OT: Tell me about your favorite tea - YouLookFab Forum

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OT: Tell me about your favorite tea

Kari

Veteran

I know we've had several tea-drinking threads in the past, but given the amount of tea drinkers on the forum I hope it's not obnoxious to start another inquiry about what type of tea you are into. I'm curious to know what we are all drinking!

I am one of those who must start my day with a cup, if not an entire pot, of tea whether caffeinated or not. I've got to the point where I ran out of a lot of my favorite loose-leaf teas and am trying to rebuild my inventory, so part of the reason I'm starting this thread is to look for inspiration for new additions.

Recently I splurged by re-stocking some favorite teas at Teavana:
Youthberry white tea
Wild orange blossom herbal tea
(The last few times I've stopped by the Teavana store, they have featured a blend of the two above teas that I found delicious. When I bought the Youthberry tea, I actually learned that I've been brewing my white teas too long and at too high a temperature - apparently, by brewing my white teas as if they are an herbal, I've grown accustomed to very strong, unsweetened bitter tea.)

Honeybush Vanilla tea - an old faithful favorite.

My other favorite "daily" tea, which I have currently run out of, is jackfruit, which is a black/green tea blend.

I gave my mom a tin of tea from the Queen Mary called Southern Belle Rooibus for Christmas last year, and we all loved the sweet, warm flavor, but unfortunately this tea doesn't seem to be available any longer.

General

29 replies

Latest reply was from Kari

Tanya

Veteran

I am weird when it comes to tea. My family drinks herbal teas exclusively, so chamomile and peppermint tea are the most usual ones. Since I moved to USA, I have developed a taste for sweet milky once, such as Vanilla Chai Latte, Chinese Bubble Tea ( taro flavor in particular) and the absolute favorite, Thai Iced Tea! I have had three glasses once in a restaurant and got some really strange looks.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

The only kind that I really like is The Good Earth decaffeinated sweet and spicy tea- on a cold day with some honey.

Kari

Veteran

Tanya, I love Thai Iced Tea as well. SO yummy. I don't find that weird at all!
I guess that in terms of my own food categories, I think of it as more of a dessert because I usually order it at the end of a meal when I'm going out for Thai food. I mentally associate the creamy Thai iced tea flavor with peanut sauce, since I'm usually drinking it with Pad Thai or Swimming Rama with spinach.
We have a wonderful local Thai restaurant nearby where they serve the most delicious Thai iced teas in a clay pottery jar.

Khris, that sounds like the perfect accompaniment to a chilly day.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

OK, I lied- I like Thai Iced Tea, too.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

um.... and chai, too Ha ha!

Sparky

Veteran

DH and I drink a lot of the Stash teas, especially the white. White with mint and white chai are two faves. I also have a cup of Stash's herbal peppermint tea almost every night. We used to drink more loose leaf tea, but since the kids we tend to use Stash ~ we're just lazy now!

ETA: I also drink a lot of black tea and green tea, although DH sticks with mostly white tea. We have a lot of Stash English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast right now.

Inge

(website)

Loving this thread already (and saving it;-). Can you believe I've never tasted chai in my life, and we don't have bubble tea here, would love to try that too.

I usually like Rooibos and rosehip mixes and also really like Goji Berry Pomegranate Green Tea from Celestial Seasonings. Unfortunately the two stores that carried it here are no longer selling it-(
http://www.celestialseasonings.....omegranate

Kari

Veteran

Oooh, pomegranate is one of my favorite flavors. Inge, I may have to scope out something similar on this side of the pond.

I initially HATED bubble tea, and realized after a while that the texture of the gelatin/tapioca "bubbles" just grossed me out. Once I learned to ask for the tea with "no bubbles", the penny dropped because it essentially became a smoothie instead.

Inge

(website)

I think the pomegranate one is widely available in the US, Kari, it is after all an American brand.

I'm getting more intrigued by bubble tea by the minute. Good to know about the smoothie aspect. Thanks!

Beth

Veteran

I have a few. The only Earl Grey I really like is from Mariage Frères as the bergamot is softer than most. I also like Twinings Lady Grey tea and then Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice on really cold, dreary days.

Maya

Veteran

I really hate herbal tea, Thai iced tea, and any kind of fruity tea. I mean I really hate them. Thai iced tea is so sweet it makes me sick, and herbal and fruity tea just taste like hot cough syrup to me and smell even worse

I can only drink real tea made of tea leaves and not too much embellishment. I only drink black tea and on rare occasions white tea. Most Earl Grey tea has very weak tea flavor and too much bergamot, so I don't drink it frequently, but I do like it when the tea flavor is stronger. I also like black tea blends with vanilla, ginger, spices, etc...but the tea has to be stronger than the flavoring, and that is where most teas fail.

Not that it helps, but whenever my mom or dad make a trip to India, I have them stock up. We get mostly Twinings Assam tea and Earl Gray. It is very different from American Twinings, which is watered down and weak.

I also buy loose tea from a local shop here. It is my preference but not always convenient, so I do have tea bags. When I have no loose tea and no Indian tea, I drink Twinings Irish breakfast, which is the strongest I can get as far as mainstream American tea goes.

And always with caffeine.

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I dislike fruit teas - they just taste weird and smell like the fruit, but my taste buds do not agree with my nose! I have tried all sorts of green and black teas, but I always come back to tea in a bag (gasp) - Tetley! And when I go out, Tim Hortons Steeped. Always. mmmmmm.

Kari

Veteran

So funny the way our palates differ! I try to keep stronger & non sweet teas, like Earl Gray and English Breakfast, on hand in tea bags since I have some friends who prefer stronger tea.

Maya, I'll have to ask my dad if he tried local teas while he was traveling in India recently. I can't remember whether he did. (He's more of a coffee fiend, though.)

anne

Veteran

Like Maya, I predominantly drink what I think of as 'normal" tea - ie black tea (although I have milk in it). My favourite is Dilmah. I don't know if that is sold in the US. I drink upwards of 8 mugs a day of this!

The only other tea like drinks I have regularly are liquorice tea, and when I am in a cafe, Chai latte.

Polly (thunalata)

Veteran

I've never heard of most of these teas!

Our 'house blend' is equal parts assam and earl grey - Twinings or similar. I always forget to warn people about the tea leaves at the bottom of the mug... Decent people use tea strainers when they use tea leaves...

Kristine

Veteran

I'm completely addicted to Egyptian Licorice by Yogi teas. I also drink a lot of green tea, Tazo has a few good varieties like Green Ginger or Zen. Black tea is too harsh for me unless it's spiced chai.

Kari

Veteran

Hi there, Anne! How are you doing? It's wonderful to hear from you. I know you are largely computer-less at the moment so am glad that you popped in. Hope that all is well!

This is quite the educational thread - thanks to all for chiming in!

I forgot this, but I actually like licorice tea quite a lot. There's a licorice spice tea by Stash that I used to buy and it's quite good. I should stock up on that for work - I don't drink loose-leaf tea at work since it's too messy to clean up in our little shared kitchen.

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I like Earl Grey with milk and sugar in the morning, or Lady Grey without anything in it. I REALLY enjoy a nice first or second flush Darjeeling on the occasional afternoon.

Kate

Veteran

It's many many months since I had hot tea so I'll stick to what I've been drinking recently/

I have blueberry green tea, pomegranate white tea, and mango black tea (all from Trader Joe's) that I've been using to make iced tea lemonade when it's hot. I steep 4 or 5 tea bags (of one kind, not all three) in 1.5 quarts of hot water for a long time, then add a cup of sugar, a cup of lemon juice (bought in bulk from Costco) and then fill my pitcher up the rest of the way with water. It makes a total of about 3 quarts, is cheap, and is yummy and refreshing. We rotate which kind of tea we use to keep it exciting.

We also have a container of chai mix that prevents trips to Starbucks when we get a longing for an iced chai latte. And I love Thai iced tea too.

marianna

Veteran

On a daily basis I drink earl grey (Bigelow tea bags, nothing fancy). Generally I just drink it black, but occasionally I will use cream and sugar, or honey and lemon.

Anonymous

My very favorite is Assam tea, especailly Assam breakfast tea because it seems stronger. I mostly drink black teas but don't care for Earl Grey (the bergamot).
Jasmine is nice for sipping after dinner as is a tea with ginger. In the winter a good smoked black tea is perfect when sitting in front of the fire.
For iced tea I use black tea as well as green and white teas, but never sweetened.
Most are from Republic of Tea, loose leaf and brewed in a teapot. The loose leaf tea leaves just seem larger and of better quality than the stuff in bags.

bella

(website)

Veteran

We've been buying loose leaf Lychee Black tea for a while and really enjoy it.
As far as fancy tea bags go, I like pomegranate green tea, and Stash's organic chai.

Lisa

Veteran

Ok I am a big tea lover and am drinking quite a few daily at the moment.

Bag teas
Strawberry Acai Red tea by Republic of Tea
Jasmine Green Tea by Archer Farms
Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life by Yogi

Loose leaf teas
Pi Lo Chun by Teavana
Peach Momotoro by Teavana (flowering tea)
Weight To Go (strawberry flavored black tea) by Teavana

And one tea blend of Chai/Chai (White Ayurvedic Chai and Samurai Chai Mate)

Barbara

Veteran

Kari, here in the south, sweet tea rules but I usually drink mine without *GASP* sugar. And not very often. Not an iced tea fan, which I suppose might be illegal here in NC!

My favorite is Earl Gray with just a drizzle of honey and splash of cream. I also enjoy a wonderful white tea infused with raspberry that I found among the seasonal goodies while Christmas shopping last year at TJ Maxx. I'm not sure about the brand, but it's packaged in a beautiful tin container.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I drink STRONG Twinnings Earl Grey or Lady Grey with skimmed milk and sugar. Queen Mary loose leaf Earl Grey tea is my favourite in the world. (Again, strong with skimmed milk and sugar). Sometimes I'll drink English Breakfast.

I like green tea with sushi and oolong, jasmine or darjeeling tea with Chinese food. All black and strong.

Do not drink herbal tea if I can help it. Must have caffeine.

Love iced lemon tea when its hot.

Jonesy

Veteran

I prefer coffee, but occasionally drink tea. I like strong tea, with cream and sugar (if it's hot) or plain (if it's iced). We alternate between Twinings Earl Gray, Irish Breakfast, and English Breakfast for hot tea. We make "sun tea" for summertime, iced tea drinking, using basic Lipton tea bags designed for iced tea (fill a pitcher with water, put in a bunch of tea bags, set the pitcher in the hot sun until the tea is brewed to a very dark brown, put in fridge until cold, enjoy!).

Sharon

Veteran

We have a great shop called the Tea Centre where you can buy loose leaf tea. I love "Jasmine Downy Pearls" which are little balls that open out when you put them in hot water, and "Ceylon Battagalla" which is a black tea from a single plantation.

Black teas I drink with milk and sugar, despite the disapproval of the purists (hehe)

Marley

Veteran

I am just beginning to develop an appreciation for tea. I LOVE coffee so it's really about training my taste-buds to get used to tea! A few days ago I bought a tin of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl from the The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - and oh my, I love it! I just drink it straight because I don't want to ruin the delicate aroma of the jasmine flowers. So good! (I think it is a lot like what Sharon describes above!)

Kari

Veteran

Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions! (I'm longing to try jasmine tea now - sounds delicious.)