My tea habits probably won't be of use to you as I don't like sweet things, but you said you wanted to know anyway so...
I drink about five cups of hot green tea a day. There's really no reason not to drink hot tea, even in hot weather. Try it, it actually cools you down. I don't know why but it does. If I'm on the move though I drink those little cans of cold green tea you get from Asian grocers and sushi places. In the mornings when I get up I drink a strong black tea with a little dash of milk.
I also drink one cup of black-no-sugar coffee a day, right after I get to work in the morning. But I'm definitely more of a tea drinker. On the rare occasions I don't feel like caffeine I drink rooibos with milk. Rooibos is the only tea I put sugar in, I find the flavours go together well. I can't take sweet things generally, I am a bitter/sour taste person. I also like Celestial Seasonings honey lemon ginseng, Twinings lapsang souchong (which is like drinking woodsmoke) and I once went to a Russian-style cafe and they gave me Twinings Russian Caravan with milk and strawberry jam to sweeten it. I recommmend it if you like sweet tea. Also chai is good if you like sweet.
Heh, I sound like a wierd eccentric with that list...
What green tea brands do you prefer? One of my coworkers is interested in the results of my taste testing as he really wants a good green tea, but can't find one that he genuinely likes the taste of as of yet (though Pierce’s suggestions might work).
My favorite is Sichuan and Fujian Wulong tea. The best are picked in April and May and are pretty pricey even here in China. I just payed 35 USD for 250g, and I live here. The REALLY good stuff is AWESOME. If you can find a good Chinese tea vendor maybe you can get them to give you a tasting, that's what I did. It's just too expensive to go out and buy a little bit of each.
I also love Indian Masala (spiced) Chai - I worked as a bartender in a curry house while putting myself through school and their recipe was awesome. The waitresses were hot, too. I shall ever have a weakness for hot chicks in saris. So if you are looking, and I suggest you do, there are recipes for Chai all over the net, as you probably already know.... Sigh, I haven't had any for a few years though, and I have never found tea as good as the brand I mixed when I was bartending - grrrrr, too bad I can't remember the tea brand name and the exact recipe.
I'm not sure if the brands that are common in Australia are also common in the US. I've tried a few brands of green and the ones I usually buy are Madura and Dilmah. The Dilmah (from Sri lanka) looks a bit yellow in the cup if you leave it for too long, but it isn't bitter like many greens I've tried. Madura I think is grown in Australia so you might not be able to get it, but it's well-priced and lacks the acidic chemical taste that most green tea seems to have. Plus the water actually turns green when you add it, which is always a bonus ;) Most of 'em seem to go yellow or brown.
Madura I think is grown in Australia so you might not be able to get it, but it's well-priced and lacks the acidic chemical taste that most green tea seems to have.
Yah, around here you need to buy the good stuff or you get that flavor. When they pick it is really important.
Hmm, ok. Earl Grey is...odd. I certainly don't "not" like it, but I'm not sure if I like it yet. I think I will have to try a few other brands first (this one is Bigelow) to be sure. It's definitely drinkable.
On the other hand, Morning Thunder is…well, it’s not tipping the “vile” scale, but it’s not good. Smells burnt, tastes unpleasant.
Authentic green is a little weak, Antioxidant green is good, Decaf Mandarin Orchard Green is fantastic! Very pleasant fragrance, nice citrus taste, very little aftertaste. The only real drawback is the greens seem to be a single cup per bag, but that’s livable considering just how good the new one is.
Marcy (my wife) likes the “Fast Lane” as well, but she gets “real” chatty after a cup (which isn’t bad, but it’s hard to keep pace).
I I can't drink much of anything that isn't caffeinated though. I'm good and thoroughly addicted, to the point of developing tear-inducing migraines if I try to go more than 8 hours without a cup of coffee or a soda. I kinda wish I could 'un-addict' myself without enduring the days upon days of mind-numbing pain, but I tried that once already and couldn't handle it. On top of that, I'm allergic to aspirin and ibuprofen so I can't even use painkillers to get me through the rough spots. I can take Tylenol (acetominophen) but it isn't nearly potent enough to stop the kind of pain I'm talking about. Maybe if I could get some codeine or vicodin...
Yes, I know this route, just ask Daigle. If you want to un-addict yourself, start brewing a mix of regular and de-caf coffee for awhile, then switch to straight de-caf, there is still enough caffiene in it to fool your sytem. Always make sure you carry around some dark chocolate, as it helps the headaches to a degree, Tylenol won't touch a caffiene headache, actually, ibuprofen really doesn't make a dent either. I have fallen off the wagon since starting college, I need my coffee, but I can quit anytime I want to, really, I can...really. ;)
...I need my coffee, but I can quit anytime I want to, really, I can...really. ;)
...she says as her hands shake, reaching for that first cup in the morning. ;)
My favourite tea of all time is a rose green tea. Divine, although if you're not fond of rose candies you probably won't like this. Like most green teas, reusing the bag makes it a little weak. And in this tea's case, if you leave the bag in for too long, the floral aroma gets a bit heady. My brand is Tradition, which I get at a local asian market. The packaging is mostly in chinese, but labeled in english, for some reason I can't fathom. (Oh well, it works in my favour!) They also make a similar lavender tea which is pleasantly soothing.
Aside from that, all of my favourites are black teas. Before discovering the rose green, my big-time favourite was Bigelow's Lemon Lift tea. The lemon isn't overpowering, but still pleasantly tart. Unfortuanately, my other favorite is a brand I can't really reccomend, as it's not available on a large scale - I buy it at Ye Olde Herb Shoppe at my local Renaissance Festival each year (if you live in the Cincinnati area, you can get some, though). In any case, it's a blackberry-flavoured black tea. Quite sweet, but without taking away from the black tea flavours.
If you're having trouble with the Earl Grey, try adding milk and sweetener - don't be stingy! I don't like milk or sweetener in almost any tea at all, but for some reason I tried it once in Earl Grey and was immediately hooked!
One last thing, and then I'll be done, I swear! When I went out today, I happened across lapsang souchong, of all things! It smells like a campfire and I can't wait to try it!
My favourite tea of all time is a rose green tea. Divine, although if you're not fond of rose candies you probably won't like this.
That sounds fantastic! I saw rose candy at a "World Market" store this weekend; almost bought them (but my arms were full of gnocchi, cane soda, and marmite at the time).
my big-time favourite was Bigelow's Lemon Lift tea.
I tried "Lemon Lift" on Thursday night at work (it was in my Bigelow sampler). Did not care for it at all, though I'm hard pressed to say what I didn't like about it. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
I buy it at Ye Olde Herb Shoppe at my local Renaissance Festival each year
Yar! Ours runs through Sept. 30th. I know where I'm going next weekend now, thanks. ;)
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Let's see now. This weekend I've also tried:
Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Gardens (which I did not care for, too...something...weak and bitter, I think).
Twinning's Darjeeling (I really liked it, black) both with and without milk (first time ever adding milk to tea, and I won't be doing that again real soon).
Decaf Green Tea (good, but needed a little honey or a vitamin C drop).
Lady Grey (also by Twinning’s; liked it immediately).
Constant Comment (from my Bigelow sampler) which I am drinking now (fantastic tea, I'll be buying a box of this).
Vanilla Apple White (by Celestial Seasonings), which is subtle, but very enjoyable.
Brought another "Plantation Mint" with me to work. Wow did that ever make the I-94 construction drive better, hah!
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Tomorrow I think I'll give "English Breakfast" a go, as well as a few more of the Green varieties. Dropped my Diet Coke intake by about a third, without reducing caffeine intake, so I'm pleased.
My only real problems now are that Celestial Seasonings tea bags are annoying to travel with in singles, and I have no idea what to do with the tea types I don't like (potpourri?).
Remember Opus? He's back! In tea form!
"I like coffee, you know? I drink coffee." But I did want to let you know that no Simpsons reference is wasted.
Tea. Big topic.
Twinnings, as mentioned, is a very good introductory tea. If you want to go to the other end of the spectrum Upton Tea Imports
Upton has some of the best tea you'll ever put in your cup. I recommend getting yourself one of their samplers, like their Iced Tea Sampler, Assam Sampler, and British Blend Sampler
Excellent, I was dubious since the supermarket 'upton' teabags here in wisconsin are crap but I ordered their loose 'finest earl grey' and it was not expensive and very very good to drink, thank you sir!
A question about Oolong tea(s).
I've never tasted any kind of Oolong tea and was wondering if there's anything it could be compared to (or a description in general of the taste).
Also, Oolong is now being touted as the "new" healthy and slimming tea, anyone have any kind of experience with that (apart from the general large amount of antioxidants found in most kinds of tea)?
Well, I am a tea person though I do drink coffee from time to time; at any given time I have about 30 different teas around the house, but then that is probably not a surprise to any of you.
Like Lilith says; Throat Coat is a good teas when that ails you; Gypsy Cold Care is good when I have the flu; not all teas help all people the same so you have to try them out; when the stomach is irateable then Ginger tea is really good, but otherwise I dont like it; is weird that way. But I assume you are more into teas by taste at this point rather than by curative or preventive measures.
some of my favorites:
Orange Spice; this come loose or in bags; you can get with or without caffine; I like it with lemon and honey or plain.
Jasmine tea; just great stuff
Chamomile; nice late night tea and really good with some types of cookies :)
oops; gotta go; more later.
Wulong or Oolong:
Personally, I wouldn't really call it fruity, I find the idea of a fruity flavor to be impossible because all fruit tastes differently. And Lord, describing flavor without referring to flavor is really hard, so I certainly can't do better than the above. But I will say that there is a pleasant sort a grassiness (imagine the smell as a taste) to Wulong tea, and it falls somewhere half way between the unoxidized green teas (which most people have tried) and stronger black teas (everyone has tried it) in terms of mildness.
The Chinese say it is tremendously beneficial to your health, although they say that about a good many things, and we are talking about a country with a herbal pharmacy on every street corner.
For people really interested in tea, the whole tea culture is fascinating. I was served tea in Japan in a traditional ceremony in 1985, and have had an abnormal interest in it since then. The Chinese, it turns out, also have rituals for serving tea, although they are more concerned with the procedure for properly brewing it than having a silent and obedient woman go through excruciating rituals which are not all related to bringing out the best flavor, as I observed in Japan.
I really enjoy the taste of Oolong teas. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's not as weak as green, or as strong as black, but a nice mixture of both (because that's pretty much what it is...).
Unfortunately, I've been restricting myself to antioxidant green last few days, due to a serious case of hives for three days. I've narrowed it down to three suspicious items, one of which is Constant Comment.
my favorite green tea is Green Tea, Triple Echinacea a Yogi Tea made with echinacea root which has many healthy ingrediants; the tea bag itself smells wonderful and the taste is great; I like it with just a hint of lemon and a hint of honey.
If you like spicy teas as many do in the morning; my favorite is Sweet and Spicy Herb Tea; from Good Earth; this tea is very good hot or cold
sometimes; when I craze citrus; I have Lemon Zinger and add a lot of lemon juice and some honey. If you dont have lemon you can add a bit of lemon grass to enhance the lemon flavor instead.
Peach tea is good for iced tea; is just so so hot.
Purchase the Bigelow Sample box. Numerous flavored teas.
Fill gallon jug with cold water. 2 lipton teabags, and 2 of any of the flavored ones. Leave in sun all day.
Try each flavor, pic the ones you like.
I drink unsweetened tea like, well water. LOL
Oiy. It would seem that Tension Tamer also contains the thing I am now allergic too. Beauty. That'll teach me not to read labels, ha!
Oh well. The good news is, I have new favorites:
Celestial Seasonings Blueberry breeze
Tazo Zen (link won't quite get you there, site is all flash based)
Twinings Lady Grey
(although I see they make a green earl grey, which I can't wait to try)
Bigelow Plantation Mint (can't say enough good things about this stuff)
I think my next purchase will be the Rose and Lotus teas, and well, anything else I can get my hands on. :)
Ya know, to add flavor to a D&D game you could make 'potions' herbal teas.
Twinings Lady Grey
(although I see they make a green earl grey, which I can't wait to try)
Indeed they do! I purchased it a little while ago and I'm smitten!
Yum yum.
This is just so darn odd I had to resurrect this thread.