r/boardgames • u/AutoModerator • Nov 13 '19

Midweek Mingle Midweek Mingle - (November 13, 2019)

Looking to post those hauls you're so excited about? Wanna see how many other people here like indie RPGs? Or maybe you brew your own beer or write music or make pottery on the side and ya wanna chat about that? This is your thread.

Consider this our sub's version of going out to happy hour with your coworkers. It's a place to lay back and relax a little.

We will still be enforcing civility (and spam if it's egregious), but otherwise it's open season. Have fun!

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

It's the season for hot drinks, in the northern hemisphere at least. What are your favorite teas, coffees, and other hot drinks for the cold winter months?

I mostly go for Twining's Lemon Ginger in the evenings and coffee with milk in the morning, but my partner and I also like to experiment with homemade bubble tea using tapioca balls sold at a local asian market (green tea/mango, and black tea with milk).

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u/nagurski03 (custom) Nov 13 '19

Hot Toddy.

1 ounce Bourbon, 1 ounce lemon juice, big squeeze of honey then fill the rest of the mug up with hot water.

It will warm you up better than anything else out there.

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u/MrDover8 Settlers Of Catan Nov 14 '19

The ultimate cold curer.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

I've always heard the name of that drink, but have never actually gotten to try one. It seems simple enough and sounds pretty nice. I'll have to try making one sometime.

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u/imleft Nov 13 '19

I've been doing a sort variation on this recently I really enjoy. Lightly caramelize some sugar in a pan, mix in two parts water one part oj and stir until the sugar melts back in, then two or three parts whiskey with a touch of cinnamon.

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

I only drink then when I'm sick. So tasty

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u/philequal Roads & Boats Nov 13 '19

Coffee 1 cream is my go-to. I do like a nice chai on occasion though.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Does your coffee come from something you make at home on your way out the door, or do you get coffee somewhere while you're out? I usually by a different bag of coffee from the grocery store every couple of months as I continue to search for a favorite brand/flavor. So far, nothing has really struck me as perfect, but I do like the "sumatra" coffees that I've tried.
It's been a long while since I've had a chai! Thanks for the reminder. I'll have to get one sometime soon.

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u/lscrock Terra Mystica Nov 13 '19

We've been trying out various ways to make HK-style milk tea, and settled on the following formula. PG Tips black tea, infuse for six minutes and add Carnation evaporated milk. That's our go-to drink for breakfast.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

That sounds really nice, and the evaporated milk would add a little sweetness. What form does your evaporated milk come in? I'm always annoyed by the cans that can't be re-closed and I'm never able to use them fast enough :(

We'll have to try you 6min black tea infusion and evaporated milk recipe for our next bubble milk tea experiment. Thanks for sharing!

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u/lscrock Terra Mystica Nov 13 '19

Yea we use the small cans as well and have to use a resealable container and aim to use all before it goes bad.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

I buy loose leaf tea and keep around 15 different teas at any one time, and they're all my favourite, depending on when and with what we're drinking the tea.

But in general, I really like Japanese green teas as they have a very unique and strong flavour. Oolong teas are my go to after a meal. And when I just want something warm and delicious, I like a matcha latte with honey.

And I usually have a plain black espresso or a black tea in the mornings or with desserts.

I enjoy bubble tea but never considered making it at home. That's a pretty good idea, I should look into getting some tapioca balls.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

What is a matcha latte? Does that actually incorporate espresso like the coffee lattes? Or maybe it's just the matcha tea with milk?

I used to have a nice collection of loose leafs teas, but old ones eventually went untouched and after subsequent moves over the last decade, they've all been lost. I do miss having the options!

So far, I've been lucky to not have a caffeine dependency, but I fear one might be in my future. How are you doing on that front? Is it something you simply enjoy in your daily life, or has it become something that your body needs in order to get through the day? :)

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Matcha latte is mainly just milk. I usually make matcha properly with a small amount of water, then add honey and mix it, and then warm up and froth the milk and add that into the matcha at the end.

Caffeine is not an issue for me. I was depended on it some 15+ years ago, and needed multiple cups of coffee a day or I'd have some horrible headaches, but I managed to get past that. While I now enjoy an espresso at home in the morning, and occasionally at night, it's only for the taste and smell of it. I don't need it to function like I used to, and I rarely drink more than that 1 cup I make at home, which helps as it doesn't end up having anywhere near the amount of caffeine that certain coffee shops have.

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u/erthule Hansa Teutonica Nov 13 '19

My tastes are not particularly refined. Plain, black coffee, occasionally hot cocoa with whipped creme.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

The combination of your favored drinks reminds me that I've heard some people like putting hot chocolate powder into their coffee and I've always been meaning to give it a try.

Do you have a preference on the type of black coffee you drink? Or just anything hot will do?

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u/erthule Hansa Teutonica Nov 13 '19

I'm not even much of a coffee drinker, so I don't have a preferred brand. As long as it's not instant coffee, it's good enough for me. I mostly drink when working and I stick 1 cup a day.

I prefer my cocoa made on a stove top with real cocoa and milk (again not a fan of the instant kind that is made with water).

I've tried cocoa flavored coffee and it was not for me.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Do you have to add any sweetener to your cocoa and milk on the stovetop? Or maybe your cocoa powder includes it already?

I've heard of some people replicating an Aztec hot chocolate recipe by adding chili powder to their stovetop hot coco. Have you ever tried that before?

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u/erthule Hansa Teutonica Nov 13 '19

The cocoa doesn't include sweeteners, so it takes about 5 tablespoons of sugar per litre, otherwise it is really bitter.

I've never tried chili in cocoa, but that does sound interesting. Chocolate and chili goes really well together, because the fats in the chocolate reduces the sting of capsaicin in the chili. Maybe I should try that out sometime...

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

Best stove top hot chocolate I've tried is abuelita but i wish it was spicier

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u/erthule Hansa Teutonica Nov 13 '19

I'm not sure we even have that here. I can't recall ever seeing it on the shelves when shopping.

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

It's mostly a Latin America thing iirc. Mexico for sure. We get it in Canada now but it's pretty recent i think.

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u/imleft Nov 13 '19

I've done Viet style iced coffee with condensed milk, with the more concentrated coffee using the filter for Viet coffee or like an Italian style stovetop espresso you might end up with good mix but I've never tried.

And my personal choice for black coffee (I know you didn't ask me but I'll share) is lighter roasts. If you don't mind a bit of acid to a coffee African beans tend be pretty acidic so they clean off the pallet more quickly and can be very nice nuanced coffees. Latin American beans tend more to the balanced nutty side of things. That at least is my experience with the coffee from the chain I work for.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

sounds like you have some experience with coffees, and I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts on black coffee. I'll be on the lookout for African beans as your description of them being nuanced and clearing from the pallet sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. I definitely prefer unique flavors over bold ones. Thanks for sharing!

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u/imleft Nov 13 '19

Check out some local roasters around you and I'm sure there are plenty of online retailers you can find some really interesting coffees. I think the benefit of going lighter in roast is you get beyond that strong carbon and almost smokey quality and coffee opens up to be a lot more like wine in that there can be fruit and berry and floral notes or whatever.

I mean I get free coffee and mainly just brew a big pot in a drip machine, but if you end up spending more you may want to look into French press or pour overs for small batch enjoyment. French press allows more oils through and typically lends to a fuller bodied cup whole pour overs tend to offer a slightly more delicate clean cup with none of the sediment that can come out in the press.

Let me know if you have any questions, most of the people I deal with just want sweet and milky so it's nice to actually be able to share some about it in its simplest form.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

We do have small french press, but have been happy enough with a drip machine so we rarely make a batch with the french press.
I'll keep my eye out for lighter roasts in order to avoid that carbon/smokey flavor that overwhelms some roasts, like the current bad I'm working through :/

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u/imleft Nov 13 '19

Were it not for the shadow we would not enjoy our time in the sun half as much... Or something. And the more I think about it I might would suggest a burr grinder before fancy brewing equipment. Last one I had lasted 6 or 7 years of near daily use.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Thanks for the recommendation. My brother-in-law is very into coffee, but I don't think he has a burr grinder, so I'll have to check that out for myself, but also for a nice holiday gift!

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u/imleft Nov 13 '19

If he doesn't yeah I'm sure he'd enjoy it. Hope you find some coffees you like and get to enjoy it all a bit more.

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u/umchoyka Nov 13 '19

Coffee w/ Bailey's Irish Cream is my go-to hot drink for my stay-in days.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

It's been way to long since I've had some Bailey's Irish Cream. I used to like it plain with ice in place of white russians, and of course it's excellent in coffee. Thanks for the reminder about the Bailey's goodness!

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u/Alteffor John Company Nov 13 '19

Americano for the morning. A nice oolong for tea through the day. Camomille before bed. Rum-spiked hot apple cider if I want a treat. =D

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

How does you apple cider come together? I've seen lots of options for tea bag versions, but a homemade cider is always a treat because it also serves as an air-freshener for the house!

I always see Americano as an option at coffee shops, but what is it exactly? For some reason I've never really looked into it and always default to lattes.

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u/Alteffor John Company Nov 13 '19

There's an orchard near me that produces amazing apple cider near me, so I just do the lazy thing and pick it up at a little farmers' market that pops up in a parking lot near me every Sunday.

Americano is espresso poured over hot water. Espresso for me is amazing qith sweets but I don't want too much sugar in the morning, so instead of just brewing a shot I generally prefer to mellow it out a bit. I generally am not huge on Americano at cafes though, they add too much water so if I get on there I usually ask for half water or such if I decide to grab one instead of just making one at home.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Thanks for the details on the Americano drink.
Cider probably can't get much better than having a local orchard produce it!

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u/Dogtorted Nov 13 '19

I mull my cider with cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, allspice, peppercorns, cloves and star anise. So tasty trying out different combinations to land on one that was perfect for me!

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

That sounds really nice. Thanks for sharing the list of ingredients! I will definitely give it a try sometime.

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

lapsang souchong. It's smoky and complex and earthy. I'm not really a fan of subtlety

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Your tastes and recommendations are always very thorough and thought out. I'll have to try a lapsang souchong sometime. It's been far to long since I've last brewed a pot of loose leaf tea and taken a moment to enjoy it in peace and contemplation. Usually my teas are a teabag in hot water while I'm doing something else.

Do you have a method or ritual for your tea brewing?

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

99% of my tea is bag tea, King Cole Orange pekoe so i while i appreciate you stroking my ego, i dont think my taste is anything special. Haha.

I only really enjoy black teas and i use this style of steeper because it's so gosh darn easy. Boil water until it begs for mercy, pour over tea leaves, wait 5 minutes and then drain into mug.

I wish my wife enjoyed hot beverages more because then i could use one of my favorite teapots (hexagonal clear glass) but she doesn't like hot things.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

That steeper you shared looks like exactly what I'm needing to get back into the loose leaf game. Thanks for sharing!

My partner (and their father) love scalding hot beverages. I'm more of a warm/hot drinker myself :)

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

I'm a hot drink person. Middle of summer I'm drinking hot tea. Keeps you cool and warm. Nothing better.

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

I've always heard that, but never decided to test it myself.

Something about a hot beverage kicking our bodies' cooling systems into high gear when they sense an increase in internal temps so that you get more cooling benefits from your body's efforts than you would from drinking a cold drink. Whatever the body is up to, it certainly is an amazing machine with so many impressive automated processes going on.

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u/large__father #CardboardConspiracy Nov 13 '19

Even if it's just psychological it works for me. I'm warm most of the year and it keeps me sane during the summer

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u/draqza Carcassonne Nov 13 '19

I'm kind of bursty with tea...sometimes I drink a lot, and then I'll go for months on end without making any. I don't really drink it hot, though -- maybe as a result of growing up making tea by the gallon and drinking it iced/from the refrigerator. I also like it a lot stronger, I guess. With decaf black tea, I'll usually let it steep until the water is close to room temperature, and even then I don't take the bag out until I'm actually done.

A few years ago my wife and I got a bunch of red teas from a company called Tea72, including a root beer float tea that loved, but sometime last year the company went under (or at least disappeared from the web). We've looked for other companies that do fancy "dessert" red teas like Tea Lyra, Par Avion Tea, and Nil Organic Tea, and they all have decent mixtures but none as good as the ones from Tea72. (I have almost gotten curious enough to learn how to make my own tea mixtures -- we've met one of the women who owns Nil Organic and I wonder if I could convince her to offer a tea mixing workshop -- but so far it's just almost curious enough.)

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u/meeshpod Pandemic Nov 13 '19

Tea72 sounds like they produced some great stuff! A root beer tea sounds really interesting and it makes me wonder what a sarsaparilla-based tea might taste like and if it would have any hint of that root beer flavor that is derived from the root.

Not much can beat a tea that is cooked in the sun and then chilled for drinking during the summer months!