Enjoying a cup of tea

[ProperRogue]

The java has been a fabulous wealth of information, but I am wondering if there are any more tea drinkers out there? I enjoy both, but am beginning to drink more tea and less coffee. I have a number of personal favorites, depending upon the time of day and the mood I am in including Irish breakfast and Scottish Breakfast, and some Assams and Ceylons. I also like Earl Grey if it is made with real oil of bergamont.

As for purveyors of tea, I tend I enjoy the teas from Harney and Sons, Rishi, Numi and from the Republic of Tea. If nothing else, the whole story and concept around the Republic of Tea is awesome! I also enjoy Mighty Leaf teas and on some days a cup of Lipton hits the spot if for no other reason. I know there are a number of other teas that I have had in my travels, I just can't keep track of all of them.

I just enjoy the whole concept and culture around tea...slowing down to brew and enjoy a cup of hot tea in this fast paced world. I do tend to use bags for their convience, but I do have a number of loose teas, some tea spoons, some tea balls, and an infuser to make tea. I also have a couple of vintage Japanese cast iron tea pots that make a great cup of green tea.

Any others out there who enjoy this wonderful beverage?

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Darjeeling. Strong. I used to be on ten cups a day. I escaped the habit by leaving Blighty.

These days i've cut down to a couple of cups a day. Earl Grey and Lapsang Suchong. I've yet to find a cheap, right-on source for high quality darjeeling in Indiana.

bk

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I have recently switched from Coffee to more tea...mmm tea

I get most of mine from adagio.com which has good tea, reasonable customer service etc....the nice thing is that they have sample sizes (which make quite a bit of tea) so you can be sure you like them before you stock up.


I am partial to Russian caravan teas myself.....

 

[BellyTank]

Rosie-Lee

I'm Tea-addicted...
I get mine straight from India- blend my own and make my own Earl Grey.

:cheers1:

B
T

 

[LaMedicine]

Oooh, my cup of tea!!:clap
I enjoy Indian and Ceylon tea, (well, British?), Chinese tea, and of course Japanese green tea!
Assam and Uva are my favorites, I have been thru so many brands, too many to remember accurately, so I can't say which is what, manufacturer wise.
I used to know a Taiwanese who'd often bring me a packet of the best quality oolong tea and jasmine tea, both were so fragrant and tasty compared to those carried in the average food store here. Since she's gone back to Taiwan for good, I can't get them any more.:cry:
As for Japanese green tea, there's actually a great variety, both tree-wise and district-wise, and how they are treated after harvesting. Some are mild, others are stronger, or more bitter (especially the powdered tea used in tea ceremonies), and I prefer the milder ones.

Anyway, I will never pass a good cup of tea, and will always share a good pot with you all!

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Oh how I love tea. I have Crohn's disease, wich can cause some stomach pain, so tea is very soothing. I'm partial to Kombucha by Yogi Tea, it's very sweet. I also like PG tips from India, and sometimes nothing beats a steaming hot cup of Peppermint Tea. I actually bought some very nice Earl Grey last year on the QM, I'm almost out, guess I'll have to get back there to buy some more.

 

[jamespowers]

I came to this one late. Everyone has hit just about all of mine so far.
LaMedicine, I know what you mean about Oolong straight from the source. It is one of my favorites along with Earl Grey, Chamomile, Darjeling and a special tea brought back to me from China that consists of small buds of roses. Very interesting scent and flavor.

Regards to all,

J

 

[LaMedicine]

I'm partial to Kombucha by Yogi Tea, it's very sweet.

Kombucha, if it's the real thing, is actually not tea in the true sense, since it is made from powdered dried kelp, not tea leaves. Some types have powdered green tea mixed into it, but the sweetness comes from the kelp, strange as it may seem.

 

[vespasian]

Being a Brit, its something of a right of passage that you have to have at some point in your life, your Gran make a pot of tea and strain it into your cup. The tea doesnt matter, its the ritual and the company. Same as coffee, "do you want a cup of coffee?" has very little to do with the coffee in the UK. It has always been an accompanyment to "having a good natter" (ie. a talk).

It does make me laugh when I see adverts for Yorkshire Tea. We dont have any plantations so where does Yorkshire tea come from. What it actually is, is Yorkshire people were brought up on very strong tea from cities like Hull and Grimsby, Whitby, Liverpool and the like where some of the tea clippers put in. So my advice is:

Dont worry about the tea itself too much as long as you like the taste.
Get a nice set of cups and saucers, some plain biscuits that can take a dipping and Rich Tea are certainly whimps when it comes to dunking. (Hob Nobs, as Peter Kay says, are the Marines of the Biscuit world and can drink all your brew before they break up in it.)
Pick a nice place to have the tea.
Have a decent newspaper if enjoying alone.
Hide the newspaper if doing it in company.
Dont boil and brew until company has arrived.
It doesnt matter if you put milk first or not.
Then have a "cal", "natter" "chat" etc.

Finally: its not the tea, but the chatter.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

Kombucha, if it's the real thing, is actually not tea in the true sense, since it is made from powdered dried kelp, not tea leaves. Some types have powdered green tea mixed into it, but the sweetness comes from the kelp, strange as it may seem.

Hey, that is good to know, thank you LaMedicine. It is such a strange thing that Kelp is what makes it taste so good. I do know the kind I buy is mixed with green tea, so that might help. And it's probably really sweet because of the lumps of sugar I add. I might be wrong here, but isn't kelp supposedly benificial to the GI tract? I remember reading somewhere that kelp and other leaves from the sea can be soothing to people with GI pain, if they are given in the form of tea, not eaten.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I have recently switched from Coffee to more tea...mmm tea

I get most of mine from adagio.com which has good tea, reasonable customer service etc....the nice thing is that they have sample sizes (which make quite a bit of tea) so you can be sure you like them before you stock up.


I am partial to Russian caravan teas myself.....

Wow, what a great website! Thanks for posting that. I usually have to go to a number of specialty shops to get some of the teas that I like. Although Yogi is sold in the small market next to my apartment. As for jasmine and oooolong, I have tried a lot, yet haven't found one that I'm gaga over. Well this site is wonderful, I'm going to order from them, and try some of the interesting ones that I have never had. The one tea I have trouble finding is wintergreen. I have no problem finding peppermint, but a good wintergreen is so hard to find.
Thanks again for the site,
Daisy

 

[BellyTank]

Kombucha-

The real Kombucha (drink) actually comes from a fungus (the culture of which can be obtained from the Kombucha community)which is grown in a solution of tea and sugar- I used to make it and drink the result. It's supposed to be healthy and contains all kinds of great stuff, including E.coli...(?)

The fungus is really ugly and looks like a large slimy pancake... eucch!

And the drink is kind of like vinegar with sugar in it.

Lovely- :cheers1:

B
T

 

[Burma Shave]

Baron Kurtz,...

...I'm with you on the Lapsang Souchong. I used to work in a coffee and tea shop and got addicted to both, but a serious case of acid reflux left me unable to indulge my predilection for massive quantities of coffee. Now I have only one cup of coffee per day, and about eight cups of tea. My favorite is the Lapsang Souchong, most days, and the best I've found is packaged by Mark T. Wendell, an importer in Concord, Massachusetts.

I read recently (somewhere) that Winston Churchill's preferred beverage was a cup of Lapsang Souchong with a slug of Islay Scotch, such as Laphroig. Now, Laphroig is among my favorite scotches, so I tried the suggestion. I am sorry to report that, in my opinion, Churchill had strange tastes. Combining the two drowns out the tea with the scotch flavor, and waters down the scotch entirely too much with tea. Better to enjoy the tea, wait a little while, and then enjoy the whisky.

I've had a couple of other "Mark T. Wendell" branded teas, including a Scottish Breakfast, and they are uniformally excellent. I found them at Old Town Coffee, Tea and Spice in Alexandria, VA, but recently moved to South Carolina. I guess I'll need to get a different source,now.

 

[shindeco]

I've been a "tea-granny" for years and I'm only getting worse with age. we have an entire shelf in the pantry devoted to tea (just tea; not herbal teas, either). Ceylon (Kennilworth) for breakfast. After that, depends what I feel like. Oolong from Taiwan is amazing. When we went last summer we went to the tea museum in Pinglin. We took the local bus and you drive up and down the mountains and can see the tea fields. It was a fantastic experience.

 

[Mycroft]

Tea is the opium of the masses-James Bond

I like a spot or bit of tea, but not alot. My favorites are Earl Grey and the kind you get in Chinise Resterants served with a helpful scoop of good company.

 

[MK]

.

I have been drinking tea most of my life.....but I know very little about the subject.

I first came to love the drink from Chinese restaurants when I was a kid, they in 1971 during my first trip to London.

I have grown found of Typhoo. I have no idea if it is considered good or not....but it works for me.

 

[whistlebait]

MK, I think Typhoo is British but may be wrong.
I tend to just drink iced tea but have tried various hot teas. I don't know why but I can never make a cup of darjeeling right, as it always comes out bitter.

 

[macawber]

I really like Lapsang Souchong (Russian Caravan tea) also, but my favourite was some tea I had whilst in Darjeeling India at a wonderful old hotel I stayed at called the Windamere. The hotel was a relic of the Raj and preserved the traditions of the past; one of my favourite Indian travel experiences. I brought a few packets of this tea home with me, and everyone it was served to loved it. Unfortunately it ran out and I believe it was a blend and a secret of the Windamere.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

The real Kombucha (drink) actually comes from a fungus (the culture of which can be obtained from the Kombucha community)which is grown in a solution of tea and sugar- I used to make it and drink the result. It's supposed to be healthy and contains all kinds of great stuff, including E.coli...(?)

The fungus is really ugly and looks like a large slimy pancake... eucch!

And the drink is kind of like vinegar with sugar in it.

Lovely- :cheers1:

B
T

Fungus, yum! I think I might go grab a cup right now. I actually have a friend who is a microbiologist, and she is studying how the introduction of fungus and live active bacterias can be beneficial to the GI and immune system. I have an auto-immune disease, in which my body breaks down not only bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria that helps digestion. This causes an intense inflammatory response. But anyway, introducing this "fungus" and live active bacteria can lessen the inflammation, hence the reason why I love tea.

 

[CasaBlancaChuck]

Okay, you've inspired me to go to the kitchen and brew up a cup...but wait, what do you like with your tea...honey, sugar, milk, cream...or, without any complications? Does it depend on the tea and the preference of the imbiber? My Scottish grandparents always added cream and sugar which made tea enjoyable to me, even as a child. Does tea have a "shelf life"? Should it be stored in a moist environment to prevent dry out? I've brewed bone dry tea with no apparent ill effect.