Okay, make your jokes. But I have a serious etiquette question.
In the old days, I used to fish my teabag out of my mug with a spoon, wrap the string around it, and squeeze the water out of it into my mug, figuring I’d get a little jolt of extra-strong tea. (I like my tea strong.) I was informed, however, that this is a violation of tea etiquette. Being the slave to convention that I am, I ceased and desisted.
But is it really a violation of tea etiquette? Tell me, oh tea-bag loving dopers, where the truth lies.
There are people that will tell you that using tea bags, period, is a breach of tea etiquette. shrug If you like it, do it. The tea police won’t come after you.*
*Though I can’t guarantee the little blue-haired ladies who constitute the Great Board of Proper Teamaking won’t issue a fatwa.
Yeah, it’s considered vulgar in some circles. I don’t squeeze it simply because the last few drops usually taste bitter. But unless you’re having tea with the queen I don’t think it matters. (Actually, if you’re having tea with the queen you probably shouldn’t be using teabags anyway.)
I squeeze the bag myself, I don’t worry about it. You shouldn’t either. Given your location, I’d say any tea-making technique not involving throwing the stuff into the sea would be an improvement.
My mother drank tea every day of her life and she was a squeezer. If anybody says anything, I’ll tell them my dear, sainted, mother drank her tea this way, and I will not let her memory be desecrated by nay-sayers.
Etiquette aside, squeezing the teabag releases more tannins and makes the tea more bitter than it would be if the bag were removed gently. The longer the tea seeps, the more tannins are released, but they seem to stay in the leaves for the first few minutes; squeezing pushes them into the teacup.
If you only steep the bag for 30 seconds then squeeze the bag it will give you a stronger tasting cuppa, because not so many tannins have been released; after about a minute, squeezing the bag will induce bitterness that increases the longer it steeps.
I like very strong tea, but not bitter tea, so I allow the teabag to infuse in just-boiled water for 3 minutes, then gently lift it out. It makes a huge difference to the flavour.
I compost the bags, too, but I find that the bag doesn’t break down quickly enough, so I usually split the bag before it goes in the compost.
My grandmother was from Scotland. She drank tea ,then saved the teabag. Then made another cup,new bag. Then made a 3rd cup with the 2 bags she saved. She did not squeeze them.
, I’m not a pervert.