The Lazy Cook

Not about cooking this time - but about tea and coffee.  I like both and am always on the lookout for something different.  If you've read any of the "No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" books you will have heard of redbush tea, but have you ever tried it?  What I've come across which I really like is Tetley's redbush and vanilla - the vanilla gives it a nice smoothness.  Then when we were on holiday on the Gower - of all places - I came across chai.  This is an Indian spiced tea and really delicious. Twinings do it.  What I like to do is combine the two - a teabag of redbush and vanilla, one of chai and a sweetener - I don't usually take sugar or sweeteners in my drink, but this I think really needs it.  My daughter-in-law who I think I have mentioned before is of Indian descent says I must really use demerera sugar, so I'm going to try that.  So - coffee.  I'm a sucker for the sachet coffees which you see all over supermarket shelves these days, but what I have found infuriating is that more often than not as you pour the water in, they "clump" leaving you with unappetising lumps which you need to fish out before drinking.  It is in fact the powdered milk that tends to cause the problem.  But I have found a solution - no guarantees, but it works more often than not.  First make sure your water is hot but NOT boiling and then pour just a little water into the cup with the contents of the sachet and mix to a smooth paste, then pour the rest of the water in, stirring all the while.  So there you are.