Tea and Boiling Water

[Buddy604]

Have any other theaphiles had any luck finding piping hot 204F water for making their own loose tea onboard? I can't find a small enough kettle (i.e. disappears into a microscropic space warp until I need it) and I don't think there are any safe immersion heaters with auto shutoff.

 

Does the patisserie have tea pots and has anyone had them whip up a custom pot for two?

[spongerob]

There are specialty teas available at the patisserie. Extra charge, of course. You can use the coffee card to pay for your tea if you've got one, one punch.

[Buddy604]

There are specialty teas available at the patisserie. Extra charge, of course. You can use the coffee card to pay for your tea if you've got one, one punch.

Thanks. I wonder though if they'll make up a pot with one of my own teas. Do you know if they handle loose tea or should I bring some guaze bags and fill them myself?

[spongerob]

There's no reason why they wouldn't.

[dforeigner]

Have you considered ordering hot water through room service? I am not sure whether it arrives hot enough for you liking though.

[cruise12004]

Have any other theaphiles had any luck finding piping hot 204F water for making their own loose tea onboard? I can't find a small enough kettle (i.e. disappears into a microscropic space warp until I need it) and I don't think there are any safe immersion heaters with auto shutoff.

 

Does the patisserie have tea pots and has anyone had them whip up a custom pot for two?

I have only cruised on RCCL and they had a stand with just hot water which I used with my own tea. When we go to Vegas we buy a cheap electric kettle but I am not sure if this is allowed on a cruise ship

[sultan_sfo]

The hot water in the Horizon Court is very hot -- yes I am one of those perpetual tea drinkers. I have always taken my immersion heater which has a built-in safety thermostat that will make the heater un-useable forever if the temp is allowed to exceed the preset. One can buy those at a travel store. But I use it in hotels because the horizon court water is VERY hot. Room service water will not be that hot and Afternoon Tea served in the Dining Room is just lukewarm./Sultan

[monakayk]

I also am a tea drinker and ALWAYS bring my own tea on trips. Also take some of mine to the dining rooms instead of using the ships (Lipton--EWWW) tea bags.

 

I do want to mention that on RCCL-Rhapsody cruise I took, they brought the hot water in one of their large insulated pots...and the water tasted like coffee! I called room service up and asked for another pot of hot water in a really cleaned out pot. They sent me one and it was fine, but the following morning...again my hot water tasted like coffee. So beware that for room service...those pots they put hot water in are used for coffee and can still have the flavor of coffee in them.

 

After 2 mornings of coffee-tasting water, I just gave up & went to the buffet and filled my large insulated cup (I brought to use while lounging around to pool to keep my drinks cool) with the hot water.

 

You should think about bringing a large insulated cup to do that also, so you can at least have a couple of cups of tea without having to go back to the buffet, if you want to sit else where to drink your tea. Just a suggestion.

 

The water-pots on Carnival cruise were not as bad as on RCCL from room service.

[Luvsnorkeling]

So are you pretty sure that all the tea Princess uses is Lipton?? Like if you asked for hot tea in the dining room after dinner, would Lipton be the only choice available?

 

I never had any idea how BITTER Lipton is until a British friend introduced me to the finer teas in life. :-) Now I can't abide Lipton. So if this is all that is available, I'll definitely have to bring my own tea as well. Thanks for some feedback...

[geoherb]

The ships have a variety of teas available--regular teas, herbal teas, green teas. If you ask for hot tea, you'll get Lipton unless you are specific and ask for Darjeeling, Irish breakfast, etc.

 

At afternoon tea, the premade tea served by the waiters is Lipton. If you ask, you can have a pot of whatever you like.

[palolake]

Isn't it upsetting when they serve you hot water in something that has been used for coffee?!!! I was in a very fine hotel in Chicago when it happened once and they looked at me like I was crazy when I said I needed new water. Well, actually it was the second time when they brought new, still coffee tasting water! We are treated so badly compared to coffee drinkers. I think I need to move to England. Sorry for the rant.

[Buddy604]

I just found this great insulated tea tumbler for making loose tea on the go! I picked one up locally but LLBean has them at http://www2.llbean.com/product/41365.htm for $14. I grabbed a clear one so I can judge my brewing progress. Besides, the pink made me a little lighter in my loafers than usual. :)

[ebonybee]

Buddy604,

 

That is the neatest portable tea contraction I've ever seen. I'm ordering one, the red one though! It should be good for converting to ice tea.

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

...they brought the hot water in one of their large insulated pots...and the water tasted like coffee! I called room service up and asked for another pot of hot water in a really cleaned out pot. They sent me one and it was fine, but the following morning...again my hot water tasted like coffee. So beware that for room service...those pots they put hot water in are used for coffee and can still have the flavor of coffee in them.

 

After 2 mornings of coffee-tasting water, I just gave up & went to the buffet and filled my large insulated cup (I brought to use while lounging around to pool to keep my drinks cool) with the hot water.

 

TEA LOVERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!

 

This is the absolute WORST situation for tea-drinkers in any public setting! The dreaded "coffee-tasting" tea water is sickening!

 

How hard could it possibly be for restaurants, hotels, and cruise ships, etc. keep one set of thermal carafes for TEA ONLY?!?!?! :confused: It makes absolutley no sense. What part of "Brown carafes are for coffee and White carafes are for tea water" is so hard to implement??? It's not as if they need the same amount of each!

 

That little loose tea making cup is nice, but it would be truly great if it plugged in to heat the water too! HAHA!

 

I'll continue to get the hot water out of the desginated spot onthe coffee machine in the buffet, as that always seems to be the hottest stuff available wherever I travel.

 

Good topic, BUDDY 604....and good call on the clear container purchase! HAHA! :D

[UK family]

It's been interesting reading this thread about tea.

 

I suppose here in UK we do still drink more tea than coffee, and probably still make it like it should be. We personally love our freshly brewed tea,and it was one aspect we really missed on a cruise with Princess and RCI - the tea was awful!! I think we must have got used to always having tea and coffee making facilities (and fresh biscuits!) in the cabin on our British cruise ships/hotels , so came as a BIG shock to find this isn't the case with American ships!!

So we shall be very much looking forward to taking tea the proper way again in the future!!

Hope you manage to get yourself a decent brew going !!:)

[monakayk]

I just found this great insulated tea tumbler for making loose tea on the go! I picked one up locally but LLBean has them at http://www2.llbean.com/product/41365.htm for $14. I grabbed a clear one so I can judge my brewing progress. Besides, the pink made me a little lighter in my loafers than usual. :)

 

Buddy 604,

 

This tumbler is really cool. I have never seen one where you can use tea leaves in it. Thanks for the link...I will have to buy one!

 

I always just use one of those LARGE insulated tumblers and make my tea in it with a tea-ball-strainer on a chain. But this tumber you linked to is better.

 

Palolake,

 

ITA, I think we tea-drinkers are just not treated fairly. EVERY time I eat out breakfast and of course have tea..they bring one of those TINY metal tea pots with barely enough water for one cup of tea. And to make matter worst...I ALWAYS have to flag down my waitress/waiter for more hot water--then they take forever to bring it! GEZZZZZZZZZ.

 

While vacationing in England and Wales...my DH was the one who had to flag down the wait-staff for coffee. It was a refreshing change for me to have a HUGE pot of tea brought and wonderful English Breakfast tea served with all my meals! LOL:D

 

UKFamily,

 

Good point!! I think TPTB-'Yanks' can certainly learn that some here in the USA are tea drinkers and would enjoy a "proper cup of tea" served to us and have hot water tea pots in the cabins so we can brew some for ourselves if they insist on serving hot 'coffee-tasting water' when we call room service for hot tea!

[palolake]

Amen !!!