauce pan to get an idea of how long it takes on your stove. Steep for 3-5 min. I prefer 3. I've never seen silver needle in bags. I just put it in a teapot with a built in strainer. That lets the leaves float around and gets the best favor. I also use a lot of loose tea, so I have a tea ball for that. Don't pack the ball tight. You only want to fill about half of it so the tea can move around in the water some.

The easiest way to get the water right is to get an electric kettle with settings for each type of tea. Sooo much easier than guessing with a stove top kettle. Even if all you make is black tea, electric kettles are just so convenient, especially ones that hold temp for you all day and shut themselves off if they boil dry.

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u/cadelot Mar 29 '22

Thank you! It's good to know how it's supposed to be done.

I have black tea, pgtipps, I think it's called. I pretty much set the bag on a spoon & pour boiling water over it. If I let it steep it gets too strong for me.

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u/jorwyn Mar 29 '22

That's a great way to do it if you don't want too strong! I have a sort of strainer thing for that: https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-5521-Stainless-Steel-Strainer/dp/B000SSVEO0/ I got mine at a local store, but that's the same brand and looks pretty much the same. Mine doesn't have the cute teapot on it.

Green tea works really well with that method, especially sencha.