Tea

[Tez3]

I drink one to two cups of black tea in the morning with breakfast and then I usually have a green tea after dinner. I'm freaking addicted to SoBe Green Tea and Arizona isn't bad either. Oh and green tea with jasmine=awesome.

I have a question for Tez though: is there a major difference between Irish and English breakfast tea?

I think so, there's a Scottish one too. I expect it's the way the tea is blended for the local water. Tea blending is an art so like whiskys, cigars, bread and wines I think you have to find the blend you like.
The teabags sold in supermarkets can be a bland compromise which tries to please everyone. They are easier no doubt but tea leaves and a teapot can make it perfect.

 

[donna]

Love Earl Grey, am also partial to Chai tea, I like to brew my own Chai and experiment with the spices!

 

[morph4me]

I'm partial to Assam, dark and very strong.

 

[Sukerkin]

Aye, a potent brew indeed. Not to be an apostle about it ... but ... have I mentioned Lady Grey ?

Also, Everyday Tea (as advertised by Steven Fry) is exactly as it says. I consume quite a bit of this at work ... erm ... everyday in fact :lol:.

 

[Frostbite]

Aye, a potent brew indeed. Not to be an apostle about it ... but ... have I mentioned Lady Grey ?

Also, Everyday Tea (as advertised by Steven Fry) is exactly as it says. I consume quite a bit of this at work ... erm ... everyday in fact :lol:.

Stephen Fry the actor? I love his work. As far as Everyday Tea, that's the $2 a box stuff I get from Trader Joe's here in the States. It's actually quite good as far as cheap tea goes. They also have a $2 bottle of red wine that isn't half bad.

 

[Tez3]

Stephen Fry the actor? I love his work. As far as Everyday Tea, that's the $2 a box stuff I get from Trader Joe's here in the States. It's actually quite good as far as cheap tea goes. They also have a $2 bottle of red wine that isn't half bad.

That's Twining's Everyday tea. Stephen Fry has just done a series on America where he travels in aLondon taxi to every state, it's very good.

 

[Frostbite]

I love Mr. Fry. He's an inspiration to tea drinkers across the US.

 

[hpulley]

I am a big green tea snob. I only drink organic green tea from Japan, almost always from near Kyoto. Good green tea tastes good on its own so it needs no flowers or fruits in it.

Japanese tea is expensive and hard to get here but I insist on it anyways. The lady at a tea shop last night was selling "Made in China - Blended in Japan" green tea and matcha. She said they don't export any from Japan since they don't have enough for themselves. Not enough land. Sigh... last time I buy anything from that shop. I wouldn't mind it if she'd said, "They export very little and it is so expensive that no one buys it so I only sell the Chinese stuff instead," but she fibbed which I can't stand. Similarly one of the tea bag companies they use at work has a green tea which is made in China but which shows Fujisan (Mount Fuji), a Shinto gate and other Japanese trappings though it is made in China. Truth in advertising, eh?

Anyways, I enjoy matcha done properly at home (usually ryakubon date temae with an antique Japanese tetsubin, Kyoto made chawan, et al), and while at work sencha and meicha in a cheap tetsubin.

 

[BlueDragon1981]

Here you go.... check out what this site says about the health benefits of tea.... I'm sure you will like it....

http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Here you go.... check out what this site says about the health benefits of tea.... I'm sure you will like it....

http://www.whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=146

Great site!

 

[BlueDragon1981]

Yeah that site is like my "bible" for foods.

 

[girlbug2]

I like white and green teas both, although I drink them only in the mornings because otherwise I'm up all night. Cream clouds the clean taste of tea so I don't use it any longer. Sugar also detracts from tea IMO. Now and then a little honey is nice though.

The best herbal teas are made straight from fresh ingredients. Used crushed peppermint leaves to steep peppermint tea and sliced ginger to steep ginger tea (which is also a good cold remedy with honey and lemon btw).

 

[BlueDragon1981]

I like white and green teas both, although I drink them only in the mornings because otherwise I'm up all night. Cream clouds the clean taste of tea so I don't use it any longer. Sugar also detracts from tea IMO. Now and then a little honey is nice though.

The best herbal teas are made straight from fresh ingredients. Used crushed peppermint leaves to steep peppermint tea and sliced ginger to steep ginger tea (which is also a good cold remedy with honey and lemon btw).

One of the two things you mention that detracts is sugar. Interesting that sugar is "bad" for you. Cream although not entirely bad is not all that great.

You mention ginger and peppermint. Which are good for you. Peppermint is used to calm an upset stomach. America uses to much sugar and salt. Then our tastes start to acquire it and we feel we need it. We get enough sodium in what we eat naturally without even adding salt. What does that have to do with tea.... i don't know....

There is a doctor that told my grandfather to not drink tea. I was thinking does this doctor not read up on what he is saying. It is because of the caffeine. However it does not have that much caffiene in it. Not enough in my opinion to take the other health benefits away from him. What do I know though I'm just a simpleton. :yoda:

 

[David Weatherly]

I love Numi brand teas. Their Monkey King Jasmine Green is the best.

David

 

[Cette Hamster La]

Love Earl Grey, am also partial to Chai tea, I like to brew my own Chai and experiment with the spices!

If you put a moderate amount of dark molasses and a fair bit of honey in some of the spicier chai's you can make them taste very much like liquid ginger bread.

As someone who has long been of the opinion that tea's only taste like dirty water I've been happy to find that hot black tea's are actually to my liking. Still not sure I get green or cold sweet tea though.

 

[Aefibird]

I love a good cuppa! I'm with Tez and share the opinion that if everyone sat down with a nice cup of tea (and some good biscuits [cookies]) then we'd have world peace!

I will drink tea made with teabags, but much prefer it made the 'proper' way with loose leaf tea and a teapot (warming the pot first, naturally! )

My favourite teas are Earl Grey, Assam, Lapsang Souchong and Chai, especially a blend of Chai that is sold in a little specialist Asian food shop just down the road from where I live. It's quite heavy and spicy, but very very delicious.

I'm also partial to "builders brew" in a morning when it is my turn to go out and do playground duty at school. On a cold English morning when surrounded by hoards of pre-teens there's nothing like a strong cuppa to see you through!

For anyone not enlightened to the particular delights of the British working class "builders brew", it's a very strong cup of tea made with little milk but lots of sugar and often strong enough to "stand the spoon up in it". Popular with brickies on building sites, hence the nickname Builder's Brew.

 

[Marginal]

There is a doctor that told my grandfather to not drink tea. I was thinking does this doctor not read up on what he is saying. It is because of the caffeine. However it does not have that much caffiene in it. Not enough in my opinion to take the other health benefits away from him. What do I know though I'm just a simpleton. :yoda:

My grandfather had to stop drinking tea too. Just that much caffeine was enough to make him extremely dizzy.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Try white tea, it's got the least caffeine of all the varieties. Also, rooboos is another 'new' tea, no caffeine but a good mix of anti-oxidants.

 

[Drac]

I hope to make it to England some year and find a nice tea house and sample the tea and biscuts and maybe a resturant that make a decent Yourkshire Pudding..And then on to the pubs....

 

[Aefibird]

I hope to make it to England some year and find a nice tea house and sample the tea and biscuts and maybe a resturant that make a decent Yourkshire Pudding..And then on to the pubs....

If you make it over to England then THE place to go for tea and cakes is Betty's of Harrogate. Delicious hand-made cakes and the finest cup of tea in any cafe anywhere.

http://www.bettysandtaylors.co.uk/

Harrogate is a great place to visit and it's also situated in the best place in England - Yorkshire. Some folk call Yorkshire "God's Own County" and when you visit it it is easy to see why.

Yorkshire is easy to get to from Manchester airport too, which does flights to lots of places in the US/Canada.

As for a restaurant that makes decent Yorkshire Pudding then one of the best near me is Yorkies in Sheffield.

http://www.yorkiesofsheffield.co.uk/

They specialise in Puds but do other food as well.

There's also a little cafe/take away place by the Cathedral in Sheffield that do nothing but Yorkshire Puddings, with various fillings. I can't remember their name, but always have to pop in their if I'm passing that way. Not good for healthy eating, but too irresistable to resist!!

Anyway, back to tea. I'm drinking English Breakfast tea at the moment with a splodge of milk.