Reddit reviews Finum Disposable Paper Tea Filter Bags for Loose Tea, Brown, Large, 100 Count

Like most anything else, there's no less than a bazillion options, and everyone will have their own take on which ones you should begin with.

If you can find a tea shop reasonably close, I recommend buying an ounce or two of several teas. Any reasonably large city should have a tea shop, you may have one near you. Take note of how to properly brew each one and give it a try. Experiment with the steep time and temperature a little if it's not quite to your liking, or if you're just feeling adventurous.

If buying in person isn't feasible, try a sample pack or similar from a reputable online vendor. There are some links in the sidebar that will help with that.

Get a tea kettle for boiling your water, good ones can be had from a variety of online retailers, like teas, but home goods stores will usually have a decent kettle. Electric or stovetop doesn't really matter much, I use a stovetop kettle myself.

With a kettle and tea in hand, you have a couple options for brewing. The best (IMO) is a proper tea pot, and there are many styles available. I have this one, and it's pretty foolproof and sturdy:
Bodum Assam Teapot

Alternatively, you can just use tea filters, like this:
Tea Filters
It's basically a DIY tea bag.

That is my recommendation for equipment, and only based on what I have personally used. I will let others offer suggestions for specific teas to order online, as I make all my purchases locally and can't recommend anything in particular.

Finum's huge fill-them-yourselves tea bags are a pretty good disposable solution.

I have used these, they are fairly large so you still have plenty of expanding room.

http://www.amazon.com/Finum-100-Filters-Large-Brown/dp/B000KDW9MO/ref=sr_sp-btf_title_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1398112820&sr=8-11&keywords=tea+bags

Congratulations on finishing your classes, and thanks for the contest! It's summertime! And I hope you enjoy every minute of the time you have. It sounds like you've got some awesome stuff planned, and happy birthday to you.


As your summer vacation starts, mine is really coming to a close. I know you're asking what we have planned for the rest of the summer, but I have to just briefly talk about what I've already done this summer, because it was awesome and I take any opportunity that I can to gab about it. I had the opportunity to do an internship in Cape Town, South Africa during May and June. I interned at the Treatment Action Campaign, which is an organization that focuses on advocacy for people living with HIV and AIDS. It was an absolutely incredible experience. The best summer that I could have possibly hoped for.


But what do I have planned for the rest of it? Well, I need to work on getting my IRB application together, so that I can get my upcoming research project (finally!) approved. That's number one right now, and it's weighing pretty heavily on my mind. What else? My gran is turning 101 years old at the end of the month, so I expect we'll be having a big party for her again. That's about all I've got on the docket, though.


If I'm chosen, I'd absolutely love this item right here. (I plan on continuing to drink a heckuva lot of tea throughout my summer!) Thanks so much again for the contest!

Ok. Here we go. Making ghee is super easy, but definitely do it a few times before making a big batch. I think newbies usually under cook it at first because they are afraid to burn it, but once seeing how easy it is, actually do end up burning it by not paying attention at the end.

1. Put unsalted butter in a pot and cook on low medium.
   
   
2. Wait a while. If you scoop continuously, it'll be tiring and a waste of your time. Wait until there is a thick foam and then scoop it off.
   
   
3. Keep waiting. The first few times, I'd stay near the stove to see it and learn the cycles and then you won't have to until the end. I usually do other things and check back on it to do the scooping and see how it looks.
   
   
4. The second stage is larger bubbles (not always but usually). You can scoop these off but its not as easy as the foam. After or around this stage, the butter becomes mostly clear. Technically it is pretty much done as transparency indicates it is mostly fat. It isn't truly done, though.
   
   
5. Towards the end, there will be lots of small bubbles coming upwards (almost like pouring a glass of seltzer). At this point don't leave the stove. Scoop away as needed and wait until almost all the bubbling has subsided and you're finished. Let cool for 20-30 minutes and put in mason jars.
   
   
6. put the mason jar on loosely overnight or for a day and close once its solid (unless it is very very hot outside then it'll be less solid)
   
   Notes
   
   The bottom will turn dark brown or potentially black. It might appear that the ghee is black if the pan is narrow (less surface area so more solids accumulate and turn black). Just grab some of the ghee with the spoon and you'll see that it is still golden and you'll know its not burnt. It isn't finished until the small upward seltzer bubbles are mostly done. Don't go crazy wondering about it. By the time the small bubbles are even there it is mostly done, so don't worry if there are still some. You'll notice they get less and less and you can pull it when there isn't too much happening.
   
   I've found straining into a teabag is the best option. Coffee filters are way too slow and stall and metal filters let particles through. If you can buy a 100 pack of filters like these, they'll last you forever and you can use them for tea.
   
   If you go 10 or 20 minutes past the end of the small bubble phase, it will burn, so even if you are lazy and just checking on it throughout the process, stick near it at the end. I burned it once and even though I didn't toss it, it wasn't as good.
   
   When you pour it, it might seem a little dark to you. By the time it is solidified, it'll be mostly white.
   
   Ghee is pure fat and lasts a lifetime. I make 3 lbs at a time and it lasts a couple few weeks because I eat it as my main fat source.
   
   Hmmmm what else. If I think of anything else important I'll message again. Ask any questions you'd like. I'll go grab a pic and link it.
   
   EDIT: I realize it is more golden than mostly white, but you get the idea.

https://smile.amazon.com/Finum-Disposable-Paper-Filter-Loose/dp/B000KDW9MO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=27KSKVKYY4D0D&keywords=finum+tea+filters&qid=1569435299&s=gateway&sprefix=finum+tea%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-4

This one says it's made of paper so it should be fine. I'd mainly try to get a paper one, and if it's one of those bags with a string then make sure the string is made of cotton.

My kitchen is pretty full of various devices. Let's see:

• Asian hot water pot. I love tea, so it's nice to just hold the "dispense" button and get a mug of boiling water.
  
• Speaking of tea, skip tea bags (unless you're using these for your own tea, which you probably only need for really fine stuff like chamomile). Instead I use this tea infuser, which works great for most teas. This one isn't very good at infusing tea, but it is really cute.
  
• Prefer coffee? Get a French press; it's pretty cheap and it's way better than drop coffee. You just need a cheap coffee grinder so you can have fresh grounds.
  
• Yes, I said a cheap coffee grinder. You can upgrade to a nice burr grinder later, and that will free up your cheap blade grinder for spice duty!
  
• Asian rice cooker with fuzzy logic. I manage to burn rice on the stove, and the dumb mechanical rice cookers are no better. This thing is fantastic, and useful for more than just plain white rice. Mixed or brown rice, jambalaya, etc...
  
• Toaster oven. I end up using this a lot, either to cook small meals (pizza bites, or breakfast (two slices of bacon, two frozen fried chicken strips, two frozen biscuits, 20 minutes at 375)) or for actually toasting things (I insist on toasting hamburger and hot dog buns).
  
• Kitchen scale. I'm using a crappy spring model, but soon I intend to get a decent electronic one. Just read this article from NYT if you're not convinced of why a scale should be a must-have. I'll probably buy the scale suggested by Cooking for Engineers.
  
• Microplane grater. I just bought it, and it rocks. Citrus zest, cheese, nutmeg...
  
• Tongs. I don't know how I got by for so long without them.
  
• Cast iron skillet. It's easily my favorite pan to cook in, because I can do so much with it.
  
• Do you need a pepper grinder? Get the Unicorn 9" Magnum Black. Nevermind what it sounds like, just buy this one; don't even bother shopping around for others. It's that good.
  
• Instant-read thermometer. I don't know if I recommend the exact one I have (a $20 from Taylor, which may have already broken) but having one is essential. Now that I'm using it I'm realizing how badly I was overcooking a lot of meat and sausage.
  
• I have something like this "safe" can opener, which cuts the can open from the side rather than the top. The idea is that you're only cutting through glue, and so the blade never touches food, which is a big hazard for contamination since people rarely clean their can openers thoroughly enough. So this is great in principle, but not all cans are equal, and sometimes it just totally fails to open some cans.
  
• Kitchenaid mixer. My mom got it for me for my birthday, and I have to say it's damn good, if you mix things a lot. Does a much better job than other mixers I've used. I also got the grinder attachment, which I've been experimenting with, so that gives the kitchenaid a bit more use.
  
• Slow cooker. Shouldn't be any surprise there why it's useful.
  
• Walmart's Tramontina stainless steel pans are about as good as All-Clad, but less than half the price. (Shocking! Quality stuff from Walmart?) I just got them so they haven't seen much use (see above comment about cast iron skillet) but I can already tell how nice they are compared to the bargain stuff I was using before.

I use filter bags. Just fill with a spoonful of tea, tie off, steep, compost when done.

I usually make a pot at a time, so infusers designed for mugs are not ideal.