tea time!

[Wombat]

nom nom nom!

Due to upbringing, I can tell bad coffee from other coffee ... and that is about it. With tea, however, I get very serious.

First rule -- loose leaf over teabags any day!

I grew up with keemun, but have a love for most dark black teas -- must be the Scottish heritage. English, Scottish, and Irish Breakfast tend to be good (depending on the precise blending).

My buddy, who used to adamantly loathe tea, now loves Peet's version of Lapsong Souchang, or, as he calls it, Beef Jerky Tea.

 

[Thunderfoot]

Good old orange and black Pekoe for iced tea (like everyone else in America)

Hot teas depends on the situation -

Earl Grey is my favorite all around sit and sip, usually with a bit of sugar and cream, but I can take it straight too - it just depends.

If I'm sick, Peppermint or Sassafras tends to open up my sinuses and relax me to the point of snooze, possibly with a touch of honey if I have a sore throat.

English Breakfast is fine in the morning for --- big surprise --- breakfast, usually with cream and sugar.

Oolong is also great, especially if I'm eating Chinese food - hot, no sugar, no cream.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Earl Grey + Milk + Sugar = Great.

If pressed for time: Straight Tea + Milk.

On certain occasions: Mango-flavoured black tea + milk + sugar.

For cozy afternoons or when I'm ill, peppermint or roiboos tea are also great (especially the latter).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Ostfriesentee / East Frisian tea.

I come from East Frisia (Ostfriesland), and that's our traditional drink
On the page above, it is described as bitter/tart with a strong flavor.

I drink it with Milk (not cream, which would be the tradition) and Kluntje (a "rock sugar").

If you ever happen to come to Germany and visit East Frisia (which I recommend*), be aware of the tradition to leave your spoon in the cup if you are finished. If you don't, your host might keep giving you tea until you give up, and if you do prematurely (3 cups are custom), you might seem rude (or you feel treated rude, because you would have wanted more, but don't get it.)


*) We don't have Dirndls and stuff like that, though. We have the Ostfriesennerz and the North Sea Coast.

 

[Stormborn]

Being a southern boy I like iced sweet tea - and yes, you do have to sweaten it while its still hot or the sugar doesnt disolve correctly. People who bring you iced tea and say "but we have packets of sweatener on the table" do not know what they are talking about.

In certain kinds of weather I do like hot tea, specifically English Breakfast with an unwholesome amount of sugar - and please keep your dairy products away from my tea or I may have to smite you with a spoon. The English Breakfast is probally the influence of my wife, and thus the kind we have in the house, who is a southern girl with a British mother and a Scotish grannie. So she has all kinds of strange tastes.

I have a friend who drinks cups upon cups of instant tea everyday. No way I could do that. It tastes...instant.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I enjoy a cup of Earl Grey with a drop of honey and a tiny splash of milk.

 

[GlassJaw]

I've recently been introduced to the health benefits of drinking green tea so I've started to drink it more lately.

I keep it simple - just plain green tea with nothing in it.

 

[Merkuri]

I have a friend who drinks cups upon cups of instant tea everyday. No way I could do that. It tastes...instant.

I once tried instant iced tea (mix with water) when I was in college and didn't have enough room in my tiny fridge for bottled iced tea. That was some of the nastiest stuff I ever tried drinking.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Instant tea is pretty nasty.

Side note- I have never understood the adding of milk to tea. That doesn't even sound appealing enough for me to try.

But then again, the only things I add to my tea are lemon and/or ice.

 

[WhatGravitas]

Side note- I have never understood the adding of milk to tea. That doesn't even sound appealing enough for me to try.

It takes out the bitter aftertaste. And I prefer my tea as bitter as possible, then I add the milk - this gives me all of the flavour without being bitter.

Of course, black tea and derivatives (Earl Grey and so on) are the only ones where you should do that. If you add milk to green tea, peppermint tea, and similar teas, you'll get crap.

Cheers, LT.