Tea Recommendations?

[Kelso]

Having grown up in the south, I've long believed that tea must be sweetened and iced to be worth drinking... but I'm interested in trying something new. I've never really been a fan of unsweet tea, but I've also never really attempted to branch out and try different things. Unfortunately, I don't know where to start. Chai? Green? Earl Grey?

So, I'm curious as to how all of you take your tea and what recommendations you might make.

 

[JuanBolio]

When I'm not drinking black tea with milk, which is my usual, I tend to go for a vanilla chai (also with milk) - far tastier than black, but more expensive as well. When I want it straight up I tend to prefer chinese oolong.

 

[thestrangequark]

Chai is my favorite, though it is traditionally sweetened with honey. It's good unsweetened, though. Very spicy and warm. Irish or English Breakfast teas are both nice unsweetened, and have an unoffensive flavor -- they might be a good place for you to start. You can also go for some fruity teas if you like the sweet flavor but don't want to add sugar. I love tea!

 

[Kelso]

What is the typical preparation method for these teas? I know how to brew sweet tea, but is there some fancy method required for other kinds?

Yeah, I'm pretty clueless about tea.

 

[thestrangequark]

You can use loose tea and a strainer or tea bags, either work. You just brew it as long as it takes to get it the strength you desire. Not too challenging.

This reminds me of a great fish out of water tale: my friend Sonia's uncle left his native India for the first time to visit his cousin in America, this was a few decades ago. As Sonia relates it, her uncle had never used teabags before -- a wealthy man used to the finer quality of loose tea -- and as he and her father sat down to tea at a small restaurant, her uncle tried to tear the bag open. Her father stopped him, directing him to dunk the teabag a few times in the hot water in his cup. Then, her uncle went for the packet of sugar, and, waving away his brother's protests, expertly dunked it several times in his cup before taking a drink.

 

[Kelso]

^

Okay, so, I went to the store to look for some black tea or English breakfast tea... but while I was there I noticed a variety pack. So, I decided to get that to start off with that.

It's from a company called Bigelow. The flavors include "Lemon lift"(black tea with lemon and spice), "Green Tea," "Constant Comment" (black tea with rind of oranges and sweet spice), "Earl Grey" (black tea with natural bergamot), "Plantation Mint" (Black tea with spearmint), and "English Teatime" (black tea).

Thoughts?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

For a while now I've preferred the British ritual of English or Scottish tea blends, just with water - no milk or sugar. It's not the tastiest thing in the world, but I've grown used to it, and it does keep me awake first thing in the morning.

Recently, I have become attracted to the taste of Earl Grey, though - it's got a nice aromatic quality about it. Again, without milk or sugar. (I don't really like the taste of milk in tea anymore - I feel it adds to and spoils the flavour of the tea too much.)

I now try to avoid coffee whenever I can - I don't want a repeat of that previously-documented incident a few months ago when I started getting dizzy spells, a very slow pulse, and bouts of uncontrollable laughter, following a regular Americano at Costa.

 

[CaptainStoner]

^

Okay, so, I went to the store to look for some black tea or English breakfast tea... but while I was there I noticed a variety pack. So, I decided to get that to start off with that.

It's from a company called Bigelow. The flavors include "Lemon lift"(black tea with lemon and spice), "Green Tea," "Constant Comment" (black tea with rind of oranges and sweet spice), "Earl Grey" (black tea with natural bergamot), "Plantation Mint" (Black tea with spearmint), and "English Teatime" (black tea).

Thoughts?

Any of the black teas should have enough kick for the morning fix. Green has caffeine also, though only 1/4 or so of the black. The Lemon Lift sounds good to me.

 

[Lindley]

English/Irish Breakfast/Teatime is my usual. I like the Mighty Leaf brand.

Actually, I'm brewing some right now. It's pretty easy:
1) Boil water. It must actually be boiling, not just warm like coffee makers will give you.
2) Put teabag into cup or pot first, then pour boiling water over it. Let sit to desired color, usually about 5 minutes unless you dunk it a lot. Less for single-cup brewing, but I don't do that much.
3) Pour brewed tea into cup. Leave a bit of room.
4) Add skim milk. In a pinch 1% will do, but anything more starts to distort the taste too much. Don't add too much----the tea should be approximately Caucasian skin-colored, not white.
5) Add sweetener to taste. Sugar is best, of course, but in a pinch Splenda is okay too. One packet is usually enough, two for a big travel mug.
6) Stir.
7) Sip, and add milk or sugar if necessary.

 

[Rackon]

I LOVE tea. I'm allergic to coffee and have grown to hate the taste (although the smell of it brewing is wonderful).

I take my tea black, without sugar or sweeteners of any kind - I hate sweet tea. Sometimes I brew it with loose tea in a teapot in the British manner as described above, but most times I just heat a mug of water in the micro to boiling and plop the tea bag in to suit. There are all sorts of little acroutements you can acquire for the ritual tea making...or you can just do it simple.

My favorite is Earl Grey, so aromatic...and I've had Engish breakfast teas in the mornings forever - a friend from Yorkshire sent a HUGE box of it. The variety packs are a good way to try a few. There are also lots of herb teas - Sleepytime for evening...rose hips makes a nice healthy tea. And then there are teas shops with acres of choices and blends. have fun and explore. Give your palae awhile to get used to the taste of the various teas. Try them all first without sweetener.

BTW, black tea has beneficial anti-oxidants as well as green tea. But if you put milk or dairy in any tea, it looses the benefits.

 

[TheBrew]

Try an Arnold Palmer.

 

[Kelso]

My favorite is Earl Grey, so aromatic...

I'm drinking some Earl Grey right now. It's... different.

It's pretty good, actually, I just need to get used to it. Should I be drinking this at bedtime?

 

[thestrangequark]

^It's not got as much caffeine as coffee, but black tea, like Earl Grey, is pretty caffeinated! Don't drink another cup! Stick with herbal bed-time teas in the late hours.

 

[RoJoHen]

I've been drinking a lot of green tea lately, and I've noticed my overall health improving as a result.

 

[Sephiroth]

Tea, Oolong, Hot

 

[Data Holmes]

I love tea. I found that the more tea I drank, the less crap I wanted to drink. (note by crap I'm referencing soda, sport drinks, and anything with HFCS in it)

I drink loads of the stuff, brewed both loose leaf in a press pot when I've got all day (read an hour or so) to drink it with proper tea cups, and in bags in mugs.

I run the gambit, though I tend to have Earl Grey as my base tea. All in all I've got something on the order of 20 different types of tea, most in bags, in my tea cabinet.

I drink it like my grandfather, straight. Though sometimes I will add some Lemon.

There are amazing health benefits to drinking tea, Kelso, so stick with it.

Try an Arnold Palmer.

His bottled stuff is loaded with HFCS, so I'd stay away from it, but his concept stands. A 50/50 mix of tea and lemonade served chilled on ice on a hot summer day is great.

^It's not got as much caffeine as coffee, but black tea, like Earl Grey, is pretty caffeinated! Don't drink another cup! Stick with herbal bed-time teas in the late hours.

You act as if it will keep him up all night. Sure at first that may be the case, first day or so you drink it, but after a while it shouldn't have such an effect. At least it didn't on me. I can drink an entire pot before bed and sleep like a baby, I'm sure individual results will vary.

 

[Maestro]

I like Earl Grey or PG Tips. But I prefer them with a packet of Equal per cup. I also like Bigelow's Green Tea, but just straight brewed, no sweetener.

 

[Data Holmes]

Equal... Yuck. I can't understand how anyone actually likes any of those artificial sweeteners. They all taste bad.

 

[JustKate]

Honest to God, my favorite is Earl Grey (hot - or iced ). I like it plain - no sugar, no milk, no nuthin'. That is what I drink 95 percent of the time. Sometimes when I'm in the mood for something more basic, I'll go for English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast. I have had them with a bit of milk, which is nice, but usually I drink them plain, too - or maybe with a bit of honey.

 

[Lindley]

I run the gambit

[Editor thread]The phrase is "run the gamut".[/Editor thread]

Equal... Yuck. I can't understand how anyone actually likes any of those artificial sweeteners. They all taste bad.

Sugar is better, but if you must go with one of the sweeteners....

Pink = Aweful
Blue = Meh
Yellow = Actually okay, once you're used to it.