Tea - the beverage

[Night Elf]

What is your go-to everyday tea? I got tired of earl grey and tried to branch out but the two that I bought just aren't great. I got Wild Berry Plum Green Tea and Wild Blueberry Tea, both from the Republic of Tea. I definitely do not like chamomile. I once had a plum tea at someone's house years and years ago and that is what I was trying to find by buying the green tea, but it doesn't taste like it. Should I try a different company? I do have a strainer so I can use loose tea but my preference is tea bags because they're less messy.

[marbel]

I don't like fruity teas, so I can't recommend a plum tea.  But I quickly googled it and see there are a few brands.  I guess you have no way of asking the person who served you plum tea?  I would keep trying different brands.  But it's possible the person served a non-commercial tea and you won't be able to duplicate it.  I was recently at a music festival and bought a few samples of teas to try.  If I like them, I might be able to find (and afford!) them again... :-)

 

I mostly drink pretty plain tea - Trader Joe's English Breakfast, and TJ's Green. Sometimes I get or make chai (spiced tea).  

 

 

[Guest]

Well, Earl Grey and chamomile are my two go-to teas, so I'm not sure I can help much. Lol

 

It seems you might like fruity teas? I tried one once that I really liked by Republic of Tea. It's one of the Downton Abbey teas called Mr. Bates' Brambleberry Tea, but if you read the description of what's in it I'm sure you could find that blend elsewhere. It was really good though. http://www.republicoftea.com/downton-abbey-bates-brambleberry-tea/p/v20236/

 

ETA: I just noticed that this tea has a 5 out of 5 rating. It really is good.

Edited August 23, 2017 by Kinsa

[regentrude]

In winter, I like hot chai tea or Lapsang Souchong , a smoked tea..

In summer, unflavored black tea, like English Breakfast or something else inoffensive with some sprigs of mint, chilled, with lemon, or a Raspberry/hibiscus herbal tea (Celestial Seasonings is fine)

 

For herbal teas, I enjoy Celestial seasonings Sleepytime, or some plain peppermint tea.

[emzhengjiu]

One of my favorite teas is Jasmine.  I also really like a peach honey tea. 

[Cinder]

My current favorite black teas are Three Gardens and Irish Breakfast from Republic of Tea. My current favorite herbal is Ease from Plum Deluxe. (Sorry, don't know how to link from my phone.) https://www.plumdeluxe.com .

[ScoutTN]

I enjoy Tazo brand Zen.

[Laura Corin]

I normally drink English Breakfast Tea, hot with milk added after brewing. I mostly use teabags.

[Tina]

I drink a lot of Twining's Earl Grey.  Lady Grey is a slight variation of that.

 

Tazo's Zen is a good green tea with lemongrass and spearmint.  First green tea I liked.  They also have a wild sweet orange tea.

 

Hibiscus teas are really good.  

 

Harder to find, but Taylors blackberry and raspberry is really good, too.

 

Edited August 23, 2017 by Tina

[Bluegoat]

I do just plain black orange pekoe, Red Rose brand (I don't know if that's a Canadian thing only.)  It's a very working class tea, but good - what I find I need to avoid with cheaper teas is a taste of dust.  

 

I go through enough that if I bought my favourite - Twinings earl grey - I'd be in the poorhouse, and hopped up on caffeine all day.

[Loesje22000]

Redbush is my standard tea.

Marrocan, Citrus, Winter are my 'special' ones.

[Ellie]

What is your go-to everyday tea? I got tired of earl grey and tried to branch out but the two that I bought just aren't great. I got Wild Berry Plum Green Tea and Wild Blueberry Tea, both from the Republic of Tea. I definitely do not like chamomile. I once had a plum tea at someone's house years and years ago and that is what I was trying to find by buying the green tea, but it doesn't taste like it. Should I try a different company? I do have a strainer so I can use loose tea but my preference is tea bags because they're less messy.

 

Mostly, I just like a good loose black tea. And it turns out that Lipton makes a good loose black tea. Who knew? I have a couple of infusers (well, several, but I have one or two favorites, depending on what I'm doing), which makes the loose tea less messy. I even use loose tea to make iced tea. I have added rose flavoring--tasty!--and Torani syrups to change the flavor.

 

I did try some teas from an on-line company called Glenbrook Farms. The teas I bought from them were quite good, albeit a little pricey. OTOH, they have a pretty good selection.

[gardenmom5]

I only drink herbal tea.   yogi throat comfort.  it's so yummy.   it has licorice root, so it doesn't need anything to sweeten it.

and it did actually help my throat when it was sore.

[Home'scool]

My daily tea is definitely Twinings Earl Grey - I have two cups a day at least.

 

If you are looking to branch out do you have a David's Teas anywhere near you? They have a ton of different flavors and are very good about letting you sample.

 

If you do go to David's Teas, you might also want to try the tea called "Mother's Little Helper". It is not caffeinated - it is more of a relaxation tea. It has Valerian root in it, which is nature's Valium. A cup of that and you will be sooooooo relaxed you won't believe it. I recommended it recently for my boss who was having a hard time shutting down at night. She bought it that day and around 9:00PM that night texted me that she couldn't keep her eyes open after drinking it. It has a nice peppermint flavor to it.

[Night Elf]

My doctor suggested I try a cup of tea at night to help relax me but we didn't talk about what kinds. Tea with caffeine wouldn't make sense, would it? That never even occurred to me! Okay, off to explore. I might look at the Celestial Seasonings at my grocery store. Dd buys the raspberry zinger.

[Guest]

My doctor suggested I try a cup of tea at night to help relax me but we didn't talk about what kinds. Tea with caffeine wouldn't make sense, would it? That never even occurred to me! Okay, off to explore. I might look at the Celestial Seasonings at my grocery store. Dd buys the raspberry zinger.

LOL - yeah, you definitely want to avoid caffeinated tea. Go herbal. Celestial Seasonings had several good evening ones. My personal favorite is honey vanilla camomile.

[marbel]

I think that Celestial Seasonings has some sampler packs.  May depend on the size of the store/market in the area.  

 

My son drinks CS Honey Vanilla Chamomile every single night before bed.  I generally don't like chamomile, but that one is not bad - it's not a strong flavor.   My daughter likes lots of different teas so we often have a variety around here.  We find a good selection at Walmart and our larger grocery store, where they are often $2.50 for a box of 20 teabags.  I also buy from Vitacost when they have them discounted or when I need something to bump me up a little for free shipping.  :-)  

 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

I drink Redbush at night - it naturally has no caffeine.  You can drink it with milk if you like.

[scrapbookbuzz]

A few years back I started drinking loose leaf teas. After about a year of doing that, I found I could no longer drink bagged teas because the taste

is just not the same. 

 

There are a couple of wonderful tea shops here. 

I know this one ships.

 

This one might but you'd have to call them and find out.

 

Just know that most looseleaf tea is higher end (better quality) than bagged so you will pay a little more for it.

 

Hope this helps!

[TrixieB]

My everyday tea is Red Rose. 

 

For a treat I like apricot black tea.  I *think* it's Barnes & Watson.  It's loose tea, in bulk from the grocery, so I'm not 100% on the name but it sounds right.

 

Also I like huckleberry cream tea but it's another of the loose teas in bulk and I don't know the brand.  If I have time I will stop by the grocery tonight to find out.

 

I've tried a number of teas from Republic of Tea but IMO they all seem weak.  I like my tea strong.  Perhaps two bags would do the trick?

[emzhengjiu]

If you have a Central Market (HEB) near you, they carry a variety of loose leaf teas in the bulk section.  By the pound, the tea is expensive, but we buy a small amount of different ones to try.  Also, try local Asian markets.  They can have some interesting teas.

[Ellie]

A few years back I started drinking loose leaf teas. After about a year of doing that, I found I could no longer drink bagged teas because the taste is just not the same. 

 

 

Truth! I wonder what the science is behind that??

[desertstrawberry5]

Truth! I wonder what the science is behind that??

 

Tea bags are lower quality, made with the leftovers from the whole tea leaves that go into the loose teas. The bags themselves often imbue a "taste" that you don't notice unless you're accustomed to teas without. 

[Night Elf]

My everyday tea is Red Rose. 

 

For a treat I like apricot black tea.  I *think* it's Barnes & Watson.  It's loose tea, in bulk from the grocery, so I'm not 100% on the name but it sounds right.

 

Also I like huckleberry cream tea but it's another of the loose teas in bulk and I don't know the brand.  If I have time I will stop by the grocery tonight to find out.

 

I've tried a number of teas from Republic of Tea but IMO they all seem weak.  I like my tea strong.  Perhaps two bags would do the trick?

 

I did try two bags. Still wasn't strong enough. It's like drinking lightly flavored hot water.

[Night Elf]

Anyone familiar with the store Earth Fare? I wonder if they would have teas. I could go check tomorrow but I'm finished running errands today. 

[Liz CA]

Rooibos or Honeyroo (Red bush tea with honey) from Mountain Rose. Comes in loose leaves.

 

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/teas/red

Edited August 23, 2017 by Liz CA

[EmilyGF]

Lady Grey Tea in the morning and Yogi ginger tea at night. But the ginger tea is hot! I make a huge mug to sip through the evening.

Emily

[Elizabeth86]

lol Im a southern girl. For me tea is sweet iced tea. There is no hope for me.

[Alice]

I like Constant Comment which is a Celestial Seasonings Tea. It's kind of orangey but not really overpowering. 

 

I also like Mint Tea, any kind. 

 

And my new favorite is Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice. It is so delicious, like drinking cinnamon candy. It has a natural sweetness so I don't even add sugar, and usually I like my tea sweet and milky. 

[theelfqueen]

Morning tea at my house is Irish Breakfast or English Breakfast (everyone drinks this). Later DH and I both drink Earl Grey.

[Χά�ων]

I grind my own spices to enjoy with my tea. I found a chai spice tea at the grocery store that I am OK with, but really, I am a snob.

[freeindeed]

Lately, I've been enjoying Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea. My current favorites are Mandarin Orange Spice and Blueberry. I drink mine hot.

[mmasc]

I like Harney & Sons green coconut or the blueberry. I like it iced, with just a touch of sweetener.

 

But I agree with others, if it's to wind down at night, go caffeine-free for sure! Maybe an herbal that's not chamomile?? Not sure of any suggestions on that because I like CS Sleepytime, which is chamomile.

[itsheresomewhere]

Harney and sons- white earl grey, earl grey, and the hot cinnamon. I also make mint tea from the garden:

[Seeking Squirrels]

Twinings English Breakfast tea. Hot with a tsp of sugar and a small splash of milk. Every morning with breakfast and often a second cup at some point in the day.

 

Twinings Earl Grey with a bit of honey in the evening. Decaffeinated if it's late, caffeinated if I'm having it closer to dinner. 

Edited August 23, 2017 by Whovian10

[KungFuPanda]

Irish breakfast tea with milk and sugar - twice daily (at least)

 

I also like fruity herbals, jasmine green tea, chai with milk, and oolong.

 

And pomegranate white tea.

 

And iced sweet tea :-)

[dirty ethel rackham]

A few years back I started drinking loose leaf teas. After about a year of doing that, I found I could no longer drink bagged teas because the taste

is just not the same. 

 

<snip>

 

Just know that most looseleaf tea is higher end (better quality) than bagged so you will pay a little more for it.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Once you go loose, you won't want to go back.  I have a friend who turned me on to some high quality loose tea, and I became a tea snob. I've been shopping at a local tea shop that makes up a sample of anything you want to try before you buy and they have great specials.  3 weeks ago, I started working there. 

 

Bagged tea is made from a lesser quality tea. Many of the store brands will be the fannings and dust left over from tea production. And, unless it is a silk tea bag, it will impart a taste. 

 

My favorites ... in the summer, for iced tea, I like a good English Breakfast with a fruity herbal tea.  Or a good matcha.  But for a relaxed sipping, I will make up a good oolong, like a Ti Kuan Yin or a vanilla oolong.  I can't have camomille ... it gives me a stuffy nose which isn't very relaxing.  So, I usually go with a flavored rooibos.  I have a delicious rooibos chai that I like at night. 

 

In the winter, I like a stronger oolong or a chocolate chai with a caramel black tea.  I'll have that with milk and honey.  That is my "It's 3pm and I'm jonesing for a candy bar" tea. 

[importswim]

PG Tips brand tea with milk and sugar. Repeat about 10 times a day.