Drinking hot tea- literally

[Jan in SC]

Ok- I'm new to hot tea. I made some Yogi Bedtime tea. It smells like whole foods and tastes like something that Robin Williams would talk about in Good Morning Vietnam.

 

What am I doing wrong??

What teas do you suggest?

Is it not strong enough? Too strong?

Or is tea just yucky unless it's iced and filled with sugar?

[happi duck]

Did you follow the suggested steeping time? I find it really makes a difference!

[theelfqueen]

"Yogi Bedtime" and other herbals aren't tea, they're herbal infusions (as in it has no actual tea in it so it won't taste like the tea you're used to as iced tea or hot teas you may have had elsewhere)

[happi duck]

I just looked it up and it has a lot of ingredients.

 

There might just be one thing in there you're not liking. Licorice root can be pretty strong for someone new to tea.

 

You might try something with fewer ingredients so you can see what types of things you like.

[Jan in SC]

"Yogi Bedtime" and other herbals aren't tea, they're herbal infusions (as in it has no actual tea in it so it won't taste like the tea you're used to as iced tea or hot teas you may have had elsewhere)

 

Ahhhh! Ok- what teas do you recommend?

[happi duck]

"Yogi Bedtime" and other herbals aren't tea, they're herbal infusions (as in it has no actual tea in it so it won't taste like the tea you're used to as iced tea or hot teas you may have had elsewhere)

Good point!

[school17777]

Did you follow the suggested steeping time? I find it really makes a difference!

Yes, this! As well as the water temperature.

[Jan in SC]

I just looked it up and it has a lot of ingredients.

 

There might just be one thing in there you're not liking. Licorice root can be pretty strong for someone new to tea.

 

You might try something with fewer ingredients so you can see what types of things you like.

I did follow the steeping directions. It tastes like - awful- I'm gagging.

 

It might be the lavender, but I'm just guessing. Any recommendations for teas?

[The Girls' Mom]

If you want something caffeine free, but tastes more like tea you are used to, try Rooibos.  It has a slightly sweet taste and smell.  It is also good as a chai.  

[happi duck]

Tazo is a decent brand that is readily available.

 

I like their English breakfast tea which is a black tea. Eta: my family likes Tazo organic pan fired green tea

 

Black tea is what iced tea usually is made from.

 

Green tea is actual tea and has a fresh, grassy taste.

Edited May 11, 2016 by happi duck

[happi duck]

I did follow the steeping directions. It tastes like - awful- I'm gagging.

 

It might be the lavender, but I'm just guessing. Any recommendations for teas?

I find anything that steeps so long pretty intense and consider it medicine. :)

 

There's a Yogi tea I really like that is black tea with mint: Refreshing Mint Vital Energy.

 

I like the Yogi tea tags!

[hellen]

Rooibos is my favorite followed by honeybush. I'm not a huge fan of black or green. I dislike acidic herbal teas. You may just need to try different types.

[happi duck]

My mom drank Bigelow Constant Comment and Bigelow Cinnamon Stick so I have a soft spot for those and have them in my rotation.

[zoobie]

:rofl: at your description!

 

We like good old Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime for a comforting tea (hot herbal beverage? not sure if there's any actual tea in it)

 

Rooibos teas are naturally sweet-tasting to me, especially vanilla varieties

[marbel]

IME, you have to try some different teas till you find one you like.   

 

My son drinks Celestial Seasonings Honey Vanilla Chamomile every night right before bed.  He loves it.

 

The scent of chamomile makes me slightly ill. Can't stand the stuff!  I dislike rooibos too, though everyone else seems to love them.

 

 

[school17777]

So you don't waste it, I would turn it into an iced tea with sugar.

 

I'd boil a pot of water and add all the tea bags plus 1/2-1 cup sugar and steep for ten minutes. Serve over ice. You might like it this way because the sugar will/might mask the flavor that you don't like.

[happi duck]

I think if you contact Yogi they might send you a sample pack.

[ktgrok]

Rooibos is my favorite followed by honeybush. I'm not a huge fan of black or green. I dislike acidic herbal teas. You may just need to try different types.

 

I'm pretty sure Rooibos and Honeybush are the same thing :)

[Jan in SC]

So you don't waste it, I would turn it into an iced tea with sugar.

 

I'd boil a pot of water and add all the tea bags plus 1/2-1 cup sugar and steep for ten minutes. Serve over ice. You might like it this way because the sugar will/might mask the flavor that you don't like.

I'm not sure I can stomach the idea of that. My mouth is still angry with me. I don't really drink much iced tea anymore, but I have a slight (ha!) Coke addiction. My belly is annoyed by it, but I love it. I'm trying to switch to tea, or even coffee, but I'm so bad at this.

[Jan in SC]

Thanks! I really appreciate all of the suggestions. I'll keep trying different brands.

[hellen]

I'm pretty sure Rooibos and Honeybush are the same thing :)

I just googled it. According to whistlingkettle.com they are cousins. Honeybush is a bit sweeter. They are both from South Africa. Rooibos is also known as red tea and red bush.

 

That reminded me of a time when I tried a fancy black tea. It smelled like fish to me. My friend who had it with me thought I was nuts. She didn't smell or taste anything fishy at all.

[purplejackmama]

I have a slight addiction (never leave home without a couple tea bags) to Hot Cinnamon Sunset by Harney & Sons. It's so good!! And no one in my family likes it, so BONUS!

[Penguin]

I am also new to drinking tea. I tried Sleepytime and thought it was nasty. Then I tried ginger tea, and really liked it. I drink it every night. Sometimes I drink ginger tea (from a teabag) and sometimes dissolve a packet of ginger-honey crystals in hot water.

 

Like a previous poster said, none of what I mentioned is actually tea, because there are no tea leaves. They are infusions.

[Anne]

I think if you can identify the kind of flavor you like, it would be helpful, i.e., fruity or minty or cinnamon.

 

I like plain black tea with milk or plain green tea by itself.

 

I like minty flavors and I like cinnamon flavors.

 

I do NOT like fruity flavors or roobois  teas at all.

 

I like the constant comment mentioned above very much.

 

You're really just going to have to try and taste a few different teas to narrow it down!

 

 

Anne

 

 

[muttmomma]

English breastfast(steeped perfectly) with half and half and a touch of honey is wonderful in the morning.

Non caff, we love peppermint, lemon ginger, & vanilla chamomile.

[TammyS]

You have to try lots of teas to see what you like.

 

You also have to brew them properly.  Take the water off the heat just before it boils.  Steep the tea for 4 minutes, then remove the bag (or ball or whatever you are using).  Add a bit of sweetener if you like.  If you do those things and you still don't like it, you just don't like that tea.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Here we like:

Bigelow Cinnamon Stick

Twinnings Earl Grey

Celestial Seasoning's Sleepytime (since childhood)

Bigelow Green Tea (but only in the morning)

TRoT=The Republic of Tea: Ginger Peach

TRoT-Blood Orange

TRoT Blueberry Green Tea (Superfruit)

Traditional Medicinals  Hibiscus Tea

 

The biggest drawer in my kitchen is for tea, most of it is DD's.

[Liza Q]

My favorites right now are:

 

Bigelow Constant Comment and Ginger Snappish

Twinings Lady Grey

Yogi Blueberry Slim Life Green Tea

 

These are all easy to find in the supermarket.

 

If you have some friends who drink tea, ask them to bring you a bag of their favorites. This way you can try a variety without buying a bunch that you may never drink.

[Rebel Yell]

You may also see the word "tisane" used for an herbal "tea". DH works at a tea store, so we know more than we ever wanted to about tea here. 🙄 But we still use "tea" for just about any hot drink made with a tea bag or loose leaves. Takes longer than it does for the water to boil to go through the list, "does anybody want tea, tisane, an infusion, a decoction, Yerba mate, green tea, white tea, blah blah blah." 😄

 

I personally hate licorice, most especially in tea. I find chamomile very soothing, but I cannot drink it hot, I have to let it get to room temperature. Actually, a lot of herbal teas taste better to me unsweetened and at room temperature. Some of the tension tamer or sleepy time teas have a flavor or ingredient I don't like, but they work like magic so I just drink it as quickly as I can.

 

I hope you find something you like!

[HomeAgain]

I will say, there is a big difference in teas.  If you want a good, well-flavored cup please skip the tea bags.  Go for a loose leaf - it is almost always going to be better.  I think the only thing I have in a tea bag is a chamomile, and that's because it's our go-to when we're feeling under the weather/

 

 

[happi duck]

My favorites right now are:

 

Bigelow Constant Comment and Ginger Snappish

Twinings Lady Grey

Yogi Blueberry Slim Life Green Tea

 

These are all easy to find in the supermarket.

 

If you have some friends who drink tea, ask them to bring you a bag of their favorites. This way you can try a variety without buying a bunch that you may never drink.

This is a great idea!

 

I love sharing teas. When we have guests people hesitate to try something new because they don't want to "waste" it. I let them know that it's okay if they don't like it and end up dumping it out. People have found favorites this way and that makes me happy!

[4ofus]

I'm kind of a lazy tea drinker but I do LOVE hot tea & drink it daily. My very favorite (for years!) is Mighty Leaf Jasmine Green Tea. Yum. The best green tea in a bag imo. In fact, I am drinking it right now!

 

My favorite hot non-tea is peppermint. Mighty Leaf is still my brand of choice, but I also have leaves from my garden that I dried. I steep those~ delicious.

 

Seriously, try ML Jasmine Green Tea. Yes, it is pricey but it is delicious. If you need something sweeter to help you transition from other, sweeter, beverages, the ML Green Tea Tropical might fit the bill. 

 

I promise I'm not a commercial, but I LOVE Mighty Leaf! Brand matters a lot! You have to find one you like.

[hornblower]

Seeing what you guys describe as tea, I now understand the despair of British or Canadian Anglo tourists in parts of the US, when they can't get a cup of what we call tea. 

Try a basic English Breakfast or, for a lighter flavour, an Earl Gray. I drink it black or with (unsweetened soy) milk. Dd adds sugar to hers.  We go through several pots a day. There's pretty much always hot tea happening here. We drink it year round. 

 

You make it like this  -- except we make it a large pot at a time. 

I think the best readily avail brand in regular grocery store is Twinings. *Avoid* Tetley & Red Rose. 

In the evening, we often have an herbal tea. That's a whole different thing altogether. 

 

[Ellie]

If you want real tea, then you want a black tea, something like English Breakfast, or Darjeeling. And you want loose tea. Tea bags just don't have the same flavor; IDK why.

 

For a black tea, you want the water to boil, but only just. :-) Use a large teaspoon of loose tea in a infuser (easier to use than a tea ball something like this. It will fit in your favorite mug, or in your favorite tea pot). After four minutes, remove the infuser and sweeten your tea. I like to add cream to mine--not milk, not half-and-half, but cream. And not lemon, not in hot tea.

[knoxinsox]

We like the Twinings Irish Breakfast---our whole family drinks it with milk and sugar, right on down to the 6 year old.  

 

I also love Constant Comment, Hot Cinnamon Sunset,  and Chai hot. But I add sugar and milk to them as well.  I find that all tea needs sugar, but that's probably just my inner sugaraholic talking.  My DH likes fruity things like Celestial Seasonings Apple Cinnamon, and Mango or Peach something or other.

 

Ginger Pear, Spicy Chai and Mint Melange from Trader Joe's are great iced with a 1/2 cup or so of sugar to a half gallon of water, but we drink them hot sometimes too.  Of course, we have iced Southern Sweet Tea around 24/7/365. 

[HomeschoolingHearts&Minds]

Yes, loose black tea in an infuser (or an herbal if you want no caffeine).  It really is completely different from tea bag tea.  Mighty leaf is pretty good, though (they use whole leaves instead of microscopic bits).

[Calah]

I have never met a Yogi tea I liked and I like tea! A lot of tea is personal preference. Black tea is best for morning or day, with milk and sugar (personally.) It is caffeinated so try not to drink it before bedtime. Though, I'm English so hot black tea is the any-time-of-day-cure-all in my house. Green tea for bedtime - I would recommend just a plain chamomile. It will help but will have a milder taste than Yogi. If you want to get into herbal blends, try something like lemon or raspberry - any flavor you usually like in your other food and drinks. I love lemon because it tastes so clean. Echinacea tea also had a nice taste to it but it makes your tongue tingle. I never put any kind of milk or sugar in my green or herbal teas... Blasphemy! All though, I'm sure some people like it. But you can always add a little honey or lemon to give it a boost. The best way to get started is to buy a variety pack of tea. That way you have lots of options without being stuck with a whole box of tea you hate. Water temp and brew time make a big difference. Also, try not to squeeze your tea bag when you pull it out of the cup because that is a good way to get an extra jolt of bitterness in your cup.

[Joyofsixreboot]

For a cinnamon spice w/orangish- Constant Comment

For refreshing herbal-Tazo Refresh Mint

For bedtime -Celestial Seasonings Lemon Jasmine sleepy time. NOT the original which tastes like grass!

Like everything else you have to try stuff to find out what you like. Maybe try a variety sampler.

[Joyofsixreboot]

For a cinnamon spice w/orangish- Constant Comment

For refreshing herbal-Tazo Refresh Mint

For bedtime -Celestial Seasonings Lemon Jasmine sleepy time. NOT the original which tastes like grass!

Like everything else you have to try stuff to find out what you like. Maybe try a variety sampler.

If there is a Teavana near you go taste test some things.

[Cinder]

Ok- I'm new to hot tea. I made some Yogi Bedtime tea. It smells like whole foods and tastes like something that Robin Williams would talk about in Good Morning Vietnam.

 

 

Lol. I remember one of the first times I had tea--it was a Good Earth tea recommended by a friend as her favorite. Blech! It was like hot twigs and grass. :laugh:

 

Now I drink all kinds of tea even though I'm mostly a coffee person. My current favorites are The Republic of Tea British Breakfast (black, no sugar--though I occasionally have it with whole milk) and The People's Green Tea. I also like Twinings Irish Breakfast and Earl Grey as well as Organic India Red Mango. Dh prefers Tazo Green Ginger and Stash Vanilla Chai.

 

Steeping time can really make a difference. When I first tried rooibos I didn't really care for it. I had been steeping it for 5 minutes. Now I steep it for only 3 and I like it much better.

 

Enjoy experimenting! Maybe we should all send you a couple bags of our favorites so you can try a wide variety?

[sassenach]

I'm not sure I can stomach the idea of that. My mouth is still angry with me. I don't really drink much iced tea anymore, but I have a slight (ha!) Coke addiction. My belly is annoyed by it, but I love it. I'm trying to switch to tea, or even coffee, but I'm so bad at this.

So do you want caffeine or not? Any sleep tea is going to be herbal and contain chamomile, which is pretty gross tasting (but does help you sleep). If you want something caffeinated, go for black tea. I would start with a breakfast tea to get a taste for the base, then you can branch out to different flavors. Take care not to over-steep black tea. It gets bitter.

[HeWillSoar]

My favorites are Early Gray, Lady Gray, and Bigelow's Constant Comment.

[Donna]

My favorites are Barry's Irish Breakfast tea (only brewed a few seconds), any kind of Chai without licorice flavoring, and some of the flavored teas that come out in the fall.

[Jan in SC]

So do you want caffeine or not? Any sleep tea is going to be herbal and contain chamomile, which is pretty gross tasting (but does help you sleep). If you want something caffeinated, go for black tea. I would start with a breakfast tea to get a taste for the base, then you can branch out to different flavors. Take care not to over-steep black tea. It gets bitter.

I need caffeine. Need!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been brave enough to try anymore, but I will tomorrow.

[lailasmum]

I drink many cups of tea every day and I usually drink Yorkshire Tea. The only herbal teas I like are nettle and peppermint or just nettle. Nettle has more body than most herbal teas so it's a lot nicer. 

[theelfqueen]

My go to black tea is Republic of Tea Earl Greyer and the Downton Abbey blend (which is an Earl Grey with a hint of vanilla).