Tea, Earl Grey, hot.

[mthrnite]

Hello campers, uncultured American here...

Recently I've been drinking a lot of coffee.. I mean a LOT of coffee. It's winter where I'm at and I'm poor, so the house stays pretty cold on the weeks my boys aren't with me. I'm becoming "too much coffee man" though and I'm in the market for a new hot beverage. Enter tea. I've been drinking Earl Grey (omg, trek nerd..) and I like it and all, but I'm hoping some of you who drink tea for a living (yep, talking to you Psyfira

) can point me to my perfect match.

I like it rich, and I like the slightly orangy flavor of EG but it's a little weak for my tastes. Do I double bag it? Keep the bag in longer? What about infusers, would that make it bolder.

I'm drinking the Twinings brand now, is there really any variations between brands.

If you can suggest a different tea, please do, as I don't really know where to start.

Otherwise, just tell me what your fave tea is. I'm all ears.

 

[[M]artin]

I go for the run-of-the-mill Celestial Seasonings brand. You know, the one that has that lazy ass bear with a pet cat on the box? Yeah, the Sleepytime flavor lives up to it's name and really knocks the shit outta me when I need it most. However they have other flavors like English Toffee, African Tea, and the popular "Tension Tamer" in case you feel like you're about to go Hulk on someone's ass.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Where do you live? If you can find a tea shop near you then I would recommend paying them a visit. Earl Grey is one of my personal favorites but you might want to try something more exotic like chocolate tea. As for a stronger tea, double-bagging it always does the trick.

For the preparation I use one of those coffee makers that use the disposable coffee pods. You can throw a couple bags in there or even a scoop of the dry leaves (depending on the brand you choose.) Infusers are okay but the tea will be better if it's brewed like coffee. I'm not too snotty when it comes to tea brands so I prefer particular flavors over certain brands. I know in the U.S. it can be hard to find really cool flavors so if you have a tea shop near you then you've hit the jackpot. Go in and grab two or three unique blends and see what you like.

For the record, I prefer more flowery teas (Chamomile, Earl Grey, Peppermint) over the berry blends. I have found most of the berries (blue, black, rasp) to be bitter. However, strawberry has a nice flavor, or flavour I should say, as it was imported.

I like black teas the best. Green teas are not my favorites, but a good peach white tea can really hit the spot. In fact, I've found most white teas need very little sweeteners, if any.

And as sweeteners go, stick with sugar. You don't have to worry about it not dissolving; you're throwing it into hot tea. Try to stick with just one lump (teaspoon) in order to keep a good balance between the tea's natural flavor and the sweetness. If you dump too much sugar in then all of your teas will pretty much taste like hot Kool-Aid.

Well, I hope this mini-guide helps you get started. Oh, and stay away from the Raktajinos. Damned Klingons. And Janeway can just go to hell.

 

[[M]artin]

^ Just wanted to let you know, you truly are my cruddiest of buddies.

 

[Opium]

I'm partial to White tea infused with Jasmine myself

Tastes great with one sugar and is a lot better for you than green tea.

If you want an orangey flavour find an orange infused tea.

 

[cruddybuddy]

artin,Jan 25 2007, 11:14 PM]^ Just wanted to let you know, you truly are my cruddiest of buddies. 

Hmm, my first response didn't make sense so let me say this...

Nay!

Now figure out what should come after the "nay" that would make sense.

 

[mthrnite]

Thanks a million cruddybuddy, just what I was hoping for in an intelligent post.
I don't think there's any tea shops around here (Raleigh, NC) but I'm hunting.
I've never heard of white tea, I thought green and black were the choices.. gives you an idea of my starting point.
The coffee maker idea is a good one, I'll try that right away.

 

[jtroye32]

I'm very fond of Ginseng tea.. it tastes great sweetened lightly and Ginseng is very healthy for your body and mind. I also like Oolong, Jasmine, and any mint flavored tea.

 

[cruddybuddy]

Glad I could help... did you make a mess yet?

 

[thegame07]

strange conversation to have on gbatemp i have never tasted any of they flavoured teas im happy with just normal teabag

 

[Psyfira]

You'll laugh but beyond "milk, no sugar" I'm really the wrong person to ask about fancy tea. As this rather amusing picture of the packing boxes on the top shelf of my wardrobe shows my favorite's the generic, Tesco's own brand. I suspect it's the same one sold in all UK supermarkets just re-branded to the store's own name, but I like it so much I'm not willing to experiment and find out

It's slightly stronger than most other brands, though not by much.

Twinning's breakfast tea's far too bland tasting for my liking, and I don't like Earl Grey at all. (tried it for free at work once and... no, just no)

 

[Harsky]

I bought a cheap box of Earl Grey to see what all the fuss was about (I always drink a large mug of Typhoo with 3 cubes or brown sugar). I can taste the citrus to it. Twinnings tea is just horribly overpriced... then again... Stephen Fry does advertise them....

 

[debaser]

my english is very bad so i'll cut to the chase!
my favorite tea flavor is Twinings's Prince of Wales, great tea, strong flavor and cool black label

Earl Grey is also good, specially with a litle of citric flavor.
the other brand i like a lot is Dilmah, but it's more expensive.

 

[fischju_original]

i dont drink coffee, even though i probably should, im too tall.....

the real reason i came here to to say that:
"Patrick Stewart, perhaps even better known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek, has been named as the next Cameron Mackintosh visiting professor of contemporary theatre. Based at St Catherine's College, and succeeding the director Phyllida Lloyd, he will make his inaugural lecture in April."
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/car...1997598,00.html

 

[Costello]

I love vanilla tea

in France I used to buy Twinnings tea but that's because there was no other choice. Earl grey is probably better.
So vanilla tea, a cloud of milk, and a little sugar. *drools*

 

[mthrnite]

As this rather amusing picture of the packing boxes on the top shelf of my wardrobe shows my favorite's the generic, Tesco's own brand.

You've seen the top shelf of Psyfira's wardrobe, but do you know the rest of the story?

Hopefully I can find some of these other tea flavors. I'm thinking Whole Foods Market probably has a good selection, since that's where all the rich people around here shop. Vanilla sounds yummy... and I'll also try the Prince of Wales, since I like strong, hairy, black tea. The kind real pirates drink!

Oh, and cruddybuddy.. I tried the coffemaker thing..

My travel mug coffee maker (using a single mug) + 3 tea bags emptied out into a filter + a spoon of sugar = VERY GOOD.
(and no mess!)

Thanks to all for the suggestions, keep 'em rollin' in.

And congrats to my man Patrick Stewart for being such an acting god!

 

[Harsky]

As this rather amusing picture of the packing boxes on the top shelf of my wardrobe shows my favorite's the generic, Tesco's own brand.

You've seen the top shelf of Psyfira's wardrobe, but do you know the rest of the story?

Hopefully I can find some of these other tea flavors. I'm thinking Whole Foods Market probably has a good selection, since that's where all the rich people around here shop. Vanilla sounds yummy... and I'll also try the Prince of Wales, since I like strong, hairy, black tea. The kind real pirates drink!

Oh, and cruddybuddy.. I tried the coffemaker thing..

My travel mug coffee maker (using a single mug) + 3 tea bags emptied out into a filter + a spoon of sugar = VERY GOOD.
(and no mess!)

Thanks to all for the suggestions, keep 'em rollin' in.

And congrats to my man Patrick Stewart for being such an acting god!

I FUKKEN LOLLED AT THE PICTURE.

 

[Psyfira]

*dies*. If only they came in boxes that big, I'd save a fortune!

 

[Jojjy Ugnick]

I've taken a liking to this vanilla earl grey... delicious.
I was also once a too much coffee man. I don't know how I did that to myself.

 

[Smuff]

I'm an embarassment to my country, I know, but I can't stand tea !!! The wife drinks it, but I really hate it.
I am a die-hard (probably literally) too-much-coffee-man. I must drink about 20 cups a day!
My mum keeps nagging at me about my smoking and how it's going to kill me, but I reckon the good old coffee will finish me off long before the ciggies get a look in.
I really should try tea I think.......