What is a nice cup of tea?
Here in Ireland, where tea drinking is a national pastime - the definition of tea being black tea (Barry's or Lyon's), milk and maybe sugar. Obviously that's my favourite type of tea (lots of milk,two sugars, please), but I'm also partial to Earl Grey with a slice of lemon (no milk...ever!), Japanese green tea (o-cha) and peppermint tea. What type of tea do you like and how do you like it?
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28 Comments:
Please excuse my terrible grammar in the 1st sentence there, change the hyphen to a comma and "being" to "is"!
Mitsi at 6:49PM on 10/23/07
Barry's for me! With a good shot of milk - whole milk only, please - but no suger. And a couple of shortbread cookies on the side!
The Irish store where we bought our Barry's tea has closed. :-( Going to have to find a new source.
kjgibson at 7:16PM on 10/23/07
I'm a huge tea drinker. I love English Breakfast tea straight up (maybe a dash of honey but it isn't necessary). I love all green teas with lemon and honey. So delicious! I have never added milk to my tea personally, but I have had chai tea lattes before and also adore those!
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 7:18PM on 10/23/07
Relax Tea from Aveda. Or a Vanilla Soy Chai Latte.
StudentStomach at 7:32PM on 10/23/07
I don't drink alot of tea, but my husband has multiple cups a day. His current favorite is from Harney and sons. He loves the mango, and also likes peach ginger twist. No milk, sugar or honey- he takes it plain.
Mich23 at 8:03PM on 10/23/07
For basic tea, I like Red Rose (Lipton - bleah!). I also drink lapsang souchong; Earl Grey or jasmine (black or green); rose-flavored black (though I worry some about the pesticides...); and chai, which I usually make myself. I have lost my taste for herbal tea completely, except for rooibos.
Generally I drink black English tea or lapsang with sugar only; chai with milk and honey; and green or jasmine tea straight up.
Guilty pleasure: green tea frappuccino from Starbucks (though I ask for less melon syrup, because it's overly sweet as it is).
emily20008 at 8:29PM on 10/23/07
pg tips for me. brewed in a big french coffee bowl, with lots of milk and two lumps of raw sugar. heaven!
cybercita at 9:15PM on 10/23/07
Lately I have been drinking a lot of P.G. Tipps, which is an English favorite. I use a little local honey to sweeten it because I've heard that using local honey helps reduce allergies (something about the pollen). The "Refresh" variety at Starbucks is a wonderful caffeine-free option...and it truly is refreshing with a bit of mint to clear your head.
July at 9:35PM on 10/23/07
Gotta go with the stuff i've been drinkin since I was a wee child, Jasmine tea that comes in the gold tin in asian markets. No sugar milk or anything, so refreshing and even good for you too!
kitchenlove at 11:39PM on 10/23/07
Tetley's, well brewed, with milk and sugar. (Although I prefer Barry's now.) Tea all day long; that's how I grew up. My mother, Edna, and my aunts, Peggy and Dorothy, easily downed ten cups each per day. I was raised in an Irish-American family, and the answer to the good, the bad, the ugly, was a nice, hot cup of tea. (And I can still hear my mother say, "Barbara, put the kettle on...")
My uncle was a bartender, but that's another story!
Barbara Hanson at 1:46AM on 10/24/07
Tetley's. Lots of milk, no sugar. In the afternoon I sometimes like Lady Grey or Earl Grey (no milk obviously). When I'm at home in London I also love to buy the Afternoon Blend from Patisserie Valerie which is, for some unidentifiable reason, very delicious. It's lovely with milk. For herbal 'tea' I like rosehip. When I lived on the island of Fyn in Denmark, we used to gather the rosehips, which were abundant, and make it fresh.
caley at 3:03AM on 10/24/07
i drink about 5 cups of tea at work and it's usually peppermint, green or chamomile - straight up - no milk or sugar.
occassionally i like a good english breakfast tea with a splash of milk - no sugar.
ceforrester at 7:25AM on 10/24/07
for everyday, twinings earl grey or green tea and peppermint or redbush tea.
but my favourite tea is: Kusmi Tea. it's really fragrant.
i also love the teteria's in Granada. Here is a great article about them. my fave flavour is the pakistani.
astarteny at 9:48AM on 10/24/07
I am a celestial seasons gal. I love love love them. I chamomile and lemon zinger and this month apple and spice. I keep a good collection in house in a covered basket for guests to have tea. I do have a wooden crate of loose english breakfast tea for when I make a pot. I like to buy american because a tradition cannot start unless it is supported. Celestial Seasons is an american company (now affiliated with Hain) with a great mission to make american tea sexy.
I support them in their mission.
JerzeeTomato at 1:50PM on 10/24/07
I don't know if any of you guys live in NY but there is an amazing tea store called sanctuary tea. check it out...google it.
waterbaby at 5:10PM on 10/24/07
I like chai with milk, berry tea with milk and raspberry white tea -- no milk, with organic sugar. I'm not a big tea drinker, but I like these. I was introduced to chai at the Univ. of Oregon, and I've been hooked since then. The first time I tried it, I thought to myself, "This tastes like pumpkin pie!" One of my dorm mates was from India, and she made a pot of chai with a bunch of ingredients; it was the best I've ever tasted.
misseditor at 6:13PM on 10/24/07
Rarely drink tea, but when I do it is usually a plain cup Tazo Chai
JEP at 7:02AM on 10/25/07
I usually drink Jasmine tea. I re-stocked with with a batch of Chrysanthemum tea and Red tea with lychee. No milk or sugar.
Zelnox at 8:35AM on 10/25/07
English breakfast tea (my basic brand is Whittards, a tea and coffee retail chain in England), brewed strong, with milk and splenda. I'm not a big fan of fruit flavored teas; they always taste a little sour to me, and I definitely prefer a smoother flavor.
ChristineB at 11:03AM on 10/25/07
FYI, these Tea Forte teas are delicious, and make a beautiful gift.
ChristineB at 11:04AM on 10/25/07
I was brought up on PG Tips in England, mainly so we could collect the cards I think, but as as an adult I turned to Earl Grey. I am obviously a heathen based on other comments, but I found that my favourite was Tesco's own E.G. (which I do drink with milk). When we moved to New England I couldn't find an E.G. that I liked so had every visitor bring my english favourite with them. Eventually I knew that I would have to find something locally and have now found that Pricechopper have a Central Market Earl Grey which deliciously similar not to make a difference.
The best cups of the day have to be, and piping hot, the first in the morning and when I come back from a shopping trip.
mothergoose at 1:45PM on 10/25/07
The big deal for me is NO TEABAGS, especially for black teas! The difference in flavor between quality loose tea and the stuff they put in teabags, is simply mind-blowing. I use my french press to brew a pot, or to make a concentrate for iced tea. Very convenient and no annoying leaves in my cup! (I use the remnants to mulch around my azaleas and camellias)
Lately, my black tea of choice, both iced and hot, has been ceylon. But I love almost all of them! Black teas and chamomile with milk or straight; earl grey and green teas always straight up. No lemon in hot tea, but iced is okay. No sweetener in any tea -- except honey in my chamomile or peppermint when I'm not feeling well.
And we drink 2-4 gallons of iced tea weekly on average, depending on the weather. Since hubby and stepson are southerners, we always have two pitchers -- one sweetened for them, one plain for me and my son. My daughter is a switch hitter!
LoCo at 2:53PM on 10/25/07
A nice, smoky cup of Lapsang Souchong on a cold day is incredibly satisfying.
blog in my soup at 3:50PM on 10/25/07
English Breakfast Tea if I need caffeine, and CS Sleepytime tea if I definitely don't. Both with a touch of sugar.
flootsmith at 4:29PM on 10/25/07
French Vanilla Black Tea with a little milk and splenda.....I wish I had some now!
tuffjet at 4:50PM on 10/25/07
I'm awful. I love the cheapest stuff on the grocery shelf - Celestial Seasonings. Sleepytime, Tension Tamer, and Vanilla Green Ginger Chai.
Of course, I don't buy these often because I get Tazo for free at my job. I love the Relax best, but I'm also partial to the Calm, Chai, and Green Ginger. The Wild Sweet Orange, however, makes me want to puke.
Sometimes, I add a little Silk and honey to Earl or Lady Grey. Otherwise, I like my tea straight up.
KarynMC at 7:20PM on 10/25/07
It became obvious to me just the other day that I've led a very sheltered life. At least in terms of tea. I was given some quite-fancypants teas as a gift, and for the first time in my life have been exposed to . . . silk tea sachets. They are amazing. Like little bits of lingerie.
My favorite tea (using the word loosely to include tisanes) up till now comes from Teaism.
Tisanes: Star of Africa Rooibos (from a South African plant), yellow plum, orange, apple, papaya, pineapple & ginger. A fruity blend that is great iced!
It's a very rich and satisfying Rooibos, and beautiful too.
Karen Resta at 9:11AM on 10/26/07
Morning tea is Republic of Tea ginger peach or blackberry sage with honey.
Afternoon tea is Lipton (I know) with cream and sugar.
Evening tea is CS cranberry or peach with sugar.
Kerosena at 11:26AM on 10/26/07