Another tea drinker here! I usually have English or Scottish breakfast, but also chai, matcha, and various herbal teas. A company called T2 have some nice tea varieties and I bought some of their colourful teaware too in the past. Some of their loose leaf teas look a bit like potpourri! You've reminded me that I wanted to try the Egyptian blue lotus flower tea, but haven't got round to buying it yet. I've heard that some really special tea brews can cost thousands. Have also had a go at making my own using fireweed (Rosebay Willowherb) which grows everywhere. You can either ferment or dry the leaves depending on whether you want to make a black tea or a green tea. The Russians used to do this before Chinese and Indian teas took over.
Somehow I had a feeling you were a tea gal LOL. I love chai. I usually order a chai latte when I'm at a coffee shop and thankfully they almost always have it. Matcha - yes, thanks for the reminder. I have it on hand, but use it more for cooking or smoothies. Something we have here that I love is yerba mate. You can get it loose in a bag like coffee, or in a can, similar to a soda (but not carbonated). It is a great caffeine boost. As for the blue lotus, I don't know if it is lotus or not, but my son once gifted me with some lovely blue tea, complete with a clear glass cup to enjoy it in. I also have some loose tea that contains cacao. Yay! I forgot to mention rooibos. I like it, but because it doesn't contain caffeine, it sorta slipped off my list. I need to remedy that.
I am also a tear person first thing in the morning (English mum), but I do drink one coffee as well later in the morning. Like you, I prefer Yorkshire and Earl Grey. Most coffee houses only carry English breakfast for their black tea. I do love a good London Fog at a tea house. I secretly believe that so many Brits live to such a ripe old age because of all the tea they drink.
Aha! Learn something new every day. I mentioned I had tried that Victorian London Fog from Harney's. I thought maybe it was a type of tea. Good to know!
I've been drinking green tea for health reasons. If I stayed with it, I thought, the taste would grow on me. Two weeks in and every sip reminds me of a dental office.
It is definitely a different flavor than the black, but yes, supposed to be very healthy. I drink it often on my free day as well as decaf green in the afternoons/evenings. Are you drinking it hot? I think the brewing time on mine is about 3 minutes. If you steep it any longer than that, yep, it doesn't need a cup. Pro tip: if you don't care for it that way, let it cool and drink it like you would iced tea. I like mine with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
I never thought I would read such an adorable article about tea. I must confess I'm not a hot tea drinker. I'm more of an sweet iced tea person. My daughter and I both hate it when we ask for sweet tea at a restaurant and get a glass of tea. When we ask why it's not sweet they say there's sugar on the table. Does anyone really sweeten their own tea anymore? And the fact that now a days, tea is higher in costs than sodas. Which used to be the higher costing drink at a restaurant for years if you don't count mixed drinks. I'm also not a coffee drinker either. I put more cream and milk in my coffee so I don't taste that bitterness. LOL Miss you friend.
Miss you, too. So glad to see you here. Agree re the coffee - I always tell people the only way I can stomach it is if it is full of milk and whipped cream and in the olden days, amaretto or kahlua. There's a ski lodge in Colorado that used to have the best kahlua and coffee. But I digress. It's different here in Texas, as you well know - the sugar is already in the tea at our restaurants. And if you order it unsweet, you get a weird look, and they ask if you also want the packets of the pink stuff. Steve and I had lunch at Chili's recently and I think my order of unsweet tea was $3.50. At least the refills are free???
Another tea drinker here! I usually have English or Scottish breakfast, but also chai, matcha, and various herbal teas. A company called T2 have some nice tea varieties and I bought some of their colourful teaware too in the past. Some of their loose leaf teas look a bit like potpourri! You've reminded me that I wanted to try the Egyptian blue lotus flower tea, but haven't got round to buying it yet. I've heard that some really special tea brews can cost thousands. Have also had a go at making my own using fireweed (Rosebay Willowherb) which grows everywhere. You can either ferment or dry the leaves depending on whether you want to make a black tea or a green tea. The Russians used to do this before Chinese and Indian teas took over.
Somehow I had a feeling you were a tea gal LOL. I love chai. I usually order a chai latte when I'm at a coffee shop and thankfully they almost always have it. Matcha - yes, thanks for the reminder. I have it on hand, but use it more for cooking or smoothies. Something we have here that I love is yerba mate. You can get it loose in a bag like coffee, or in a can, similar to a soda (but not carbonated). It is a great caffeine boost. As for the blue lotus, I don't know if it is lotus or not, but my son once gifted me with some lovely blue tea, complete with a clear glass cup to enjoy it in. I also have some loose tea that contains cacao. Yay! I forgot to mention rooibos. I like it, but because it doesn't contain caffeine, it sorta slipped off my list. I need to remedy that.
I am also a tear person first thing in the morning (English mum), but I do drink one coffee as well later in the morning. Like you, I prefer Yorkshire and Earl Grey. Most coffee houses only carry English breakfast for their black tea. I do love a good London Fog at a tea house. I secretly believe that so many Brits live to such a ripe old age because of all the tea they drink.
I do see Earl Grey at coffee houses occasionally. Good for them. Which London Fog brand do you recommend? I will give it a go.
Here in Canada, a London Fog just means ordering an earl grey mixed with steamed milk. It’s a standard in most coffee shops.
Aha! Learn something new every day. I mentioned I had tried that Victorian London Fog from Harney's. I thought maybe it was a type of tea. Good to know!
I've been drinking green tea for health reasons. If I stayed with it, I thought, the taste would grow on me. Two weeks in and every sip reminds me of a dental office.
Add a bag of orange pekoe and Cut Black tea to the green tea, you'll be surprised how good it tastes.
It is definitely a different flavor than the black, but yes, supposed to be very healthy. I drink it often on my free day as well as decaf green in the afternoons/evenings. Are you drinking it hot? I think the brewing time on mine is about 3 minutes. If you steep it any longer than that, yep, it doesn't need a cup. Pro tip: if you don't care for it that way, let it cool and drink it like you would iced tea. I like mine with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
I never thought I would read such an adorable article about tea. I must confess I'm not a hot tea drinker. I'm more of an sweet iced tea person. My daughter and I both hate it when we ask for sweet tea at a restaurant and get a glass of tea. When we ask why it's not sweet they say there's sugar on the table. Does anyone really sweeten their own tea anymore? And the fact that now a days, tea is higher in costs than sodas. Which used to be the higher costing drink at a restaurant for years if you don't count mixed drinks. I'm also not a coffee drinker either. I put more cream and milk in my coffee so I don't taste that bitterness. LOL Miss you friend.
Miss you, too. So glad to see you here. Agree re the coffee - I always tell people the only way I can stomach it is if it is full of milk and whipped cream and in the olden days, amaretto or kahlua. There's a ski lodge in Colorado that used to have the best kahlua and coffee. But I digress. It's different here in Texas, as you well know - the sugar is already in the tea at our restaurants. And if you order it unsweet, you get a weird look, and they ask if you also want the packets of the pink stuff. Steve and I had lunch at Chili's recently and I think my order of unsweet tea was $3.50. At least the refills are free???
I never learned to like coffee either, so that's how I get my caffeine - tea. Love it-- tea and your story about it.
Coffee just seems so bitter. What is your tea of choice?