I have been a coffee drinker for a few years now,but recently I gave it up. I miss it, but mostly I miss the ritual, having a warm mug to hold. It was very calming to me. I am not going to be a hot choc. drinker, but I was thinking tea might be nice. Right now I love peppermint tea and I've tried other flavors, some I liked, others not. I was just wanting some basic tea info from those on the board that are tea drinkers.

What do you add to tea and which types of tea? I drink my peppermint teas just straight, but other flavors it seems like I need to add something to? Obviously this is all personal taste, but if I get pointed in the right direction I can experiment.

If I serve tea to others, what should I offer them?

Anything else I need to know to get started? I am particularly interested in green tea and other caffeinated teas. Any suggestions?

Chai tea is simply amazing. I'd highly recommend it. I'm not a fan of tea by any means but Chai is good stuff.

There is real tea with mint in it. One brand is Plantation Mint and it does have caffeine

dressclothes Wrote:
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> Chai tea is simply amazing. I'd highly recommend
> it. I'm not a fan of tea by any means but Chai is
> good stuff.

Yeah chai! Great stuff! I add some condensed milk and xylitol. Chai in India is wonderful.

Ginger tea is warming and digestive, and makes other things taste sweet after a sip.

I also like straight quality Asian green tea (not the Lipton drech). And blueberry green tea is soothing and refreshing, a really nice flavor.

Chai tea is good with foamed milk. I usually don't sweeten tea but I like to add lemon, lime, orange or mint.

I thought that was what tea tasted like. I still can't stand any Lipton tea, green, or regular even in an Arnold Palmer.

However, I really like most Earl Grey and English breakfast teas and love Chai.

And no, I'm not making that up or exaggerating.

Loose tea is the way to go, and get a strainer or tea-ball for that.

My personal faves are gold-tip Assam, or silver-tip Darjeeling. Of course, these are somewhat expensive and the novice probably wouldn't appreciate them.

A good one to see what real black tea is like would be Prince of Wales. English Breakfast can be a bit much for some beginners, but Scottish Breakfast has a nice, nutty flavor to it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2011 05:21PM by helamonster.

Once the leaves settle, you can pour it without getting too many leaves in the cup.

if you're trying to avoid caffeine by drinking herbal teas?

A bit of honey works well with most teas.
It really depends on which teas you are referring to...

Chai is spiced black tea which is made with hot milk.

The British often use milk in their tea.

Some teas are naturally sweet, others not.

it's wonderful.

I don't drink tea very often. When I do i like private selections passion fruit and papaya black tea. I don't add any thing to it. It makes a nice iced tea.

I also like Republic of Tea's peach tea. I mostly drink both of these iced in the summer.

There will be a range of good teas at the BBC Good Food Show, this week. I will be there, I hope. Anyone else?
http://thatsfoodanddrink.blogspot.com/2011/07/bbc-food-show-winter-nec-birmingham-23.html

I worked in a Japanese restaurant many years ago and the tea served there was 'popcorn tea' or Genmai cha - a Japanese green tea that contains roasted brown rice grains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genmaicha

I still drink it everyday. I love it.

It's easy to find where I live but if you have an Asian food supplier where you live, they should have it.

And Sleepytime Tea (Celestial Seasonings) is another favorite.

Non-tea hot drink --> Horlicks (not sure if that's available in the US?) It's sort of like Ovaltine.

Nothing like a mug of something warming. :-)

i highly reccommend Chamomile tea :) it's satisfying when you need something sweet. black tea is great for breakfast too.
experiment! tea is a beautiful thing :D

Or green tea is good with ginger or peppermint tea.

I use two bags in my cup.......

Sometimes I like decaf green tea in the evening.....

I never use sugar or milk. (I'm not English :)

K

Tea, is something you will have to experiment with. Although loose tea is definitely better, purchase a 'sampler' box with multiple different varieties so you can compare without major commitment. There are herb, green, and black variety boxes - some may even contain a white here or there. Each brand can be very different. My DH absolutely loves Tazo Earl Gray, but he likes most other Earl Gray's. What you put in your tea is personal preference as well: honey, sugar, artificial sweetener, milk, lemon, or nothing.
To make a great cup of tea, boil water & pour the water over the tea (bag or loose) and let it steep (brew) for the duration recommended on the packaging. (I cut a minute off as I prefer it less bitter.) You can adjust the steep time to your liking as well. Do NOT put the tea bag into the water and expect something good from it; you are just making a dye bath with minimal flavor and aroma.
I have never liked coffee, but I agree, a warm mug of something wonderful is a ritual I love. I make mine in a pot; four cups for the morning. On cold days, there is usually another pot of an herbal or decaf tea, when ill, chamomile, peppermint or other medicinal 'tea' and on hot days, iced (I put sugar in my black teas, but not the herbal). Tea is my beverage of choice. Good luck with your experimenting.

I was so excited to try tea and coffee this year as I am leaiving the church, but to me they all taste terrible and I don't get the fad.

I have settled in on my favorite beer, after trying 6-7 types. I am realizing that the big buzz over a lot of this is so hyped up because the mormon church forbids it, but the lesson I have learned is try a bunch and find the one that fits your taste.

I spent two years in Japan telling the Japanese that drinking green tea was a terrible sin.

Now I drink it religiously. Go figure.

http://hightea.com/

Tea, although an Oriental Is a gentleman at least; Cocoa is a cad and coward, Cocoa is a vulgar beast. (G.K. Chesterton)


After a few visits to places like these, you'll be ready to order your own sterling tea set, Royal Doulton china, and hire a pastry cook and parlourmaid.

Or, if the exchequer is tight, you could just try a sampler.

http://www.englishteastore.com/tea-sampler-english-favorites-loose.html

If you ever find yourself in Philadelphia or New York, you can drop me an email and go to the Palm Court at the Plaza and we can "diss" the Mormons.

Hervey Willets Wrote:
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> After a few visits to places like these, you'll be
> ready to order your own sterling tea set, Royal
> Doulton china, and hire a pastry cook and
> parlourmaid.


LOL...

Get a sample pack and try everything!

I'm fairly addicted to coffee and tea- I generally drink more of both than the average person daily.

I generally drink my coffee black, but I like to add honey to most teas. I like the Bigelow Pomegranate Green Tea with a touch of honey. Also the Celstial Seasoning Blueberry or Goji Berry Green tea with the same.

I also drink quite a bit of mate, now that I know I don't have to travel 6-8 hours to purchase the kind I prefer:
http://www.matefactor.com/ It's sold by a cult, but it's good anyway.

In the summer, I make a refreshing lemonade out of it and in the winter I like it hot with a little milk and honey.

I like mint tea as well- good for settling the stomach, especially after a spicy or heavy meal.