Tea Drinkers Anon.

levioosa · February 2015

thisismynickname said:

Question, kind of random on the tea subject.

Does your tea have to be made a certain way? My mom drinks 6+ cups a day, every day. I grew up on it. I can't make a cuppa to match my mom's no matter how hard I try. Ergo, I don't drink much tea on my own, because it's just not as good, but when I'm at my parents' I drink it like there's no tomorrow.

I think it's the water. Our home is in the country with well water, and I guess my filtered city water ruins it. Plus my mom, after nearly 60 years of tea making experience, has it down to a science. I might put in too much milk, or not enough sugar, or not steep it just so, whatever.

P.S. @blabla89 I love that gif.

Yes. How a tea is prepared depends on the type of tea it is. Each type of tea (black, green, white, herbal) has an optimal brew temperature and time. If you oversteep, the leaves tend to get bitter. So I'm a huge stickler about that. But as far as measuring my honey or whatever down to the last drop? I'm much less exact about that. If I ever do add milk/sugar (rare) I usually am great at knowing just how much is right for me.

CMGragain · February 2015

I just returned from a cruise on the Sapphire Princess in southeast Asia. Many of the passengers were Chinese.
For the first time, they had an electric kettle, cups with no handles and jasmine tea in our stateroom. This was a very nice touch, but most of the Brits and I went up to the buffet and grabbed some English Breakfast tea bags along with some Earl Grey!

Bubblegum5586 · February 2015

The past year I have been switching coffee for tea. I drink it hot more often but will ice it in the summer with one of those reusable fountain cups.

I need to expand my horizons as I often drink Bigelow or Lipton and try all the flavors of Green and Black tea (still need my caffeine).

Currently drinking some Lemon Lift Black Tea.

At night I love Celestial Apple chamomile tea... yum!

I would most definitely come to a Tea Party! I have been wanting to find a cute tea set to start hosting tea parties but not sure I have enough friends interested in such a thing.

Last year I got to attend a fundraiser for Veterans that was a tea party, it was a blast and looking forward to going next year! Hats were encouraged (of course!)

levieenrose · February 2015

Yay, tea drinkers! I feel like I have found my people.

OMG, Bubblegum, you look too adorable. Now I need to buy a tea-time specific outfit.

LondonLisa, I cannot think of the Savoy without thinking of The Importance of Being Earnest. And I have never heard of champagne cream tea, but WANT!

Inkdancer, 37 kinds of tea for real? Please guide me as I put together the ultimate tea-time menu.

ThisIsMyNickname, I do believe you about the water. My father's favorite alcoholic drink is Harp beer...but only when it is produced in Canada. We were in Buffalo, NY and he asked if the waiter would check on where the product came from. Oy.

Imcooper, I'd love to see that owl teapot of yours!

Maybe I should post some pictures of pretty china. We got Monsoon (Denby) as a wedding gift, and I love it!

Fluttering, the tea-as-wedding-favor gets an upvote from me.

Thank you for the new tea suggestions from Levioosa, Jenaandtonic, and Dolewhipper!

Don't worry, Blabla and Ashley. There will be sweet tea and undoctored-straight up earl grey at this imaginary party. I hope you can still both come!

Inkdancer · February 2015

@levieenrose I hope you were serious. I have had a Valentine's Day tea every year since I was eleven, up until I moved in with H.

If you are having a tea for multiple people, you have one of two options: serve one tea that will suit many palates, or offer a nice variety of teas.

If you're only expecting a few people, I would go with one tea, usually a black tea. Something like English Breakfast or Earl Grey has good but not overwhelming flavor, so those are typically good choices. I am also a huge fan of Irish Breakfast and Lady Grey.

If you're expecting more people, a larger variety is usually a better idea. In this case I would recommend having a green tea, a flavored/herbal tea, and two to three black teas. Oolong would be my go-to green, and for fruit I'd likely pick a citrus flavor as one of the more universally popular flavors. For black tea, I'd recommend a nice neutral like Earl Grey or English Breakfast, then some blended options (perhaps a black tea with vanilla, a chai, and a decaf blend). If you can get your hands on some white tea, consider making a small pot for people to try because the flavor is very delicate and unique, but not well-suited to drinking in large quantities.

As for brand, this is very much up to personal preference. Celestial Seasonings makes excellent flavor blends with fruit. (They also make my favorite black tea blend, with almond and hazelnut, called Nutcracker Sweet.) Twinings is a good English brand widely available in the US, and their loose leaf and bagged teas are pretty good. Teavana offers absolutely delicious blends, but the pricing can get out of hand quickly. Adagio is an excellent option if you enjoy shopping online, but user blends are often not tested before they're put up on the site so you can get some absolute misses on flavor. Tazo, Republic of Tea, and Bigelow also make some excellent flavors. Disclaimer: tea mixes are a lie. If any brand doesn't have steeping times or actual leaves that you can put in a strainer, be wary because it is probably a powdered tea product and you will be filled with regret and sadness if you drink it.

One thing you should absolutely look for in your teas: how well they are packaged. Tea that is not in an airtight container can and will spoil. It won't rot, so you won't be able to tell, but it will lose flavor and gain bitterness. Individually wrapped tea bags in a cardboard box or loose leaf tea in a resealable metal tin is your best bet. Otherwise, put the tea bags into a ziploc bag after you've opened the package so they don't spoil.

princessleia22 · February 2015

After all this tea talk, I started expanding my search for new flavors. I'm debating buying this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O80NU00/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NV6N4BDM08X8

There do appear to be some very intriguing and yummy flavors in this set.

African Solstice, Apricot Amaretto, Blood Orange, Blueberry Merlot, Bombay Chai, Caramel Nougat, Chamomile Citron, Cherry Marzipan, Coconut Chocolate Truffle, Coconut Mango Colada, Cucumber Mint, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Ginger Lemongrass, Green Mango Peach, Honey Yuzu, Lychee Coconut, Mojito Marmalade, Jasmine Green, Peach Brulee, Peach Rhubarb Preserve, Sencha, Swiss Apple, Tupelo Honey Fig, White Cinnamon Sage, White Ginger Pear, Wild Apple Ginger

MobKaz · February 2015

princessleia22 said:

I am currently working on upping my tea addiction.
My obsession and primary weakness has long been Chai Tea Lattes. About 5 years ago I was a Starbucks junkie and got Venti size Chai Latte's everyday... sometimes 2-3 times a day. I was single with a good job and disposable income to feed my addiction. (Of course, in hindsight, I wish I had been shoving that roughly $200/month into savings instead of my Starbucks cup, but too late to change that.) Then when I went to buy a new car, I realized that the monthly loan payment difference between my previous cheap used car and the brand spanking new car I REALLY wanted was about the same as my monthly Starbucks spending. So, I quit Starbucks. I started making it at home using chai latte mixes.
But, over the past year I've been steadily gaining weight. I think some of it is due to mid-30's metabolism changes and some of it is due to current BC. So, I've recently been trying to eat healthier. And if I'm trying to stick to 1200 calories a day, it sucks to already use 1/3 of it on my morning chai latte. So, I've started switching to brewed tea most days (no sugar, no milk) and only indulge in my chai latte 1-2 days a week. I've been trying various teas lately. I've always loved chamomile teas and often drink "Sleepy Time" tea in the evenings, but want something with a bit more kick in the morning. Yesterday it was a raspberry tea and today it was "American Breakfast Tea" (added caffeine). I also have a Vanilla Caramel that is pretty yummy.

Do you have a World Market store near you? I buy the sugar free versions, and they are actually pretty good. Sometimes I will use 1/4 cup of fat free milk paired with the water and froth it up in "The Bullet". It tastes good enough to still feel semi indulged.

http://www.davidrio.com/chai.html

levieenrose · February 2015

@Inkdancer, I can't believe you have held a tea party every Valentine's Day! I love it!!

And thank you very much for the advice.

I was only half-joking about the imaginary tea party, because I would love to host a full-out garden tea party someday when we have a house. What I really need is like 12 different pots to pair teas with little tea-time foods. Like, I think Darjeeling goes really well with a strong cheese, herbal fruity teas with fruit-filled tartletts or chocolate dipped fruit, white floral tea with a light cake or maybe marzipan, cloved tea with some kind of spice cake, etc. A girl can dream!! But if someone were to drop by today, I usually make a pot of hot water and let people choose their own because there are many choices and I also have a pack of fillable bags for the loose leaf tea.

princessleia22 said:

After all this tea talk, I started expanding my search for new flavors. I'm debating buying this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O80NU00/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NV6N4BDM08X8
There do appear to be some very intriguing and yummy flavors in this set.
African Solstice, Apricot Amaretto, Blood Orange, Blueberry Merlot, Bombay Chai, Caramel Nougat, Chamomile Citron, Cherry Marzipan, Coconut Chocolate Truffle, Coconut Mango Colada, Cucumber Mint, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Ginger Lemongrass, Green Mango Peach, Honey Yuzu, Lychee Coconut, Mojito Marmalade, Jasmine Green, Peach Brulee, Peach Rhubarb Preserve, Sencha, Swiss Apple, Tupelo Honey Fig, White Cinnamon Sage, White Ginger Pear, Wild Apple Ginger

I want all of these!! Especially the bolded. The White Cinnamon Sage...that one will either be really weird or really good. I used to drink Turkish apple tea a lot, but I think I overdosed on it.

Mobkatz, I love WorldMarket! I wish there was one around me. They have so many nice things in there.

princessleia22 · February 2015

levieenrose said:

@Inkdancer, I can't believe you have held a tea party every Valentine's Day! I love it!!

And thank you very much for the advice. I was only half-joking about the imaginary tea party, because I would love to host a full-out garden tea party someday when we have a house. What I really need is like 12 different pots to pair teas with little tea-time foods. Like, I think Darjeeling goes really well with a strong cheese, herbal fruity teas with fruit-filled tartletts or chocolate dipped fruit, white floral tea with a light cake or maybe marzipan, cloved tea with some kind of spice cake, etc. A girl can dream!! But if someone were to drop by today, I usually make a pot of hot water and let people choose their own because there are many choices and I also have a pack of fillable bags for the loose leaf tea.

princessleia22 said:

After all this tea talk, I started expanding my search for new flavors. I'm debating buying this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O80NU00/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2NV6N4BDM08X8
There do appear to be some very intriguing and yummy flavors in this set.
African Solstice, Apricot Amaretto, Blood Orange, Blueberry Merlot, Bombay Chai, Caramel Nougat, Chamomile Citron, Cherry Marzipan, Coconut Chocolate Truffle, Coconut Mango Colada, Cucumber Mint, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Ginger Lemongrass, Green Mango Peach, Honey Yuzu, Lychee Coconut, Mojito Marmalade, Jasmine Green, Peach Brulee, Peach Rhubarb Preserve, Sencha, Swiss Apple, Tupelo Honey Fig, White Cinnamon Sage, White Ginger Pear, Wild Apple Ginger

I want all of these!! Especially the bolded. The White Cinnamon Sage...that one will either be really weird or really good. I used to drink Turkish apple tea a lot, but I think I overdosed on it.

Mobkatz, I love WorldMarket! I wish there was one around me. They have so many nice things in there.

I originally was going to highlight the ones I was most excited about trying, but then realized I would highlight nearly 1/2 the list. I see myself basically going through the whole set for my morning tea, one flavor a day for a month. I think I'd probably go through them in order or randomly pick, because I don't want to use up all my most anticipated ones right away, then end up with less appealing flavors at the end. But, that just seems like an awesome way to start the day, with random new tea flavors every morning.

MobKaz, I do actually have a World Market nearby. I'll have to try that. I tend to like chai's that are a bit sweeter, so I've always tried to avoid the healthier versions. I've also tried just using the brewed chai tea, then mixing it with milk and honey, to get an acceptable latte, but still have gotten that right yet.

Blergbot · February 2015

H is the closet tea addict. He has a tea buying problem. I've always loved tea, but I only have it on occasion. Except for chai tea lattes. Before I finally started drinking coffee (at age 30), I used to have a chai every morning. It was an expensive habit. Right now, being pregnant, I'm off coffee, but will have tea sometimes. I even had a tea party (with cucumber sandwitches!) a couple of weeks ago, so I could hang out with my friends sans alcohol.

flutteringinfl · February 2015

Revitalizing because this seems like exactly the sort of issue that should be posted in a convo titled "Tea Drinkers Anon."

This morning I mixed Golden Monkey with Pina Colada tea, a blend I've never tried before. I hoped the Pina Colada tea would be similar to Berry Kiwi Colada from Teavana. It smells awful and tastes pretty bland. I am sad.

levioosa · February 2015

flutteringinfl said:

Revitalizing because this seems like exactly the sort of issue that should be posted in a convo titled "Tea Drinkers Anon."

This morning I mixed Golden Monkey with Pina Colada tea, a blend I've never tried before. I hoped the Pina Colada tea would be similar to Berry Kiwi Colada from Teavana. It smells awful and tastes pretty bland. I am sad.

=( I mixed Tazo Zen green tea with chamomile yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised.

Inkdancer · February 2015

I'm sorry your pina colada tea was a bust.

I'm having a homemade caramel vanilla chai latte right now and I am so happy. (Only 40 calories, too!)

kaos16 · February 2015

Earl Gray tea smells like fruit loops in my opinion

ashley8918 · February 2015

kaos16 said:

Earl Gray tea smells like fruit loops in my opinion

Sniffing my Earl Grey right now, and OH MY GOD, IT DOES.

FiancB · February 2015

I mainly like fruity teas. I like chai lattes too. Can't get into green or English.

Question: Teavana loose leaf tea is delicious. My friend got me a tea infuser for a wedding gift and I'm excited to use it. But Teavanna tea is crazy expensive. Is there something comparable out there that isn't so expensive? I found some looseleaf tea at HomeGoods or something but it's just not the same. I always try their samples and then cry that it's like $40.

FiancB · February 2015

Also, whenever I think of Earl Grey tea I think of this:

levioosa · February 2015

FiancB said:

I mainly like fruity teas. I like chai lattes too. Can't get into green or English.

Question: Teavana loose leaf tea is delicious. My friend got me a tea infuser for a wedding gift and I'm excited to use it. But Teavanna tea is crazy expensive. Is there something comparable out there that isn't so expensive? I found some looseleaf tea at HomeGoods or something but it's just not the same. I always try their samples and then cry that it's like $40.

Harney and Sons. I don't care for Teavana because they use preservatives and sugar in their tea. Blech.

Inkdancer · February 2015

FiancB said:

I mainly like fruity teas. I like chai lattes too. Can't get into green or English.

Question: Teavana loose leaf tea is delicious. My friend got me a tea infuser for a wedding gift and I'm excited to use it. But Teavanna tea is crazy expensive. Is there something comparable out there that isn't so expensive? I found some looseleaf tea at HomeGoods or something but it's just not the same. I always try their samples and then cry that it's like $40.

Adagio! http://www.adagio.com/

princessleia22 · February 2015

Inkdancer said:

I'm sorry your pina colada tea was a bust.

I'm having a homemade caramel vanilla chai latte right now and I am so happy. (Only 40 calories, too!)

That just sounds DELICIOUS!

falsara · February 2015

Ok I'm so late to this thread but I need to confess.

My name is Falsara and I am a Tea Drinker.

For me it is genetic my mother and grandmother all also tea drinkers.

I drink many different types of tea, and I like primarily Green and Black teas. I do like tea bags for my weekdays but I also own loose leaf Earl Grey (Star Trek TNG edition), and I have a Star Wars Death Star tea infuser, I also have some loose leaf green tea that my mom gifted to me after one of her trips back to Japan.

I do drink my black tea with Splenda, especially the bags. My green tea needs no sweetening. I drink caffeinated in the morning and then Decaf in the afternoons. At night I drink either Sweat Dreams or Sleepy Time herbal tea before bed. At this moment in time I have 10 different types of tea in my cupboard. I like Teavana, but I don't have one near me so I am unfortunately stuck drinking the different varieties of Bigelow and Earl grey that I can get at the grocery store. Often they have sales so I can mix and match 2 for 5$

I often try out different flavors just to see what I like.

Tea Drinkers Anon.

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