Into TEA?

[msparks]

Hey anyone really into Tea's and such?

I'm trying to get off of soda's completely, really it's been easy I haven't bought soda in at least a few weeks. I might have some when I'm out at a fast food resturant but that's it.

Anyhow, I was getting tired of drinking water, milk, coffee, and V-8 juice.

So I went and bought some Tea bags and have been making Tea for the last few days. It's really good, well sort of.

First box of tea I bought was lipton. That stuff is aweful. I had to give it away it was so bad.

Next I bought some Kroger brand "Orange Pekoe" tea and it's pretty good.

Now I'm looking at trying some different "loose" teas to see how they are.

I got a sample bag from my coffee supplier that is an english breakfast tea that I plan to trying.

I have been making my tea with my french press and boiling water. I only use filtered water to make the teas.

So far I will make a pot and then put some into a glass container and let it cool then put it in the fridge to make "iced" tea.

When I drink hot tea it seems like I need to put sugar in it. But when it's cold, it's tastes just fine "iced" with no sugar at all.

Anyhow, I believe the health benefits of tea and it's a very lost cost drink when compared to soda's and other beverages.

 

[tom slick]

I drink alot of tea. if you want a stronger flavored tea try an irish breakfast or earl grey.

 

[moribundman]

I'm a staunch Assam, Darjeeling and Irish breakfast tea guy. I don't like all black teas, though. For example I avoid Orange Pekoe. I also don't care for flavored tea like Earl Grey. Bergamot is an insect repellent, for crying out loud. I take my black tea plain or with sugar and milk. I loathe lemon in tea. My iced tea must be made from black tea, unsweetened and without lemon. I do like green tea and kukicha, but I don't care for Oolong. I refuse to call herbal brews from other plants "tea."

PS: What on Earth are "tea's" and "soda's"? Are they like coffee's and beer's?

 

[Shannow]

I like green tea generally, and have switched my black to decaf. Also drink some of those dandelion coffee substitutes.

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
I also don't care for flavored tea like Earl Grey. Bergamot is an insect repellent, for crying out loud.

---

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[sprintman]

Russian Caravan, Orange Pekoe, China Black, English/Irish Breakfast, Yunan, Ceylon Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling and well just to many to list. Still Yorkshire Gold is by far the best we have tried. Famed American author Bill Bryson called tea "a mildly flavoursome beverage' in his famous Notes From a Small Island (if you havn't read it make it your next read).

 

[MarkC]

Mori, you drink twig tea? Yummy.
I prefer green tea to black, mostly. Plain old bancha is fine for me, though the jasmine scented Chinese green tea like they serve in restaurants is fine too.
This is good tea, though not cheap....

http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/

 

[alreadygone]

Luzianne. Boiled HARD and cooled before over ice. Sweet or unsweet.

Bob

 

[Pablo]

mssparks - send me your address. When I get a chance I'll drop you a baggie of green in the mail. I bought this in China when I used to bring a kilo plus home each trip. Long jin - dragon well - green tea. My favorite. This stuff will KICK YOUR ARSHE - and you will become a caffeine addict (ask me how I know). Price some out in the states. Pretty expensive. You can drink it hot or cold, but this is a tea that you don't add anything. (Maybe a little honey)

Anyhow - I've had many teas over the years. Trust me, it's a personal taste thing. Drink what you like, even if it contains noxious weeds. Sometimes I even like double bergamot Earl Grey.

 

[Matt_S]

I've gotten into herbal teas lately, especially when I'm drinking tea in the afternoon or evening. I've switched from coffee to green tea in the morning. I like the flavored green teas as well, such as green tea with peach or mango.

As far as herbal flavors go, I haven't tried one yet that I don't like. I mostly buy Bigelow brand teas just because they tend to be cheapest. I've tried Orange Spice, Cranberry Apple, Sweet Dreams, Mint, Cinnamon Apple and several others I can't name.

 

[Brett Miller]

Bigelow Lemon Lift and Twinings Lady Grey are my staples.

 

[Gurkha]

Darjeeling Ambootia Champagne and Oolong, truly the finest examples of tea, one black and one green respectively, even a die hard coffee man like myself indulge in these two from time to time. Darjeeling has many more finer examples but you have to know someone there to procure them.

 

[msparks]

Well bought a new glass carafe to hold my brewed tea in.

I have one of those 1.7L water boiling things. I use it to make my coffe with (I use a french press for coffee.) So it works great for the tea as well. Made a batch tonight to have in the morning. I'm pretty sure your supposed to drink brewed tea pretty quickly so I will try to keep it going where I only make what I consume in a day.

Anyhow. I'm getting ready to order some loose tea and will use it in the french press.

My favorite coffee place: http://www.coffeebeandirect.com/
now carries quality teas in loose bulk. So I"m going to give it a try and see. 2 lbs for about $14 doesn't sound too bad. I'm sure 2lbs of tea will make a lot of tea? I don't know will see.

 

[Pablo]

Yes 2 #'s is huge. I can relate to 2.2#'s (kilo)

 

[JHZR2]

look at the options at choice organic teas... I really like the jasmine green tea, and it makes a killer sweet tea as well. For hot tea, I like making a gunpowder green tea the best, I think.

JMH

 

[Pete C.]

Try these folks, the wife gets all her tea from there and a friend in Australia.

http://www.harney.com/

 

[sprintman]

Luckily we can just drop into the Tea Centre in the Canberra Centre for just about any tea you can imagine (185 blends)

http://www.theteacentre.com.au/

Top 15 sellers are:

Assam Dhelakat T.G.F.O.P

A fine neat large leaf exhibiting a subtle bitter, fruity aroma & flavour.


Ceylon Battalgalla O.P. (Nuwara Eliya District)

This fine leaf produces a light & aromatic tea.


Chai

Black tea with cinnamon, cardamon, ginger & rose petals.

Chai is from Northen India/Kashmir.
This tea is brewed with 50% water 50% milk

Pour tea (1 teaspoon per cup)into saucepan, add milk & water, bring to boil, serve in tall glass with sugar.


China Lung Ching (Dragonswell)

Flat green leaves with a lasting aroma and delicate but astringent taste.


Cream

Black tea with vanilla & caramel.


Earl Grey Blue Flowers

Black tea with bergamot, cornflowers & malve blossoms. Makes a fuller Earl grey flavour


English Breakfast

A finely balanced blend of teas from India & Sri Lanka, good strong flavour.


Ginger Kiss (Organic)

Ginger roots, rosella & lemongrass.


Japanese Lime

Green tea with lime, lemon pieces & daisy flowers.


Japanese Sencha

Strong, grassy flavour comes about after brewing these cut leaves.


Red Fruits

Hibiscus, apple, rosehip, raspberry, strawberry & cherry pieces.


Ritz Carlton Blend

Black tea with caramel, vanilla, apricot, cornflowers & calendula blossoms.


Stockholm Blend

Black tea with orange peel, vanilla pieces, apricot flavour, safflowers, calendula blossoms, rose petals.

Stockholm is where this tea was first blended, and it is now one of the most popular teas in Sweden.
(Söderblandning)


Sydney Special Blend

Black & green tea with mango, jasmine flowers, rose flowers & sunflower blossoms.


Vanilla


Black tea with vanilla bean pieces.

 

[Gurkha]

WOW!!!!!!! No Darjeeling, I am truly amazed.

 

[MarkC]

Oolong is not actually a green tea, but rather occupies a no-man's land in between black and green.

 

[sprintman]

We are going there today (for the first time) as we will be in Civic to see Michael Apteds 49 Up at the movies. Older people may remember this ground breaking British series which started with 7 Up about a group of kids looked at every seven years to se how they were going. We thought 42 Up would be the last but amazed to find 49 Up on in town. Very off topic I know.

 

[msparks]

Well I made a brew of the loose English breakfast tea. I used 4 rounded teaspoons for a 1 liter of water.

It seemed kind of weak, I don't know I thought it would be 1 teaspoon for 1 cup of tea (8 oz) so I might try 5 scoops next time.

It did have more aroma than the bagged stuff.