teapot?

[mercalia]

I do like tea and I drink lots of it, but when on tour I just have my tea black, made with a teabag in the mug. I can sense the pitchforks rattling and fire being prepared already!

On a serious note, I just find messing around with milk a lot of a faff! Though I have been known to pick up a few extra milk portions from Morrisons on my way up to Scotland. I liked it when they used the sort of flexible tubes, rather than the little tubs which they seem to have switched to recently.

The only tea I like neat is green tea when I have a chinese meal in soho london

[meic]

No pitchforks, if you can abide drinking tea black then lucky you, it would ruin my tour.

On a serious note, I just find messing around with milk a lot of a faff!

I think we all share that problem, hence this thread.

My personal suspicion is that a second temporary container like a flask for milk would soon get "compromised" and quickly contaminate the milk put in it.

On very short tours I start with a frozen pint of milk (or half used one) in its original plastic container and hopefully get two breakfasts out of it. Unfortunately they frequently find a way to leak.

I have used cheap dried milk (the really cheap stuff was just milk) and end up throwing most of the tub away because it does go off eventually (in my kitchen between tours), may be from moisture in the air?

[LollyKat]

I think part of the problem of using dried milk in tea is the fact that it is usually skimmed - I don't like fresh skimmed milk in tea (or coffee) even though I find it refreshing to drink on its own.

There used to be a brand called 5 Pints with added vegetable fat which I found very good, but production stopped some years ago. I see that Nestle make a full-fat powder called Nido - I haven't tried it but it looks promising.

[mercalia]

I am sure every one here use the old refigeration trick of putting a wet cloth over the milk and let wind evaporation keep it cool? worked well at York when it was windy and the cold rain kept the cloth wet.

I still think a small flask enough for a days milk the soln - 500ml enough for a number of cups of tea and some mueseli - The Thermos ones I indicated are described as 24 hr coolers.

[andrew_s]

I see that Nestle make a full-fat powder called Nido - I haven't tried it but it looks promising.

I spent about 3.5 years living off that back in the 1980s (nearest cow 750 miles off, or 1750 miles off for the last year).
It's good, but...
You need a surprising amount of powder to the quantity of water
It's best mixed beforehand rather than just chucked into the tea (the normal way with powdered stuff, just a bit of water to start with, then dilute)
Opened tins don't keep indefinitely.
I'd recommend mixing the milk in the mug, and adding the tea bag to the pan you've just boiled the water in (if you haven't got a teapot to do the brewing in).

I mostly buy a pint some time during the afternoon when passing a shop, decant it into a plastic hip flask, and drink what doesn't fit. In normal UK temperatures, that's generally OK until the next morning's breakfast.

[pjclinch]

Brits generally go for milk in tea because we over-brew it so the flavour is dominated by bitter tannins.
I drink tea without milk, it's not black but more bronze. I wouldn't drink typical British tea without milk as that would be more like black.
As with cycle infrastructure, as with tea, learn from the Dutch... use more tea and much shorter brew times. The result tastes of tea, and has no need of milk (and is better for the lack of something that masks the flavour).

Use a tea-ball or tea-sock and you can make in the cup with your choice of leaf tea. Since you're not brewing it to hell and back and it's just for you, no need for a separate pot.

Pete.

[meic]

A generalisation which is certainly false in my case. As soon as the kettle which poured the boiling water is back out of my hand the tea bag is whipped out of the mug. I still want milk in my tea.
I absolutely hate stewed tea even with milk in it.

The same idea in cafes where I will have opened the pot and removed the tea bags before carrying the tea to my seat.

[mercalia]

A generalisation which is certainly false in my case. As soon as the kettle which poured the boiling water is back out of my hand the tea bag is whipped out of the mug. I still want milk in my tea.
I absolutely hate stewed tea even with milk in it.

The same idea in cafes where I will have opened the pot and removed the tea bags before carrying the tea to my seat.

I suppose then you reuse it?

[meic]

I do, if out cycle touring, but only to clean my pans with.

[Sweep]

If you want fresh milk try popping in to a morrisons with a cafe and pick up a couple of tubs of milk in the cutlery pick up area. Should keep for a couple of days ok.
only in the uk of course

you do at least buy something in the shop or cafe?

I think another related top tip used to be the sachets of stuff in Spoons.

But they stopped them and went to old fashioned tubs containers etc.

Better for regular customers but a retrograde step for us tourers - and never a problem for me to buy something in a spoons

[crazydave789]

I second the trangia tea pot idea.

freeze fresh milk in cubes, pack in a flask/flask cup and that should keep for a few days or fill flask and place in freezer a few days before hand to go solid, drink bottles of milk will stay frozen for the day if wrapped up. uht tubs are not so bad now, supermarkets or poundland have them.

otherwise switch to hot chocolate if you can't bear instant tea.

you could also try fitting two dynamos and powering one of those office table top plastic fridge things or a 12v cool box.

you can get used to anything, just having a brew is the important thing,

[mercalia]

I second the trangia tea pot idea.

freeze fresh milk in cubes, pack in a flask/flask cup and that should keep for a few days or fill flask and place in freezer a few days before hand to go solid, drink bottles of milk will stay frozen for the day if wrapped up. uht tubs are not so bad now, supermarkets or poundland have them.

otherwise switch to hot chocolate if you can't bear instant tea.

you could also try fitting two dynamos and powering one of those office table top plastic fridge things or a 12v cool box.

you can get used to anything, just having a brew is the important thing,

not poor tea

[Sweep]

your recommended tea mercalia?

Was in Aldi the other day and they had Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea - probably my two favourite everyday teas.


In teabags which I don't normally use but I make an exception for camping.

[mercalia]

your recommended tea mercalia?

Was in Aldi the other day and they had Earl Grey and English Breakfast Tea - probably my two favourite everyday teas.


In teabags which I don't normally use but I make an exception for camping.

Sainsburys Taste the Difference fair trade. Until recently it was a bargain but has recently shot up to £2.50 for 80 bags but stll a good tea - Assam or Kenyan my favs. I usually wait until they have special offers then buy bulk. Earls Grey no thanks, dont use loose leaf now no point.

[crazydave789]

I second the trangia tea pot idea.

freeze fresh milk in cubes, pack in a flask/flask cup and that should keep for a few days or fill flask and place in freezer a few days before hand to go solid, drink bottles of milk will stay frozen for the day if wrapped up. uht tubs are not so bad now, supermarkets or poundland have them.

otherwise switch to hot chocolate if you can't bear instant tea.

you could also try fitting two dynamos and powering one of those office table top plastic fridge things or a 12v cool box.

you can get used to anything, just having a brew is the important thing,

not poor tea

if you can drink tea out of a styrofoam cup you can do anything, I spent months in the falklands drinking tea made with evap. evap with everything breakfast was cornflakes bananas and evap. they used to issue tubes of condensed milk for tea making and it does work if you take sugar like me in your pint mugs.

a wet wrap around the bottle does work but it need evaporation, old military flasks had felt around them for that, US canteen covers are fleece lined again to cool it down. worst case you get yoghurt on your muesli the day after.

you could try it the tibetan way with a knob of butter same thing just less water in it.

or stick to the two dynamo 12v fridge idea.