How do you drink your tea?

[Samovar]

I drink my tea straight. I prefer loose leaf tea, but I don't have this luxury at school. I use the hot water dispenser from the coffee machine and drink from my nice Bodum mug. Beware, the mug will explode if a student runs into you and the cup falls on a hard surface

Lately, I been drinking a lot of Japanese green tea

 

[Rhino]

I like my Twinnings Earl Grey or Yorkshire Gold straight-up! Yum, yum!

 

[Stubbles]

I prefer:

• black teas with just skim milk. The lactose is sweet enough & full cream varieties swamp any subtlety of the tea IMO.

• 
  green tea bags with a sprinkle of mint because that finely chopped leaf found in tea bags leaches a lot of "intense"* flavour. I occasionally use nutmeg or cinnamon or fresh lemon verbena.

• 
  green leaf to be left steeping overnight in the fridge. This is one of the simplest, most refreshing beverages I've ever had . It's surprising mild & I will just add another 1-2 teaspoonsful of leaves to the same leaves the next night, cleaning out the pot after 48-72 hours.

*let me be honest here: I find it nasty but it's synergy with caffeine is great pre-workout.

 

[frotzed]

I'm looking to get into some whole leaf tea drinking. I hear it's head and shoulders above bagged teas. Does anyone know of a reputable dealer online to purchase whole leaf tea from?

 

[kongjie]

There are lots of tea dealers, and lots of places nowadays to buy loose tea locally.

http://www.redblossomtea.com is a local San Francisco place that has some nice teas. Depends on your budget, though.

 

[Rhino]

I'm looking to get into some whole leaf tea drinking. I hear it's head and shoulders above bagged teas. Does anyone know of a reputable dealer online to purchase whole leaf tea from?

This is who I use for my Yorkshire purchases. I've ordered from them twice and had nothing but great service.

http://www.britishdelights.com/

 

[expatCanuck]

I'm looking to get into some whole leaf tea drinking. I hear it's head and shoulders above bagged teas. Does anyone know of a reputable dealer online to purchase whole leaf tea from?

Ben -

Hi. Richard the tea freak here. I typically have white, Chinese green, oolong and black tea on hand. Real thing only tho' -- none of that nasty flavored nonsense (with the exception of some flavored Rooibos that's cut with (mostly) orange, cinnamon & clove).

You hear right. Whole leaf tea is the real McCoy. The bitterness you may have tasted from tea bags in the past -- that's tannin, which comes from the exposed edges of cut leaf. The 'product' in tea bags is typically tea dust or 'fannings' (the industry term). Brewed for more than 90-120 seconds, you have a nasty, tannic (bitter acidic) drink. In contrast, I can forget about a good leaf, and come back 15 minutes or more later, and while the tea will be strong and perhaps somewhat bitter, it'll likely still be quite flavorful and palatable. Of course, if I get the brew just right (1 - 4.5 minutes, depending on the leaf), it's a drink fit for Royalty (and the second most consumed beverage on the planet, second only to water).

Three vendors come to mind. Upton, SpecialTeas and adagio. Pretty much in that order.

Upton has a remarkable range -- fresh tea and spectacular service. Best value. Admittedly, their web site sucks.

SpecialTeas also has a terrific range, perhaps not quite as fresh. Very good service. A little pricey -- perhaps as a result of an Oprah endorsement. Very nice selection of oolongs and Chinese green teas (one of which, Green Yunnan, I'm sipping as I type this). Good selection of flavored teas, if your taste runs to that. (Yechhh.)

adagio was the first vendor I tried. Reputable. Good tea and good service, but not as good as the other two. Less varied selection. But a bit less costly, as well. Certainly a respectable starting point.

If you like Japanese green tea (and I don't), o-cha is the first vendor to try. And, I'm told, quite possibly the last. With Japanese greens, proper preparation is key (much like shaving ).

As for Pu-erh, well, that's a whole 'nother smoke, and one to which I'm ill-qualified to speak.

Cheers,

- Richard

 

[frotzed]

Ben -

Hi. Richard the tea freak here. I typically have white, Chinese green, oolong and black tea on hand. Real thing only tho' -- none of that nasty flavored nonsense (with the exception of some flavored Rooibos that's cut with (mostly) orange, cinnamon & clove).

You hear right. Whole leaf tea is the real McCoy. The bitterness you may have tasted from tea bags in the past -- that's tannin, which comes from the exposed edges of cut leaf. The 'product' in tea bags is typically tea dust or 'fannings' (the industry term). Brewed for more than 90-120 seconds, you have a nasty, tannic (bitter acidic) drink. In contrast, I can forget about a good leaf, and come back 15 minutes or more later, and while the tea will be strong and perhaps somewhat bitter, it'll likely still be quite flavorful and palatable. Of course, if I get the brew just right (1 - 4.5 minutes, depending on the leaf), it's a drink fit for Royalty (and the second most consumed beverage on the planet, second only to water).

Three vendors come to mind. Upton, SpecialTeas and adagio. Pretty much in that order.

Upton has a remarkable range -- fresh tea and spectacular service. Best value. Admittedly, their web site sucks.

SpecialTeas also has a terrific range, perhaps not quite as fresh. Very good service. A little pricey -- perhaps as a result of an Oprah endorsement. Very nice selection of oolongs and Chinese green teas (one of which, Green Yunnan, I'm sipping as I type this). Good selection of flavored teas, if your taste runs to that. (Yechhh.)

adagio was the first vendor I tried. Reputable. Good tea and good service, but not as good as the other two. Less varied selection. But a bit less costly, as well. Certainly a respectable starting point.

If you like Japanese green tea (and I don't), o-cha is the first vendor to try. And, I'm told, quite possibly the last. With Japanese greens, proper preparation is key (much like shaving ).

As for Pu-erh, well, that's a whole 'nother smoke, and one to which I'm ill-qualified to speak.

Cheers,

- Richard

Thanks, Richard! I really appreciate that input! I'll be looking into those online companies for sure.

I've also realized that I'll need a tea pot to brew the tea in. I have a kettle to boil the water in but I guess I need another pot for the brewing. I live in the rural country of Georgia and tea supplies are in short supply locally, to say the least. I wonder if I could post a WTB for a tea pot on the forums here?

 

[BigColdMartini]

For good Southern iced sweet tea, I make the tea very strong to start. I then make a simple syrup of half water and half sugar warmed to dilute the mixture. Pour the tea and your sugar water (to taste) over fresh clear ice and add lemon and mint.

 

[ant4177]

Twinings English Breakfast in the mornings, brewed for about 4 minutes and a little milk till it turns a ginger colour.

Twinings Afternoon Tea in the afternoons prepared the same way.

(I also like Assam and Earl Grey but these are my two standard teas)

I also like green tea which I brew for two minutes with water that hasn't quite reached boiling.

 

[ant4177]

Earl Grey - Lemon or for a seemingly un-intuitive yet awesomely delicous beverage; with Bailey's Cream Liquor

Is this true? I'll have to try it. How much Bailey's do you add?

 

[jfever311]

Earl Gray- cream & sugar
English or Irish Breakfast- lots of honey
Iced tea- I brew many various blends of tea when I intend to drink it cold. Last summer I was very fond of maple w/ a sprig of mint. Only time will tell what this summers taste will be!!

I will add this, I start my tea w/ cold water and ALWAYS bring it to a boil ( make sure to take it off immediately!!). I then let is steep for five full minutes before adding anything or transferring to a jug. I also use enough tea so it is DARK, DARK, DARK!!

 

[netsurfr]

Drink mostly green and white teas. Always drink them without adding anything.

 

[Anthony]

hot tea purist here.

no additions. just pure goodness.

 

[Adeptus_Minor]

hot tea purist here.

no additions. just pure goodness.

+1
I'm mostly a black coffee drinker, but when I alternate in teas, I take them straight as well.
Earl Grey happens to be one I favor, especially when I'm not feeling well.

 

[Conscientia]

Green/White Teas - I drink with lemon and honey.
Black Teas - I drink with milk and sugar.
Herbal teas - It depends on the herb, I'll drink peppermint tea with just a little sugar, but the likes of Chamomile I drink with a splash of milk.

A fortnight ago I found that Twinnings do a blend of black tea and rose, and I have to say it is truely fantastic. I think it cost me around £1.85 from Morrisons. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[urr-lord]

english breakfast tea with milk and splenda,hot.
iced tea varieties:
JFG 3-4 family size tea bags to a gallon with splenda and /or sugar.
JFG 3 family size bags and 3 english breakfast tea bags w/splenda and /or sugar.(the english tea adds a sweetness allowing less sweetener to be used)
JFG 3 family size and 4 green tea bags w/ sugar/splenda.
apple-cinnamon tea hot or cold with/without milk and splenda as the mood strikes.
during cold/allergy season Yogi breathe deep tea(like drinking a halls mentho-lyptus cough drop,works better than an inhaler sometimes) w/sweetener,hot.
once in a while russian style(cloves,cinnamon and orange added) tea,hot.

 

[MikeLip]

Depends. If I am drinking tea just to get the caffeine, it's generally Tetley or Salada. With those it's milk and sugar. If it's time to drink tea because I want to drink tea it's an Earl Gray blend, straight up.

 

[Niles]

My two standard teas are British black and Earl Grey. I typically drink them hot without anything added to them.

 

[JayKay]

I just eat the leaves.