Thread: Tea Anyone?

I like tea but haven't the money, time, or knowledge to be a true connoisseur, so while I'll take Irish Breakfast in the morning or Earl Grey in the afternoon if I can get it, Lipton is no problem.

That said, coffee is the elixir of life.

I'm intrigued by Scottish Breakfast tea, though--never heard of that before and will look for some. How does it compare to Irish or English Breakfast?

Ah--one more tea experience--Chander has described it already, I think, the tea I've come to know as masala tea. Not, as he said, the syrupy "chai" of the coffeeshops, but the pukka chai masala that you get in a real Indian restaurant or, if you're very lucky, an Indian household. Ahhh, truly one of the finer things.

I started drinking tea about a month ago and really enjoy
it. I order my loose leaf from www.specialteas.com Their
service is really good. I usually do an Irish breakfast in
the morning and then go with the Pu erh and green teas.

I used to drink huge amounts of coffee. The only side affect
I had was caffeine withdrawals because I pretty much
tried kicking the coffee habit cold turkey instead of weaning
myself off it. Thank God that's over.

By the end of the week I have an extra $40 in my wallet from
not hitting Dunkin' Donuts every time I go by for an extra
large coffee, plus less stress from them screwing up my order
every time.

John

Drink a lot of Lapsang, earl grey, chai and lady grey tea. No great fan of herbals but would really recommend Bengal Spice by celestial teas - gets sweeter the longer you leave the bag in. I give up coffee, like I do alcohol for about 30 straight days every year. Coffeee withdrawl hits me like flu symptoms - aching limbs and sore head - can't be good for you. Pity it is so gorgeous...

I have to second the lapsang tea over here, for anyone who likes scotch this tea is a must I think. Also, big on the greens (the more robust the better), and have recently gotten a taste for the puer (fermented) teas. Though like my guide in tibet told me, jasmine tea is best, and lately I'm thinking he just might be right.

I love tea! I drink about a half gallon a day, but I'm very picky. I have the green tea with cherry bits loose, sencha loose, then some bagged green teas with brown rice decaf, and bagged regular green tea decaf. I really like the flavors of the bagged and cherry green loose leaf. BTW I usually take that with no sugar or honey. Kinda ruins the flavor of the teas.

I was raised on my mom's good ol' sun-tea. There's nothing like drinking some country style sweet tea on those hot summer days.

With my parents being English i had plenty of early exposure (black tea only), but i grew up in Seattle drinking coffee through my senior year of highschool. Once i was paying my own bills, i began looking for another source of caffeine outside of starbucks and the like. I now drink tea exclusively, with two far and away favorites: gold ceylon, and jasmine pearl.

I absolutely detest most Earl Gray, although if you're willing to spend the big bucks to buy it in organic loose leaf it tends to be better.

On a bit of a tangent, some Russian cigarette manufacturers treat the tobacco leaves with the same process as earl gray tea leaves, for a very interesting effect.

Originally Posted by netsurfr

Love loose leaf tea... mostly green and white, but sometimes herbal. I started drinking it in lieu of coffee about 18 months ago. Within 3 months my cholesterol had dropped 50 points and has remained low ever since. For those that are curious, my overall level sits at about 150 with my HDL levels close to 60.
I drink 5-6 cups of tea most days.

Woah!
Dare I ask...did your triglycerides change that much?

I love me some Yerba Mate drank the traditional way solo. That's what I drink in my office all day. Fill a Mate Gourd with some loose Yerba Mate, fill with hot water, drink and enjoy

My favourite tea of all time is a now discontinued loose leaf tea from Twinnings - their Queen Mary blend (the light blue tin) was absolutely to die for - a great celyon tea with zero bitterness, and a buttery quality that I just couldn't put my finger on - no wonder Queen Mary was in love with that particular blend.

Nothing better than a good cuppa and a pipe to end the day though.

Mark