/users/echosa/phlog/0018-office-tea-method on sdf.org

	Recently, I switched how I make my morning tea at the office. I
	may never go back to my old method again.

	The impetus of this change came from reading Douglas Adams' guide
	to tea.
	Douglas Adams' Guide to Tea

	Have you read that yet? If not read it now.

	Have you read it now? Good.

	A bit of background on the state of things at my office. Most peopl
	drink coffee for some reason, which means we have a nigh infinite
	supply of coffee and coffee-related materials. This includes, but
	is not limited to, a commercial coffee maker (with a hot water
	spout) and filters. However, the office is not completely devoid
	of anything tea-related. There are usually various bags of tea
	available in a cabinet, and I almost always have some loose-leaf
	tea at my desk, available to all (including the use of the tea
	infuser ball I keep at my desk as well).

	My typical morning tea was usually some of my loose-leaf (preferred
	Teavana Earl Grey) brewed in my large mug through the infuser using
	hot water from the spout on the coffee maker. On lazy days, I'd
	just grab a bag of whatever is in the cabinet. After reading the
	tea guide, though, I've upgraded my method. I now keep a small,
	cheap teapot at my desk just for this purpose.

	So, without further ado, here's my office tea-making method.

	Step 1 - Place loose-leaf tea into bottom of the mug. The tea is
	placed directly into the mug, not contained within an infuser.

	Step 2 - Poor water from the hot water spout on the coffee maker
	into the mug directly onto the tea leaves. Let sit for the appropri
	amount of time for the tea.

	Step 3 - Place coffee filter over the open top of the kettle. Poor
	tea into the kettle through the filter.

	Step 4 - Clean out the mug to remove any remaining tea leaves.
	Throw the used filter away.

	Step 5 - Poor tea into the mug from the kettle and enjoy.

	That's all there is to it! This is certainly an adapted version of
	Adams' guide which doesn't require a separate pot or heating source
	for water. I'm lucky to have the hot water spout to use. At least
	the coffee-making materials are good for something.

	Some might wonder why I don't brew the tea in the teapot instead.
	The teapot's spout is not filtered, so I end up having to filter
	the tea on the way out of the kettle unless I want leaves in my
	drink. Since I have to run through a filter anyway, I choose to do
	so from the mug to the kettle because it is much easier to clean
	the leftover leaves out of the mug than the kettle, especially any
	leaves that get stuck inside the kettle's spout.

	There's also the added benefit that brewing the tea in the mug also
	warms the mug in the process, preparing it for the final product,
	which is nice.

	If I wasn't enough of a "tea snob" before, I certainly am now. I
	couldn't be happier or more proud.