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Tea recommendation for the coffee addict?

I was hoping someone could recommend a tea that would satisfy one who generally prefers to drink coffee, but is looking to avoid the effort involved in making good coffee.

Making coffee at home is not an issue, the problem I am trying to solve is getting good coffee at work. At my office we have a common breakroom with Bunn coffee makers which look similar to:
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We have a limited selection of coffee, which is tolerable when it is first brewed. But if it sits in the pot for very long, lets say longer than 30-60 minutes, it becomes too bitter. Folks who use powdered cream and sugar don't seem to mind a mild burnt flavor, but unless it is freshly brewed I find it hard to drink as I prefer it black. I am not a coffee snob, in that I think that what is available from national chains like Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts is usually quite good, while what is available at the convenience store off the interstate exit is usually quite bad.

Recently my office has installed a filtered hot water dispenser. It gets the water quite hot, hot enough to brew coffee in an aeropress or french press, but I don't want to deal with the time or the cleanup. So I have started to use instant coffee for those times when I did not want to wait on brewing a new pot and to get some consistency, even if the cup is not as good. The new Starbucks Via
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is good but a little pricey for my habit, so I usually end up with something like Nescafe in a jar:
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This may be too subjective, but I am hoping to find some tea that will satisfy one who is otherwise addicted to coffee. I grew up drinking ice tea, but have never found hot tea as satisfying as hot coffee. Not sure if it is the caffeine, aroma, flavor, or temperature which is lacking or if I have simply been drinking the wrong kind of tea. I have not ventured out far out into the tea world, beyond what is available at a good supermarket, so hoping I am just overlooking to good stuff beyond what is mass produced by Lipton or Tetley but is still easy to manage.

Comments, opinions, specific recommendations are welcome.
 
A clean, well adjusted Bunn is capable of making a good cup of coffee, can you use your own beans and brew some, transferring into a thermal carafe so it does not cook?
 
2008 Mu Ye Chun 99801 Ripe Pu-erh tea brews up strong with a nice balanced bitter.

2008 Menghai 8592 Ripe Pu-erh will also brews up strong and is a little sweeter than the 99801.

I use a 12oz porcelain teapot and a 14oz mug at work.

Usually I place about 10g of tea into the pot and I get about 5 or 6 mugs out of the leaves.
 
I'm pretty clueless about tea, but do drink it occasionally and have for years. I like it the same as my coffee--strong, with milk & sugar. I usually end up missing the coffee, though. Maybe my unsophisticated taste and preference for coffee might be useful. While you should definitely listen to the folks that know about tea, their tastes might be more refined. I'll also be listening for the recommendations.

Twinings is readily available. English Breakfast is by far my favorite. It's the closest thing to a coffee substitute. Irish breakfast is also a good substitute, but I actually like Darjeeling better. Darjeeling is a little different, and I usually take it without milk, so there's something different about it. Finally, Ceylon orange is delicious with a nice aroma, but nothing like coffee.

I've had English Breakfast blends from two coffee/tea shops and couldn't abide them. They tasted like Chinese green tea, and I prefer tea British style. Not that I understand the difference. It's definitely not about being grown in India vs China. I've had excellent Chinese black tea that's just as good as the English Breakfast, but doesn't quite scale up in strength or I-don't-know-what to Twining. Maybe someone can explain the differences.
 
A clean, well adjusted Bunn is capable of making a good cup of coffee, can you use your own beans and brew some, transferring into a thermal carafe so it does not cook?
That would work, but I would hesitate to do that because of the overall social setting. I have considered bringing in some espresso or aeropress coffee concentrate in a small thermos and making americanos later in the day, but thought a good tea might be a better option. I can remember occasionally getting really good hot tea in a Chinese restaurant before, but I am not sure what it was that I was drinking. I have cut back a little on coffee, going from 5-6 cups day down to 3-4 to lessen my caffeine addiction, hoping that will also help. Plan A is to try some of the tea recommendations here, while Plan B is a coffee backup plan.
 
If nothing else, you could always make a cold brew concentrate and bring some to work. It doesn't take much of this stuff to make a cup of coffee by adding hot water.

No, it doesn't taste the same as hot brewed, but I promise that it's better than improperly brewed (or commercial grade coffee).
 
That would work, but I would hesitate to do that because of the overall social setting. I have considered bringing in some espresso or aeropress coffee concentrate in a small thermos and making americanos later in the day, but thought a good tea might be a better option. I can remember occasionally getting really good hot tea in a Chinese restaurant before, but I am not sure what it was that I was drinking. I have cut back a little on coffee, going from 5-6 cups day down to 3-4 to lessen my caffeine addiction, hoping that will also help. Plan A is to try some of the tea recommendations here, while Plan B is a coffee backup plan.
one of my favorite teas, from a former coffee junkie, is Lapsang Suchong it's a smoked black tea and has a mellow smoky flavor that reminds me of an islay scotch
 
2008 Mu Ye Chun 99801 Ripe Pu-erh tea brews up strong with a nice balanced bitter.

2008 Menghai 8592 Ripe Pu-erh will also brews up strong and is a little sweeter than the 99801.

I use a 12oz porcelain teapot and a 14oz mug at work.

Usually I place about 10g of tea into the pot and I get about 5 or 6 mugs out of the leaves.

What are your steep times?
 
I am a full-on coffee guy - double short Americano thrice daily is my elixer of choice but if it is going to be tea then good old fashioned English tea - Yorkshire Gold is my favourite, brewed strong with milk and sugar = perfection!
 
one of my favorite teas, from a former coffee junkie, is Lapsang Suchong it's a smoked black tea and has a mellow smoky flavor that reminds me of an islay scotch

My brother loves this tea. To me it tastes like pure essence of campfire :lol:
 
I would suggest some sort of Oolong for office brewing. Many of them are brewed at 190 degrees (F) which is typically the temp the Bunn machines and the water coolers use. If I don't brew something before hand, I use an open-ended tea bag and make little single serving teabags with the better-grade stuff :thumbup1:

The bags are pretty cheap. You can get a box of like 100 for I think $8
 
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My brother loves this tea. To me it tastes like pure essence of campfire :lol:
oh yes it does have that liquid smoke flavor but i find that it adds greatly to the charm of the tea. it really helps to make it stand out from other black teas. I agree that a good oolong would be great for an office environment especially if you have enjoyed hot teas from chinese restaurants, it's usually oolong that they serve.
 
Earlier tonight, I made Twinings English Breakfast loose leaf tea in a French Press. I let it steep a bit too long- I think it made coffee! Very dark and both of my parents (black coffee drinkers) weren't sure it was tea until the second sip...
 
Earlier tonight, I made Twinings English Breakfast loose leaf tea in a French Press. I let it steep a bit too long- I think it made coffee! Very dark and both of my parents (black coffee drinkers) weren't sure it was tea until the second sip...

That's what I'm talking about. I've never seen any other tea like that. Makes me wonder if they use artificial colors and flavors.
 
Earlier tonight, I made Twinings English Breakfast loose leaf tea in a French Press. I let it steep a bit too long- I think it made coffee! Very dark and both of my parents (black coffee drinkers) weren't sure it was tea until the second sip...

Big fan of Twinings English Breakfast loose tea.

I also use a coffee press.

Your right about letting it steep for long.

Just 3 to 4 minutes max.

After that you got coffee.
 
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