Tea drinkers... chime in

[Stewie]

I used to drink a lot of tea while working on the farm when I was younger (1970s-80s). It was probably a lower quality tea since we were out in the middle of nowhere and you get what you get.

I recently asked for tea as my beverage at a decent restaurant. Wow! It was really good! I asked about it and the waitress said it was a black/green tea mix steeped in boiling water.

My question is: Is it the tea or the preparation... or both? Are there any brands that are better than others? Lipton seems to dominate the market, but as in all things "food related" the biggest seller isn't always the best thing.

Chime in please.

[cosmo20002]

Donger will be all over this thread.

[Rasputin]

I always like how the settlers in the 13 original colonies trolled the Brits army by dressing up as Indians and dumping a bunch of tea in the Boston harbor. I bet they had fun doing it.

[Hammock Parties]

https://marktwendell.com/1291-thickbox_leodres/typhoo-tea.jpg

Also all tea pots are not created equal. Get a good tea pot designed for brewing tea.

[Donger]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.

[Ming the Merciless]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_18WcwxCozU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[BigMeatballDave]

Not a fan.

My son, however, would have a Tea IV if he could.

[Stewie]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.

I just looked up Earl Grey. They seem to add flavors, etc.. I want tea straight up. I drink my coffee black with the best Colombian beans. That's what I'm looking for in a tea. No foo-foo crap.

[vailpass]

Cold with ice and lemon. If a little whiskey falls in it I can forgive that...

[Fire Me Boy!]

Hot tea or iced tea? I generally only drink iced tea or water.

Both preparation AND the tea you choose make a difference. I don't generally make my own. At work, I drink tea from the Chick-Fil-A downstairs. At home, I usually buy Milo's. When I do make my own, I have some White Ayurvedic Chai from Teavana that's freakin' awesome - sweet, spicy, and very complex.

Sweet tea is nasty. I prefer plain tea with just a touch of sweetener to take the edge of bitterness off.

[chiefsfan987]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.

Earl Grey is my favorite too.

[Donger]

I just looked up Earl Grey. They seem to add flavors, etc.. I want tea straight up. I drink my coffee black with the best Colombian beans. That's what I'm looking for in a tea. No foo-foo crap.

That was an attempt at a joke. A little too esoteric for some.

As someone mentioned, Typhoo or Tetley's, which is what my folks drink.

http://www.tetleyusa.com/our-teas/products?id=41

[keg in kc]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.Make it so, number one.

[Donger]

Make it so, number one.

Thank God...

[vailpass]

That was an attempt at a joke. A little too esoteric for some.

As someone mentioned, Typhoo or Tetley's, which is what my folks drink.

http://www.tetleyusa.com/our-teas/products?id=41

Tetley's sun tea, then put on the fridge to cool. Yes please.

[Donger]

I just looked up Earl Grey. They seem to add flavors, etc.. I want tea straight up. I drink my coffee black with the best Colombian beans. That's what I'm looking for in a tea. No foo-foo crap.

Reading this again, you want this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_tea

English breakfast tea, most likely.

[Donger]

Tetley's sun tea, then put on the fridge to cool. Yes please.

I presume that he's talking about hot tea, not cold, which is an abomination.

And I hate hot tea.

[Donger]

Oh God...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Englishbreakfast.jpg/1024px-Englishbreakfast.jpg

[Hammock Parties]

Just once in my life....I am going to eat one of those.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Oh God...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Englishbreakfast.jpg/1024px-Englishbreakfast.jpg

Wrong thread?

[Donger]

Just once in my life....I am going to eat one of those.

You didn't when you were there?

[Donger]

Wrong thread?

LMAO

Sorry, no. That's an example of an "English breakfast." Just clicked on it while looking up English breakfast tea.

Brought back memories.

[Hammock Parties]

You didn't when you were there?

No. Mostly ate cereal and toast for breakfast.

[Hammock Parties]

This is epic BTW, Donger.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4T-iZvNDIu0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Donger]

No. Mostly ate cereal and toast for breakfast.

Sure, I can understand that, not actually being indigenous.

[vailpass]

LMAO

Sorry, no. That's an example of an "English breakfast." Just clicked on it while looking up English breakfast tea.

Brought back memories.

Jesus. That would put me back to bed and I wouldn't eat again for a day...

[Hammock Parties]

Sure, I can understand that, not actually being indigenous.

I'm probably lucky we moved. I'm sure undergoing adolescence as a British teenager would not have been good for my health,

[cosmo20002]

Donger will be all over this thread.

I nailed that one.

[Lonewolf Ed]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.

What do you want in it?

Nothing!!

[Easy 6]

Oh God...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Englishbreakfast.jpg/1024px-Englishbreakfast.jpg

Yes to everything but the blood sausage.

[Saulbadguy]

One of the few food/beverages I really dislike. It just tastes like tainted water to me. I really enjoy coffee, though.

[Donger]

Jesus. That would put me back to bed and I wouldn't eat again for a day...

That's not a normal amount, at least for my family. It was toast, baked beans, bacon, sausage and egg. And, fried tomatoes, which I didn't eat. We also didn't have lunch that day.

It was a treat, really.

[BucEyedPea]

I used to drink a lot of tea while working on the farm when I was younger (1970s-80s). It was probably a lower quality tea since we were out in the middle of nowhere and you get what you get.

I recently asked for tea as my beverage at a decent restaurant. Wow! It was really good! I asked about it and the waitress said it was a black/green tea mix steeped in boiling water.

My question is: Is it the tea or the preparation... or both? Are there any brands that are better than others? Lipton seems to dominate the market, but as in all things "food related" the biggest seller isn't always the best thing.

Chime in please.

Well, I like Lipton for daily use such as a big pot of iced-tea in summer. No, it's not the best.

The best tea I've ever had was always in England and it wasn't that so-called "English Breakfast Tea" which I find foul-tasting. I think it's part the type of tea and how they brew it by having it sit in a ceramic pot on the table. I've never been able to replicate it though. Same with their wonderful dairy and cream. Maybe it's the difference in the water?

Closest I could come to it is another wonderful tea called Darjeeling. That's because I enjoy a light-bodied floral tea. It's wonderful. This thread reminds me to buy it again. I've not had it in years.

Chia tea is another but I can't find the original one I ever had, nor can I remember the brand but none taste the same. Chai tea, for some reason, tastes best with soy milk. Don't know why. It must be because the first cup I ever had used it. It was served to me by my Sikh chiropractor's office which was in Cambridge. It was wonderful.

[Donger]

I nailed that one.

No offense, but that's like predicting that I'll show up in a crude oil thread.

[BucEyedPea]

I am not crazy about green tea tho' and I have a ton of it from Costco still sittin' in the cupboard or garage maybe. Never had it mixed with black though and it did taste better with lemon. I wouldn't think to ever put milk or cream in green tea tho.'

[BucEyedPea]

It was toast, baked beans, bacon, sausage and egg. And, fried tomatoes, which I didn't eat. We also didn't have lunch that day.

It was a treat, really.

A very English breakfast with the beans and fried tomato in there. When I saw that on my plate in England, those two baffled me.

[BucEyedPea]

Wrong thread?

Tea came with it tho.' It's on the table but missed the viewfinder. :D

[Lonewolf Ed]

Unless I am sick, I only drink hot tea in autumn and winter. I like Twining's English breakfast and Earl Grey, both with honey and lemon juice. When I am sick, I have green tea. At Christmas, I like some of the Christmas teas with ginger and cloves.

[BucEyedPea]

If you really want to try other teas, might as well try Darjeeling, Stewie.

Here's a good write-up on it's magnificence.

What's the deal with Darjeeling, and why is it so highly prized? It's a Chinese tea that grows in India with flavors of French grapes and Himalayan mountain air. It can taste more like wine than other tea. Even if you're not a tea drinker, good Darjeeling is so interesting that it's really worth a try. If your only Darjeeling experiences have been with blended teas, added flavors, or the dark bitterness of over-brewing, there's a lot more to it that's worth sipping.

Darjeeling is frequently called the "Champagne of teas," with musky-sweet tasting notes similar to muscat wine. But it can also have delicate vegetal, mossy, fruity, and citrus flavors. Though Darjeeling is an Indian-grown tea (from, you got it, Darjeeling), the leaves are actually Chinese. "Most tea plants in Darjeeling are of the smaller leaf Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, rather than the larger leaf var. assamica, more commonly grown throughout the rest of India," explains Jim Schreiber, a tea and beverage operations manager.

"While classified as a black tea, Darjeeling teas are almost always less oxidized than a typical black tea," says Schreiber. The unique flavor of Darjeeling comes from Chinese tea genetics mixing with Indian terroir—plus the intricacies of harvesting and processing. It's lighter and less astringent than most black tea, but more layered and complex than most greens.

The same Darjeeling tea from the same plantation will taste different depending on when it's harvested. These periodic harvests, called flushes, span the tea growing season, punctuated by the regular high mountain rains. From the first to the last harvest, the general flavor trend is light and delicate to robust and full-bodied. The second flush from the more mature plant is where the big wine-like flavors come out, but the highly prized first flush, which uses the very youngest leaves, is where you can find some really interesting, delicate, and smooth arboreal-minty-fresh mountain air flavors.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/07/why-you-should-drink-more-darjeeling-tea-what-is-first-flush.html

[listopencil]

Tea? Earl Grey, hot.

Yes.
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[listopencil]

Oh God...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Englishbreakfast.jpg/1024px-Englishbreakfast.jpg


Would plow.
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[ChiefsLV]

Earl Grey hot with milk and sugar is my go-to when I don't want the heavy coffee jolt. Also do various chai teas, pu-erh, and blooming teas

[Pitt Gorilla]

I used to drink a lot of tea while working on the farm when I was younger (1970s-80s). It was probably a lower quality tea since we were out in the middle of nowhere and you get what you get.

I recently asked for tea as my beverage at a decent restaurant. Wow! It was really good! I asked about it and the waitress said it was a black/green tea mix steeped in boiling water.

My question is: Is it the tea or the preparation... or both? Are there any brands that are better than others? Lipton seems to dominate the market, but as in all things "food related" the biggest seller isn't always the best thing.

Chime in please.It's both, but preparation is key.

[Just Passin' By]

There is a wide variety of tea available. I use loose leaf tea, rather than tea bags. A company like Teavana

http://www.teavana.com/

can get you started, both with basic teas and a variety of flavored teas chai/rooibos/herbal teas. I've usually got between 6 and 12 different teas on hand at any one time, since I don't drink coffee and tea is my hot beverage of choice.

Preparation is important, but there's no sense in you going crazy about it unless you find you really like teas.

The general temperatures are:

175 degrees for White Tea
175 degrees for Green Tea
195 degrees for Oolong Tea
195 degrees for Black Tea
208 degrees for Herbal Tea
208 degrees for Rooibos Tea
208 degrees for Mate Tea

How to brew loose leaf tea (http://alittleteacupinteavana.tumblr.com/post/930240904/how-to-brew-loose-leaf-tea)

[Cornstock]

Jasmine tea is amazing. You can buy it at hyvee in bulk like you do coffee. It's expensive, but if you get a dimwit to ring it up as coffee you can get $10 worth of tea for 84 cents

[Eleazar]

Other than coffee and water, my drink of choice is green or white tea.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Jasmine tea is amazing. You can buy it at hyvee in bulk like you do coffee. It's expensive, but if you get a dimwit to ring it up as coffee you can get $10 worth of tea for 84 cents


Why not just steal it?

[Unsmooth-Moment]

Hot black tea

[BucEyedPea]

There is a wide variety of tea available. I use loose leaf tea, rather than tea bags. A company like Teavana

http://www.teavana.com/

can get you started, both with basic teas and a variety of flavored teas chai/rooibos/herbal teas. I've usually got between 6 and 12 different teas on hand at any one time, since I don't drink coffee and tea is my hot beverage of choice.

Preparation is important, but there's no sense in you going crazy about it unless you find you really like teas.

The general temperatures are:

175 degrees for White Tea
175 degrees for Green Tea
195 degrees for Oolong Tea
195 degrees for Black Tea
208 degrees for Herbal Tea
208 degrees for Rooibos Tea
208 degrees for Mate Tea

How to brew loose leaf tea (http://alittleteacupinteavana.tumblr.com/post/930240904/how-to-brew-loose-leaf-tea)

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

[BucEyedPea]

Jasmine tea is amazing. You can buy it at hyvee in bulk like you do coffee. It's expensive, but if you get a dimwit to ring it up as coffee you can get $10 worth of tea for 84 cents

That sounds amazing. 'Cept for the cheating part.

[BigOlChiefsfan]

I like Jasmine tea - and Oolong (oolong 'as this been going on?) and good chai tea (I drink chai tea and play tai chi) I buy bagged green tea and oolong in asian grocery stores - cheap tea, nothing special but tasty to me. I also like Earl Grey - the bergamot peel (bergamot = a type of citrus fruit, similar to an orange) is now being touted as 'as good for you as Statin drugs.

http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10732973/A-cup-of-Earl-Grey-as-good-as-statins-at-fighting-heart-disease-study-finds.html

I like 'stash' brand double chai w/a splash of whole milk and as mentioned, most of the cheap stuff from my asian market. I've got friends who prefer spendier (better?) grades of tea - and more power to 'em. They don't try to mooch my cheap stuff - I never ask to share their spendy tea. We're all happy.

[GloucesterChief]

Prefer Irish Breakfast blend with it being a bit more maltier than English. Also, straight black tea from Kerala, India. My boss/co-worker flies over every year and he can get it cheap.

[Cornstock]

That sounds amazing. 'Cept for the cheating part.

In my defense, I was home before I looked at the receipt and saw they did it wrong. I wasn't actively trying to deceive the poor high school kid.

[Just Passin' By]

Wait...I need a thermometer to make tea? Sounds complicated, like making hard candy.

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.

Your brewer should maintain a water temperature between 195 - 205 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal extraction. Colder water will result in flat, underextracted coffee while water that is too hot will also cause a loss of quality in the taste of the coffee. If you are brewing the coffee manually, let the water come to a full boil, but do not overboil. Turn off the heat source and allow the water to rest a minute before pouring it over the grounds....

Pour it into a warmed mug or coffee cup so that it will maintain its temperature as long as possible. Brewed coffee begins to lose its optimal taste moments after brewing so only brew as much coffee as will be consumed immediately. If it will be a few minutes before it will be served, the temperature should be maintained at 180 - 185 degrees Fahrenheit. It should never be left on an electric burner for longer than 15 minutes because it will begin to develop a burned taste. If the coffee is not to be served immediately after brewing, it should be poured into a warmed, insulated thermos and used within the next 45 minutes.

http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

[scho63]

This stuff is the bomb!

http://ii.worldmarket.com/fcgi-bin/iipsrv.fcgi?FIF=/images/worldmarket/source/17689_XXX_v1.tif&wid=2000&cvt=jpeg

[DaKCMan AP]

All I drink (regularly) is tea & water. Both the tea & the preparation (temperature of the water + seep time) make a difference.

I buy loose leaf and use either french presses, tea presses, or a fancy teamaker that my gf has to brew the tea.

My go-to supplier is Peets (www.peets.com) and their loose-leaf teas. My favorite is a simple gundpowder organic tea. I also really like their Assam golden tip (black tea) and their Masala Chai. When I go to farmer's markets I buy some other varieties and when we were in Vancouver last month we bought some David's tea (a franchise in Canada and maybe the northern states). Some local places here also sell some good blends and we have some herbal teas (no caffeine) that we make at night.

[BucEyedPea]

They recommend a temperature range for coffee, too.



http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

I just let my coffee maker figure it all out. Then again mine never seems to make it quite hot enough.

[BucEyedPea]

This stuff is the bomb!

http://ii.worldmarket.com/fcgi-bin/iipsrv.fcgi?FIF=/images/worldmarket/source/17689_XXX_v1.tif&wid=2000&cvt=jpeg

It is! Goes great with my homemade Chai cookies I make every Christmas to represent Asia in my cookie from around the world.

[BucEyedPea]

All I drink (regularly) is tea & water. Both the tea & the preparation (temperature of the water + seep time) make a difference.

I buy loose leaf and use either french presses, tea presses, or a fancy teamaker that my gf has to brew the tea.

My go-to supplier is Peets (www.peets.com) and their loose-leaf teas. My favorite is a simple gundpowder organic tea. I also really like their Assam golden tip (black tea) and their Masala Chai. When I go to farmer's markets I buy some other varieties and when we were in Vancouver last month we bought some David's tea (a franchise in Canada and maybe the northern states). Some local places here also sell some good blends and we have some herbal teas (no caffeine) that we make at night.

You can use a French press for tea too?
Never had one of those, but read about them and thought I might pick one up.

[DaKCMan AP]

You can use a French press for tea too?
Never had one of those, but read about them and thought I might pick one up.

Absolutely. Coffee is finer than most tea so the press works great. I am partial the Bodum brand.

I own a larger version of this that I use at home:
http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/1844-01US/

I own a version of this that I take each day to work:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Coffee-34-Ounce/dp/B000KEM4TQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1414421699&sr=1-7&keywords=bodum+tea+press

This is the teamaker my girlfriend has:
http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-onetouch.html

[Baby Lee]

My best suggestion is get to the nearest farmer's market and track down a loose tea bin purveyor [KC has a great one]. That way you can read the descriptions, smell the dry leaves and dole out as much or as little as you wish. Further, if it's not too busy, you can get some input from the owner of the stand.

Hibiscus, Ceylon, Oolong, Jasmine Green, English Breakfast Black, Raiboos, it's a great way to efficiently evaluate what is right for you. Also, though not technically a tea, Yerba Mate [Mah-tay] is delicious and hard to mess up.

Also, if you can track it down, I've enjoyed several toasted teas. I'm not sure if it's for everyone, as it kind of takes on a tobacco-ey taste on toasting, but it can breath some life into a milder tea.

Going for brand names, I usually stay with RedRose, Republic of Tea and Tazo, . . . and personal fave, Ito En.

[BucEyedPea]

Absolutely. Coffee is finer than most tea so the press works great. I am partial the Bodum brand.

I own a larger version of this that I use at home:
http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/1844-01US/

I own a version of this that I take each day to work:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-French-Coffee-34-Ounce/dp/B000KEM4TQ/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1414421699&sr=1-7&keywords=bodum+tea+press

This is the teamaker my girlfriend has:
http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-onetouch.html
Thanks but Holy Crap on the teamaker your girl uses. $249? Just for tea? Guess you have to be really into tea to put out that kinda money to make tea.

[Just Passin' By]

Thanks but Holy Crap on the teamaker your girl uses. $249? Just for tea? Guess you have to be really into tea to put out that kinda money to make tea.

There are less expensive alternatives, though Breville makes some great products.

[Baby Lee]

Thanks but Holy Crap on the teamaker your girl uses. $249? Just for tea? Guess you have to be really into tea to put out that kinda money to make tea.

There are less expensive alternatives, though Breville makes some great products.

Yeah, that's one of those 'won the lottery' purchases. I love Breville [I have their rice maker and deep fryer, though I rarely deep fry and should look to recoup the cost and sell it], and I love great tea. But that's a lot of added value that would have to go into each and every cup of tea to justify that large of a purchase of a uni-tasker.

I put that in the Sub-Zero fridge and Viking range category, with a much narrower utility.