What's in your cup/mug?

I just brewed a pot of Richmond Park Blend (Keemun, Ceylon, and Darjeeling) and am settling down with it, a plate of stem ginger shortbread, and Without Mercy -- hopefully to finish them all off this evening.

Wow, Richmond Park Blend! Is that names after the park in London? I could spend hours reading and drinking tea there: how fitting!

It seems like an Oolong day for me.

Barry's gold blend - double strength.

This afternoon it's an organic mint-green fusion (I'm nursing a wicked cold.) Typically it's Earl Grey with cream. (I know, I know. Unexciting. But I'm a creature of habit.)

Ladygata, yes Richmond Park Blend is named for Richmond Royal Park in London.

Besotted, is that one of Upton’s line? They offer several tea blends named for something British.

One I enjoy is their Baker Street Afternoon Blend (Lapsang Souchong, Keemun and Darjeeling).

Just finished a cup of Detox by yogi teas.

MoiraStirling I love mint tea. My favorite is organic mint green by Hampstead Teas.

Assam Borengajuli (hope I spelled it right)! A sample from Culinary Teas that reheats well when my mug gets cold at my desk.

Yipes! to the Detox. That's hardcore, angelhair45. Are you doing a cleanse, or just drinking the tea?

And, I think mint tea is one of my year-round faves. In the summer, it's always in my fridge. I think my preference is the Yogi Green with mint. (I think they now call it "Mint Garden", or some rubbish like that.)

I generally drink black teas, especially Yunnan and English breakfast teas. Green tea with bits of lemon peel and lemon grass is an occasional treat (actually, its become more than a treat lately as I am on a green tea "fit").

Funny, so am I. Drinking a very nice Lung Ching, often - at least by my own standards. As also, presently. The cup still holds a bit of pale greenish liquid.

Codyed, I salute you. For once, you have said something in which I see absolutely no room for controversy! You have the wisdom to agree with me. ;) (So says the occasional Pro & Con, lurker, unmasked!) Black teas are my standbys, also; Chinese blacks are a major one, especially Keemun and 'other congous', as Upton has it; though I like Yunnan, too; and English breakfast-style blends/Assams are the true aqua vitae. A recommendation, if you've not tried them, are the occasional Assam & Chinese black breakfast blends: Harney & Sons' Supreme Breakfast mixing it with Keemun Hao Ya 'B', Upton's Mincing Lane with Yunnan. I saw another in the last few days, but sadly have forgotten where...

And, to all, I've fallen under the spell of a versatile afternoon blend... Some of my happiest cups of tea in the last week have come, singly or in combination, from Upton's St. Issacs's Blend Russian Earl Grey. It's lovely, sparkling, grapefruit and orange notes brightening the day. Add a pinch of Lapsang Souchong, in the brewing, it is transformed. A very fine approximation of Fortnum and Mason's Smoky Earl Grey awaits. Hard to beat, as a warmly satisfying cup, on a cold day. It's fabulous with breakfast, or more obviously, a tea break. The simplest or strongest accompaniments all seem appropriate.... shortbread, custard creams, buttered muffins, toast... smoky fish.... (cough).... and now I'm longing to get the grapefruit marmalade I haven't tasted in years!

Lately it's been kukicha, both in my cup and over rice for ochazuke. I'm been a bit under the weather, and it always seems to improve me a bit, if only just my spirits.

I keep meaning to try kukicha, and not quite getting to the point of buying some. Upton had appealing samples. What's it like, taste-wise? Anyone able to describe it for me?

I'm probably not the best-equipped to describe it, since I have very little to compare it to, but imagine a very sharp, vibrant green tea that tastes just a slight bit grassy, though not the same kind of grassy as oversteeped or boiled tea. I like to sweeten it just slightly with a bit of liquid stevia and it tastes a lot like a dessert tea.

I don't know if that description makes a whole lot of sense or not, though.

At present I'm on a Kukicha twig tea with a busy taste composed of a solid base of prickly, tangy smokiness and top notes that are flowery, almost incense-like, and nicely in contrast to the body of the flavour. I'm adding a smidgen of semi-skimmed milk and sweetening it heavily with white cane sugar, to help bring out the more delicate floweriness.

message 8

MoiraStirling. This isn't a strong detox tea. You can drink it pretty regularly, it's not strong like a cleanse. I have done cleanses before, but I just drink detox tea every so often for health :)

Over the past few days I've been brewing a lovely blend I was given for Christmas, though I don't recall the brand. I believe it's Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling, and Keemun and it comes in unbleached bags, which is nice.

I've been going back to the old standard of black tea with milk and sugar, as opposed to the herbal-and-green kick I'd been on for a year or two.

Eurydice: Now that you mention it, I kind of felt something was out of place when I typed that message. It didn't seem penetrating enough, like I should be upsetting someone.

I'm kidding. Politics and debate play a small part of my life. Coffee and delicious, smoky, hardy black tea consume me in much more positive ways.

But then again, Rooibos is but a mere wish-to-be tea. Ha! Kidding again.

I don't think I've tried Lung Ching tea, to be honest (a crime, I know). Next time I visit my tea shop I'll ask them to fix me a cup if they have it in stock. Those other recommendations can be found at Upton's website?

Started the morning off with a cup of Twinings Irish Breakfast. Mmmmm. . . .

JackFrost and josiasporter:

Thanks for the descriptions, gentlemen! Is it usual to sweeten kukicha in Japan (I would tend to assume not), or just something that appealed to you both?

I'll try to get to it sooner than I have yet done.

Allama: sounds like a nice combination. :)

And codyed: I am following in your boldness, so to speak.

Amazing how debate, politics, and controversy loom large in the lives of some of you, seen through the forums' lens! ;) But for my good friend oakesspalding, (another fine example in that mode) I know there's an equally consuming relationship with coffee and Lapsang Souchong going on. :)

So.... yes, aside from Supreme Breakfast - a Harney & Sons blend - my recommendations can all be found at Upton. I'll add that Jiangxi Golden Tips, item ZK93, and the yellow tea Jun Shan Yin Zhen, ZG59, are both exquisite. Their samples are nicely graduated in price according to tea value; and they sell in your choice of tins, or packets, for $2 less.

Eurydice I honestly have no idea how it is drunk in Japan, but sweetened works for me!

With your talk of the magnificence of Upton you are convincing me to import some tea from your side of the Atlantic. Which seems strange as I live in a country obsessed with tea! Have you considered importing from Fortnum & Mason? I've been getting my teas there for years.

josiasporter: As you may notice, I commented that a combination of two Upton teas (St. Isaac's Russian Earl Grey, with a pinch of Lapsang) made a very passable approximation of Fortnum & Mason's Smoky Earl Grey. :) :) :) I love F&M, and not only went there after tea some three times on a five-day visit to London, but used to buy their teas at a British imports shop, here. (More recently, I greatly enjoyed some F&M tea sent to me by a kind British LibraryThing member.) The trouble is two-fold: one, the shop no longer carries them (the more fools they!); two, I can't always afford very much per ounce, so I look for the best quality-to-value I can get, while still buying truly good, loose teas. I was looking at their U.S. site just the other day, and regretfully concluded that it would be awhile yet before I could have Afternoon Blend, again (it's been years), or try Queen Anne, etc. So often, only 8 oz. tins were available, or they were just too much for this moment. My budget is too tight, just now; and Upton's catalogue ranges far and wide, from teas I don't like or wouldn't drink, to many I can only dream of, or get samples of, and savor, with joy in ever knowing those tastes. In between, high quality and value meet. (Sometimes on the low end: Rose Congou I finally tried despite it being $3.90 had a decent light body, and the best, most complex, sweet-spicy, natural, balanced rose flavor I've had.) Also: when they say something is 'highly recommended' or unusually good for its price - take note. Saving $2 each, on tins, really does help, too: though Fortnum & Mason's are beautiful. They're worth the extra.

Golden Monkey, ruinously expensive, but it is a gloomy Sunday and a fragrant indulgence is in order.

Eurydice: Ah. I need to read more carefully before I post... I have been exploring the Upton site this afternoon and have registered for a free catalog.

im having creme of earl grey, from a wonderful place in boston called tealuxe. its earl grey with a hint of creme or vanilla in it. quite yummy espec with milk. go to tealuxe.com and you can buy one of their many flavors. j

Darjeeling is becoming more and more common. Green or black, single estate if possible. Always plain, no addition except perhaps a rainy afternoon :) And good water. Originally I come from a hard water area. Never bothered with a water filter :(

I have 50/50 Earl Grey and Darjeeling flavored with Black Cherry Berry, honey, lemon, and served over abundant ice. I find it very tasty.

If I drink iced tea in the winter with snow on the way, will I be drinking hot tea in the summer?

Organic loose leaf masala chai from Ethical Bean It smells looooovely, but I'm waiting for it to steep, currently, so haven't yet tried it!

I am about to drink a cup of Perfectly Pear White Tea by Celestial Seasonings

It's rainy and sleety and slushy and generally a mess outside so I'm staying inside with ESPN on the television and a delicious mug full of Snapple's Honey of an Apple. My local grocery store was discontinuing it so I bought all they had left for $1/box. I'll be a happy camper for a long while now.

#28 haidadareads is it good? I have seen it and been curious but worried that it wouldn't taste like pear.

I just had Twinnings English Breakfast tea with a little cream.

Bancha! The spring harvest is about to BE born in Japan.

Time oozed from my pores,
Drinking tea
I tasted the seven seas...(takahashi)

#31 ravendory, I've never managed to develop a liking for bancha yet. Perhaps because I'm spoilt by sencha ;-)

Is there a particular brand (or seller) you could recommend? It's possible that the bancha I've tasted simply wasn't a particularly good one.

I am having a cup of matcha which chamekke taught me to make on another thread.

Which brings up another point. I am going through this matcha stash rather quickly do you have favorite matcha brands or sources?

#33 do you have favorite matcha brands or sources?

My tea ceremony sensei goes to Japan a couple of times a year, and usually brings me back some fresh stock ... which isn't very helpful to you, I'm afraid. Each time it seems to be a different type of matcha - and since I can't read kanji, it's hard for me even to know what the brand is!

(I do remember that in the tearoom we sometimes use matcha from the Japanese company Koyamaen. I see that Amazon.com stocks some of theirs - or rather, you can buy it, via Amazon's website, from a company called Matcha Source.)

Closer to home, the coffee-shop franchise "Blenz" stocks what I think is a very good matcha (if a little pricey), which I sometimes buy if I don't have any direct from Japan. Since Blenz is hard to locate outside of British Columbia, Canada, that may not be an option for you.

While I've discovered some possible sources online, because I haven't yet ordered matcha from any of them I can't truly recommend them from personal experience. One source which I think is likely to be reliable is Tea-Circle in California; they sell a great many types of matcha, and you could always write or phone them to ask their advice. Matcha from Koyamaen is also sold on eBay by a seller called ytcimports, and I've noticed that several tea-ceremony practitioners buy from them; I plan to give them a try this year.

Would anyone else like to suggest any good matcha sources for Marensr?

I've got my mug of Republic of Tea Lucky Irish Breakfast with sugar and soy-drink and some digestive biscuits, and I'm about to sit down with National Geographic magazine. This is my ideal Saturday evening. :)

I'm just about to brew a pot of Golden Tips that my sister just gave me. Wheee. New tea!

#34 oh yes by all means if anyone else has matcha reccomendations fire away. I actually asked the friend that gave me the tea and he ordered it through Amazon where I found it again. I think I'll stick with that until I have more experience with matchas.

Today I am drinking Fortnum and Mason.

I am interested in the Golden Tips now though.

#35 that does sound like a nice evening.

Choice organic Ban-cha tea bags... are as good as the best brewed $29.00 a pound loose. Good for your kidneys too.

For elevenses I am having a cup of Upton’s River Shannon Breakfast blend and a tomato and cheese roll.

A blend of Upton's St. Issac's Blend Russian Earl Grey, with a hint of Lapsang. I think I've mentioned doing this, before. With it, a Mother's brand English Tea biscuit, with its pale ivory, faintly perfumed filling.

Recently, I've been having Harney's new Cherry Blossom green. It's not anything astonishing, but delicate and very pleasant. Nice for spring. Of course, I was much more intrigued by the descriptions of Japanese cherry blossoms' flavor, and products, but jumped at what came in my path.

I wish I had some Lady Grey in my cup, but unfortunately the shop here in Arnhem (The Netherlands) where they used to sell that flavour is closed and I still haven't found another shop where I can get that lovely tea. Sad isn't it...

Happy First Day of Summer, everyone!

I am enjoying my favorite Oolong this morning, and making a bit of a treat out of it by adding just a touch of honey.

EstherD- I'm so sorry to hear that you aren't able to find Lady Grey. That is one of my favorite flavors. Hope you find a new shop soon!

An iced mug of Monk's blend from Culinary Teas. Double-strength, it makes a good summer tea, and for sweetening lovers, you can splash in some extra grenadine syrup.

Can't be coaxed out of bed in the morning without first having a large mug of Twining's Irish Breakfast.

howdy y'all,

i'm one of those wicked iced tea drinkers from texas. worse than that, i am lazy, too. *grin* right now i'm drinking a glass from a gallon pitcher of ...

- one pitcher-size bag of lipton cold brew
http://www.liptont.com/our_products/black_tea/blk_cold_brew.asp
- one bag of celestial seasonings read zinger
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/herbal-teas/red-zinger

... soaked in the pitcher over nite. it's really spiffy! *grin*

take care,
lee

This is my first visit to this thread: I am astounded at the variety and exoticism displayed here by all you connoisseurs of the fabulous leaf. How mundane, but tasty, is my cup and biscuit ("cookie" to you USAs - though the word has well and truly entered the Australian lexicon now).
I am drinking a cup of Madura English Breakfast tea (Australian) with a little milk and nibbling a Nairn's Mixed Berry Oat Biscuit (Scottish).

One thing puzzles me: A couple of people have mentioned drinking tea with cream. Cream? In tea?

Thrin, I think cream may be more common in the U.S. where many restaurants are used to coffee drinkers so they will bring you the little half and half containers or a container of cream. I find when I ask for milk they often bring a glass of milk in addition to the tea.

That said a sweet little place in Chicago that is an austrian import Julius Meinl specializes in tea and they always bring a tiny tiny pitcher of heavy cream with the tea pot as well as a digestive biscuit. I had never had heavy cream in tea before because that seemed to heavy but it was actually quite good in a very small quantity.

Right now I am having a simple cup of green tea no milk, cream, or biscuit.

Earl Grey from company K-cup. Not the best, but too lazy today to brew my loose tea.

My tea pot is empty

I need inspiration.

I bought light ceylon tea from Fortnum & Mason though...

Thanks for the elucidation #47 Marensr. Now, what is "half and half"?

Republic of Tea Wild Berry Plum - a lovely green tea with slight fruit sweetening.

#50 Thrin - "half and half" is a commonly available blend of cream and milk. Lighter than cream, heavier than milk.

I'm currently drinking Lu An Gua Pian from TeaSpring.

http://www.teaspring.com/Lu-An-Gua-Pian.asp

staffordcastle: Thanks for the "half and half" elucidation. It sounds a bit rich for me - maybe OK for coffee though. Do other cultures use it do you know? Or is a strictly USAn? Foreign gastronomical customs never cease to amaze.... Some of ours would surprise too! (I'll probably go to our local "mini-market" tomorrow and find that "half and half" has been available here for years.)

Thrin - I think it may be just USA - I don't recall seeing it when I've been abroad, but I might not notice, since I don't drink coffee, and I take my tea straight up :-)

I've read in various books about tea that milk is really better than cream for this purpose, though I forget why - must go look it up ...

Not just the USA; it is quite common in Canada too (at least it is in Western Canada).

I find it too overpowering for tea and I don't care for it in coffee either (prefer milk).

My first visit to this thread, and oh what a boring tea drinker am I. I love my Barry's with sugar and nothing that resembles milk or cream. But all of it sounds sooo luscious.

Karogers

lol It seems like its an art we have to develop. It's more the hype of "indulging in tea making" more than tea itself. I sound Japanese now.

Luscious it sounds indeed. Dip a few Tea biscuits in Barry's instead of sugar and crunch away in velvety sweetness... yum!!

I'm drinking coffee this morning.

(Hangs head in shame and slinks off to see what the other groups are talking about.)

Drinking my first-ever cup of PG Tips. Found a health food store here in the armpit of the Midwest that stocks some of the breands I've been reading about but unable to locate!

Which would you recommend for a "morning standard" out of these brands: PG Tips, Ty-Phoo, or Lyons? (That will direct my future shopping.)

Snodgrass99

Thanks for the tip - I'll definitely give the tea biscuits a try. And just for the record, I am careful about my tea prep. Half of the comfort is the warm teapot sitting next to you.

Karogers,

I adore those. Especially the cute teapots that whistle :) Warms my heart.

howdy karen5l,

*grin* i love the _scent_ of coffee and hate the flavor. nothing i've tried has been able to cover up the flavor. given that my entire family runs on coffee ... it's a tad unfortunate for me.

as for the "badness" of being a coffee person ... i suspect that you are considered less of a barbarian than _i_ am.

what i'm drinking now ...
- lipton cold brew pitcher size bag (1)
http://www.liptont.com/our_products/black_tea/blk_cold_brew.asp
- kalahari red reserve (rooibos tea) (2)
http://www.amazon.com/Kalahari-Reserve-Bags-20-Count-Boxes/dp/B000PDGIHQ
- gallon pitcher of water
- 1/4 cup key lime juice

soaked the teas in the pitcher of water overnite in the fridge. added the lime juice just after removing the pitcher form the fridge.

rooibos teas are kinda nifty. i like the smokey aftertaste.

take care,
lee

Lee (62) wrote: "*grin* i love the _scent_ of coffee and hate the flavor. nothing i've tried has been able to cover up the flavor. given that my entire family runs on coffee ..."

Agree that coffee and bacon are two things that smell better than they taste--though I like taste of both, but they never quite live up to the aroma.

As long as your family drinks their coffee but lets you drink tea, I think you're getting a good deal. (Sniff.... aahhh.... no thanks, I'll make myself a cup of tea.)

I am of mixed heritage: Dad's parents were coffee drinkers from Sweden; Mom's mother was from Aberdeen and a tea drinker. I inherited both likings, though the Swede won out a little and I take both strong and unadulterated by milk or sugar. Prefer tea at home, where I can make it to my standards, and coffee out because so few places make tea properly.

Rooibos is a relatively new favorite of mine. I was introduced to it a few years ago by a boss who was from South Africa; he brought some in to the office, which was a sacrifice at the time because it was difficult to find in stores. It has since become more easily available.

If you like smoky, there's lapsang souchong. I ordered some in a nice cafe once, and the friends I was with thought the kitchen was aflame.

For the record, I'm in the public library so no cups allowed.

I know that reaction to Lapsang Souchong, but now even my kids have learned to like it. I have some tea brewed on Tarry Souchong from La Via del Tè in my mug right now. Nice but nothing spectacular.

howdy karen5l,

i've tried lapsang souchong and it's ... interesting ... but not what i really enjoy. i think it's cuz i drink it iced and that really does change the flavor of most anything - especially tea! my mom likes both coffee and hot teas but i don't care for either. since we're a texas group, tho, iced teas are something we all drink.

it's only in the morning - me being a very NON-morning person - that the family gives me heck about coffee. *grin* when i was in school, i was known to use no-doz for the caffeine jolt instead of coffee.

drinking now ...
- lipton cold brew pitcher size tea bag
- celestial seasonings bengal spice (two bags)
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/herbal-teas/bengal-spice

the cinnamon & ginger are so nice!

take care,
lee

howdy y'all,

drinking now ...
- lipton cold brew pitcher size tea bag
- celestial seasonings red safari spice rooibos tea
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/african-rooibos-teas/red...

the tea is pretty nice. the VERY odd combo of ...
"
piquante pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and bananas
"
... is interesting. the most noticeable flavor - to me - is the pepper. i can't actually drink more than a coupla glasses in a row, tho, as it gives me a sour gut. *grin* even so, i drink a glass or two and then switch off to another, more gentle, tea.

take care,
lee

#59

Those three are all pretty much standard fare (well Lyons in Ireland; the other two in Britain). PG Tips is better than Typhoo. Lyons is a pretty good cup too - but I've only drank it on holiday in Ireland so can't really compare.

i prefer Barry's Gold to Lyons...but either is so vastly better compare to US supermarket brands.
IMHO.... ;-)

Anyone tried Numi's tea? Any good?

I'm having Harney and Sons Black Currant I just bought at Barnes and Noble along with a board book in Spanish for my niece.

Hi, Snodgrass99

Yes, Numi's teas are quite nice. Among other things, they have a lovely line of "flowering teas" - the ones where the leaves are sewn into a little bundle which unfolds slowly in the pot - best brewed in a glass pot, so you can watch the "bloom."

I think I've only had one variety from them that I didn't like; a mint green tea.

I ventured into the dangerous world of instant espresso this morning... It was bitter and revolting. Exactly the kick-in-the-pants I was needing.

Have decided to call it "Black Death".

Next time, add water.

I'm way behind on this thread, with a little of the Richmond Park Blend mentioned in the first post just dampening my cup.

Re: recent posts, Numi is very good, and one of the few I will buy happily from a store, at need. Teigster: I used to like Harney's blackcurrant a great deal. Last I noticed, it wasn't sold at B&N. Glad to know.

I just finished a big mug of Bigelow's Jasmine.

I have the sad dregs of a matcha green tea still sitting on my desk. I must take the cup to the kitchen now.

I too am relaxing with some jasmine...an Alice's Tea Cup Jasmine Pearl variety, to be exact. It was a gift from a friend, which I was only too happy to keep at work to uplift my day.

howdy y'all,

i'm drinking ...
- lipton cold brew
- kalahari red rooibos tea
- 2 cups of cranberry/lime juice added just before drinking it.

yes, i am one of those barbarians who drinks flavored iced tea. *grin* cranberry-lime SOUNDS like it would be rather icky, but i find it really quite good. frequently have a glass of it with my morning cereal.

take care,
lee

That's the best kind of barbarian. Sounds great and refreshing!

howdy ladygata,

the rooibos has a nice smokey aftertaste - that mixes well (strangely, but quite well) with the cranberry and lime. when very cold, it is definitely refreshing!

take care,
lee

And now, it's lukewarm (because I've left it too long) sencha from Uji no Tsuyu.

#71,

That's good to know. I will check their stuff soon. Thanks :)

howdy y'all,

- gallon of water
- one lipton cold brew pitcher size tea bag
- one celestial seasonings red zinger tea bag
soaked over nite in the fridge.

if you've ever met a box of red zinger, you've pro'ly had your nose assaulted by the peppermint. *grin* that's why i use only ONE tea bag of it instead of the usual two. dunno what it's like hot, but it's lovely when VERY cold. this is one of the teas that i hafta either add ice halfway thru or swap back to the fridge to get it COLD again. when only cool it's not very good.

still, lovely stuff!

take care,
lee

In my cup today:

Tea Forte Chamomile tea.

As expected great quality for a pricy brand but tasted a liiiiiiiitle bit too lemony for my taste. I'm sticking to Fortnum & Mason's.

RE: Numi , today I bought an assorted box from Numi . I think it showcases their entire line because it has 18 different kinds of tea bags ! Can't wait to find a new favorite !

Right now my cute cup with kitties on it is filled with hot chamomile (again).

I'll try honeybush tomorrow.

gnight.

I've blended some jasmin with some orange blossom. I must be in a flowery mood.

I've been making very strong ginger "tea" every evening to clear up the last of a cold that hung on for a couple of weeks and keep it from becoming a sinus infection. About four half-inch square pieces of peeled ginger root boiled in 2 cups of water for about 15 minutes yields one very strong cup of ginger tea. I toss in half a cinnamon stick for fun, too.

Fortunately, I like ginger.

Lilysea, my mother is in love with ginger tea. It does help with colds. Unfortunately I dont have the stomach for it. I feel its too spicy for me.

Today I filled my cup with Ceylon lighter tea. Ironically it didn't taste as "light" one bit hehe.

Gonna stick to elderflower tomorrow.

Happy tea drinking everyone.

Today I had a cup of a very nice Bombay Chai from Spice Merchants

yum yum

Tazo Passion Tea or Jasmine

I just got back from several days of backpacking (avoiding the mess of the DNC here in Denver) where I was drinking Bigelow's Plantation Mint. Except I didn't bring any kind of cup along, so I was drinking a "saucer" of tea from my smallest (4") fry-pan in the cooking kit.

The mint adds a nice wake-me-up aroma to the tea, and I find that particular one still brews pretty well when the water boils at 15-20 degrees (F) lower temp and doesn't stay hot all that long.

Ok so right now I'm trying Rooibos tea for the first time...

*....tasting it....*

I'm not sure how to describe it. It's slightly similar to Green Tea, a little bit nutty with a subtle twist of bitterness (probably due to the fact that I only dipped the tea bag once).

I'm also eating popcorn on the side so I'm not sure if that's affecting the flavor.

It's a weird tea, I give you that.

Are you sure this is decaffinated?

Ten Ren's Ten Wu tea, an oolong. Very nice!

#93
Snodgrass99 - rooibos is not decaffeinated - because it never had any caffeine in the first place! I find it very nice when I want a cuppa late at night. There are many varieties of it on the market, some of which are indistinguishable from regular black tea. Numi Tea even has a green rooibos tea. Keep experimenting!

Staffordcastle, oh that's helpful! I didn't know that. Sort of like when they say Jasmin but then its Jasmin/Green tea.

I'll check the box. I got it from Fortnum and Mason...

Thanks buddy...

My pleasure!

Right now Tazo Zen. An hour ago Tazo Organic Chai.

Today I tried Fortnum & Mason's Yunan White tea. I never had "white" tea before. I only used 1 teaspoon of leaves to make it as light as possible. It tasted nice and quite aromatic, reminded me of Earl Grey. But I think it was too strong for evening.

I'm debating, if I leave the computer before I have to cook dinner, to brew a cup of Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet (my favorite CS) or my generic Ceylon Black.

#78
Lee, nice to meet a fellow barbarian! I need to locate the CS Cranberry tea before the holidays hit. I get rave reviews for my cranberry + Lipton ice tea.

I have a tea that I wish were in my mug right now. At a neighborhood get together last week I smelled the most delicious thing. It was someone's tea...they said it was Good Earth? Oh.My.Stars. It smelled so good and they let me have a sip! It wasn't a chai, but it had cinnamon and some other flavors in it.

First flush Darjeeling from the Soom estate! Mmm. Tastes like candy today for some reason.

Good Earth? That sounds like a mixture of different herbs.

Actually I just googled it, its a Tea Brand but you didn't specify which flavor it was. Anyway here's their site:

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/ExecMacro/goodearthteas/home.d2w/re...

I'm still on a mission to find pure Jasmin tea. I'm going hunting tomorrow.

#103 ...I don't know what flavor it was because when I asked all they would tell me was the brand and they had already thrown the box out. I would know it again if I smelled it. I might go to the store tomorrow and try smelling all their teas.

I am currently drinking my first ever cup of Liquorice tea. Well, strictly speaking, it's an infusion, not a tea. I'm not sure yet whether I like it or not- it's definitely different from what I usually drink. It tastes slighty grassy and quite sweet (no need to add sugar). Interesting.

tiegster, good idea.

...well, it's not in my cup now (try the sink!) but I tried a free sample of Yogi Sweet Chili Spice. I liked the kick, but there was too much licorice root in it ---that's a background ingredient that makes my tongue feel sticky!

Ironically, there's also licorice root in Tazo Lemon Mate, a new flavor I do like. Guess it's just a proportion thing.

Trying Twining's English Afternoon Tea for the first time; not bad!

I'm having a lovely cup of Upton's Earl Grey Creme Vanilla.

I'm having Republic Of Tea's British Breakfast . Its nice morning tea !

A generic ceylon with a bit of milk. I wish I could say more exactly what it is, but some visitors from Sri Lanka just gave me a plastic bag full of about a pound of tea. Normally I'm not a milk-in-tea person, but this just seems to demand it. Maybe because I never got tea w/o milk when I visited there.

I love the Tazo teas too!

Tazo Zen is in my mug right now.

I was at Cardullo's in Harvard Square yesterday, and I discovered Boston Harbour Tea, which is a Ceylon-Darjeeling blend from the actual company (Davison Newman Co. Ldtd) whose tea was dumped overboard in the Boston Tea Party! It's very cozy on this dreary day. And I'm feeling compelled to watch my John Adams DVDs for irony.

Has anyone heard of (R)evolution tea? Is it any good?

lexid523 - I love Boston Harbour Tea! I discovered it in Boston, at the Boston Tea Party Museum, and buy it quite often.

Snodgrass99 - I've tried (R)evolution's Scottish Breakfast Tea, which was quite nice, and I have a box of their White Pear Tea ane one of Tropical Green Tea, but haven't tried them yet.

Harney&Sons Caribe...really strong fragrance; mild flavor. It's good if you can get past the initial opening of the tin and the scent that fills the room.
Description: hand picked green and black teas, guava flavors and flowers carefully blended together.

I'm psyched because I just got my tea shipment in the mail...Caribe, Valentine's Day Tea, Eight at the Fort, and Supreme Breakfast.

>114 Teacup_:- The only (R)evolution I've had is their Earl Grey with lavender, which is DELICIOUS.

I didn't know you could still get Earl Grey with Lavender! The only place I knew of that sold any was Peets Coffee in Berkeley - I used to mail order it years ago when Peets was still an independent purveyor. I loved it but most people I served it to thought it was too weird and too different from the normal Earl Grey flavoured with bergamot.

Lavender sounds wonderful if only it was by itself :/

I'll try it out soon...

Thanks guys.

Currently downing a cup of Adagio's melon black tea. This is my first cup for the day- the horror!

A couple of days ago my hold on Three Cups of Tea became available at the library, so I started it that evening with a cup of vanilla chai. (I know chai is traditionally taken with milk, but I like my tea straight. And as I didn't have any yak butter in the house, it just wouldn't have been the same...)

My second cup of Whittard Original. Nice basic black blend of assam and kenya teas.

Hi all, I'm new to this group!

My favorite is Bigelow Constant Comment with a little honey(tried and true--I always end up coming back to it). I also like Earl Gray and English Breakfast (also with the honey).

It's autumn here; the beginning of the 'curling up' season. There's nothing like curling up in my favorite chair on a cold night with a cup 'o tea, some Thomas Newman, and a good book.

*sip* ug -- cold coffee! be right back...

Right now, it's English Breakfast...but the cup's nearly empty :(

Next, I think it's Earl Grey.

I saw mentioned above: post# 118, chapeauchin, the Earl Grey with lavender sounds wonderful. I'll have to look for that.

And someone else (I can't find the post right now) mentioned Earl Grey creme vanilla or something like that. That sounds like my cup of tea! I'm headed to my tea shop today...I'm going to ask about those two teas. :)

>123 robbieg_422: I do so love Bigelow Constant Comment as well...I LOVE the smell of it as well.
that and Earl Gray are the only flavored teas that I drink.

In fact, I am having a Constant Comment at this very moment...hmmmmm

I just finished off a pot of Russian caravan (smoky delicious). An oolong of some sort is in my near future.

Just finishing a nice cup of Mariage Frères Bourbon rooibos - vanilla-flavored, lovely!

Just starting on a mug of Twinings White Tea with Pomegranate. Very nice!

Just brewing up a mug of The English Tea Store's Artic Raspberry black tea.

a nice cup of jasmin tea for the afternoon.

wonderful

At first it was a mixture of some sedative herbs & vanilla but that tasted horrible so I had camomile afterwards but now I feel funny, restless and a bit weird.

This morning, Dancing Green Tea - I just started buying my loose tea from Whole Foods. Tonight before bed it will probably be Jasmine, that I mix with a couple of tsps. of chamomile, dried, organic.

My favorite bag tea is Tazo Calm.

Favorite loose tea is Dragonwell.

I am a tea luddite and drink Numi's aged earl grey (Choice twig tea in the evenings). I put unsweetened vanilla soymilk in the earl grey because I always forget about it and oversteep.

My recent favorite find is called Lapsang Zhivago. I found it at a store in Snohomish WA called Everything Tea. Their Lapsang Souchong is also very good. I like smokey teas, as you may have guessed.

In my mug today is green tea and lemon. It's what I usually have at work.

Adagio pumpkin pie with a little half and half..about the October-iest combo I can think of!

Yestereday:
Province Roobis, an African Red Roobis acquired in a small, independent coffee shop in San Diego, California overlooking the beach.

Today:
Me: French tea: Mariage Feres: Marco Polo
Husband: Made him a quick cup of Persian tea: Best Tea, a blend of Ceylon with Oil of Bergumont

howdy Snodgrass99,

rooibos _is_ a tad odd. it is NOT decaf, but rather is has NO caffeine by nature. i think it could be considered "herbal". i'm required to drink non-caff stuff when i am on my chemo meds, so i've found rooibos and other "real" herbal teas to be a real blessing! *grin*

to _me_ rooibos tastes of a bit of smoke and leather. yes, i know ... *grin*

take care,
lee

howdy RitaFaye,

*grin* i'm drinking cranberry-lime cocktail right now. not drinking tea at all! ooooo ... bad person, i am.

i've never tried "Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet" before. hafta go look it up. thanks for the idea.

take care,
lee

Twinings Ceylon Orange Pekoe with a bit of Bonsoy milk. Lovely on a cold day :)

Just opened up a new tin from Whole Foods:

Rishi Tea: Loose Botanical Blend
Garden Direct Teas and Artisan Blends
Organic Jamaica Red Bush Rooibos
A caffeine-free blend of South African, Asian and Carribbean botanicals.
Botanical Blend.

I don't like it - too many flavors.

Switched over to a black tea to rid my mouth of the taste:

Alchemy Tea & Trading Company (http://www.alchemyteas.com) from Annapolis, MD
Buckingham Garden Party Tea

I bought the tea from a Witches Tea House (?) in Annapolis and they have the cutest tea shop with the best tours! :)

Malty assam from the Teacup in Seattle. Perfect.

howdy y'all,

drinking kalahari red rooibos with lime juice. the smokey rooibos and the slight bite of the lime is nifty!

cold brewing it still. *grin* that pro'ly gives me a different flavor than what most will get. i'm simply too lazy to take the time to hot brew it. easy enuf for me to just drop a coupla bags in the pitcher, add a gallon of water, put it in the fridge and then drag it out and drink it several hours later.

of course, i end up with rather a number of pitchers in the fridge to keep up with my iced tea habit! *grin*

take care,
lee

Hmm, I've never 'cold brewed' tea, Lee; doesn't that take a while? I like to hot brew my iced tea, though. And, I like sun brewed also, mostly for nostalgic reasons; we sun brewed in a big glass jar at the bottom of the porch steps all summer long when I was a kid:)

Angel's Dream from Culinary Teas (a bit of blueberry and maple) with a toasted English muffin spread with lemon curd. Love Saturdays...time for a "gourmet" breakfast!

Nothing :

141> One of my friends at art college is doing an installation project using this very tea (Twinings Ceylon Orange Pekoe). Sitting across from her as I work on my project (involving 8 lbs of dressmaking pins) I am simply bursting with jealousy!

Mélange Anglais Five O'clock Tea from Angelina Rumpelmayer in Paris!

Just finished an uninspiring half cup of "White Chocolate Mousse Black Tea." Gift from a quilting friend, who found it in a quilt shop. I 've got to do some tea shopping. Teas like this are why I am ambivalent about the whole loose vs. bag thing. I keep getting bizarrely flavored loose teas as gifts.

P.S. The same friend also gave me some fabulously brilliant Kaffe Fassett fabrics with the tea. So the gift is much appreciated, even with so-so tea.

I'm having my "Old Reliable", English Breakfast Tea. Strong and hot! Wonderful on a 40-degree day!

#148 - what's the installation? a good choice for art ;) you must get some!

Bedtime Story...lipton; but I'm winding down for the evening to drink my tea and read a mystery.

Organic green tea courtesy of local tea blender Mrs. Kelly's mixed with a Singaporean instant ginger drink. I find it provides a calming sensation as I sit down to finish up my research paper.

a pot of Adagio golden monkey.

I wondered why they called it that..."The name comes from its unique appearance: the leaves resemble monkey claws."
have to look at that again...

Licorice Spice

green tea (decaffeinated) :)

howdy robbieg_422,

i started cold brewing when lipton came out with their cold brew tea bags that only take a half hour to brew a fairly good iced tea. this ...
http://www.amazon.com/Lipton-Cold-Pitcher-Count-Boxes/dp/B000HBIHK2

freaky! i can't find it on lipton's site. they did a nasty flash site with no apparent search. weird.

anyway, i can't drink the caffeine stuff for a while (and lipton's decaff cold brew is _nasty_ beyond belief) so i just put a few bags of celestial seasonings tea in a gallon pitcher of water and let it set for a few hours. usually overnite, actually. *grin*

i used to do sun tea fairly often. i have a south-facing porch attached to my apt and that's a good place to set a jar.

still, i am lazy and the cold brew method is sooooo easy. plus, it's already cold ...

now drinking ...
celestial seasonings tangerine orange zinger
http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Seasonings-Tangerine-Orange-20-Count/dp/B000E65O...

good stuff with a nifty citrus tang to it.

take care,
lee

Darjeeling Namring, FTGFOP. Doesn't take the local water too kindly, though. Might try a brew with bottled water.

YogiTeas' Classic Indian Spice - its quite nice , not too spicey for a late morning drink !

Last week I was able to restock my stores of Celestial Seasonings' holiday teas. Both Nutcracker Sweet and Gingerbread Spice. With the pot of coffee gone, had the Nutcracker Sweet late this A.M. with honey and a bit of 1% milk.

think I'll go for some more Eight at the Fort...it has proved to be a very excellent tea.

Drinking a cup of Milima Tea from Kenya with my hearty lunch today:



Image courtesy of http://www.sereneteaz.com

Here's a description of the tea from Amazon:
An exceptionally well-graded Kenyan black tea
Rich and full bodied with delicious floral notes
Brews a robust cup, yet full of subtle nuances

And a description from Black Pearl Teahouse, where I purchased the tea:

Description: A distinct floral characteristic during the cooler months of June & July when the bush growth is slow. Milima means "Mountain" or "high place". The liquors of Milima are bright and orange in color, and impart a floral aroma and taste with a delicious malty almost Bordeaux like character. Grade: GFBOP.

Today was Tindharia Darjeeling FTGFOP1. It was a sample from my Upton's order. Very, very nice.

Not so nice was the Lapsong Souchong I tried. Ugh! Not for me.

#164 RitaFaye: I agree with you on the Lapsong Souchong. It just has too much of a smoky flavor for me.

Currently my new favorite is a Spiced Green Tea from Adagio.

Adagio's Coconut Pouchong. Once I realized that Lupicia's Momo Oolong Supergrade was a pouchong blend, I've been trying everyone else's. This one is the best I've found so far, and I love coconut.

Trying again ... Angel's Dream from Culinary Teas. Blueberry-maple sort of flavor that is wonderful with (not on) Saturday morning waffles.

This afternoon I am drinking London Cuppa (Kenya and Assam leaves). It is bold, but not bitter.

I am boringly addicted to Darjeeling with plenty of milk, no sweetener. The most comforting beverage I know. Occasionally I'll have some green or white tea with honey; ditto the herbals--orange spice or blackberry or something like that--but not often.

since the temperature is in the high 80s here in San Diego today, I am brewing ice tea in quantity, mixing some oolong with assam. (And watching our San Diego Chargers in Pittsburg with the light snow on the field--a little surreal).

I love Irish Breakfast also, but it makes me smile when I think about how my "Gram", who was born in Ireland, used to scoff at "Irish tea". "The English kept all the good tea and just left us the sweepings!", she would say.

I recently moved into a neighborhood with a great "coffee shop" with excellent tea selections. They have this to-die-for organic white tea with wild blueberries. It's pale blue in color, smells divine and tastes like the nectar of the gods. mmmmmm!

For me today it's not what's in your cup/mug but what is your cup/mug...

My mom just brought down a whole bunch of mugs from the attic and I was so excited to see that two of them are Precious Moments mugs we have had my entire life. They've been to the Philippines and back several times and are still in tact.

Brought back so many memories.

'Yay!' for mugs with memories attached.

Sentimental teaware...that sounds like a whole 'nother thread (I have some of my own!)

Once a collector, always a collector. It's inevitable I think. I used to collect mugs just because I liked them. Then I started collecting special mugs from places I'd been, so it followed quite naturally that when I travelled to New Orleans a couple of years ago, that I would look for mugs from every state I passed through. :) Both ways! Now I have to make a decision every time I want a cup of tea or coffee! Of course I do have a couple of favorites. ;)

I'm currently about at the end of a bag of loose tea that I only tried for the first time recently, Imperial Gunpowder tea. It is distinctive in that the leaves are rolled into little balls, which apparently makes them last longer. I think it's a green tea, very nice without milk, quite refreshing. For my standard tea I'm on Ringtons Connoisseur, which is nice and strong for a wake-me-up-cup on a morning.

Tetley British Blend--pretty good with a splash of milk. (milk should always be splashed...and then instead of stirring just watch the swirl pattern; it's pretty...haha)

Mariage Frères Bourbon rooibos.

Tiegster - I just bought a new box of Twinings Irish Breakfast!

Huzzah! It's my "go-to" tea. Enjoy!

Pickwick Earl Gray...my Sunday morning after church bagel place uses it...it is a very nice Earl Gray IMHO.

Holy smoke! After seeing the new posts here, I just realized that my cup is empty and has been all morning! I haven't had my morning tea yet. Be back soon :)

lol..
Mine is empty now too! I will have to pick something else to put in it...

Mine is full but I need to dump it. Decided to try Twinings 'herbal revive'. Tastes like dishwater!

I'm going to have some Tetley British Blend with my birthday cake...chocolate with chocolate frosting. And tomorrow we'll have some pie.

Happy Birthday tiegster!

Many Happy Returns, tiegster!

(Now sipping a fresh cup of Mariage Frères Thé du Nil)

Happy b-day tiegster! I think I'll join you in having some British tea.

Did somebody say chocolate cake?? YUM. Happy b-day tiegster!
Cake and Tetley~Count me in.

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes...it was one of the best I've had in a long time. And my mom's cake was A-Mazing. Coupled with tea it was divine.

Supreme Breakfast from Harney and Sons...with chocolate cake with chocolate frosting {still from my birthday :p}

"Get Relaxed" --- a sample that came with Republic of Tea's latest catalog. Lavender and lots of other sleepytime herbs. Hoping it works...a little tense this evening.

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I am drinking a relaxation blend by Yogi Tea. It smells funny but taste pretty good!

Hap belated B-day T!

#194: Wow, that tea sounds like it would be really good. I drank my sample tea from Harney & Sons today...Darjeeling.

#195: Thanks!

It's bedtime so I'm having some Republic of Tea Lemon Wintergreen...I know...not technically 'tea.'

I'm breaking my tea drinking fast (due to kidney stones) because I have a cold. I'm treating myself to my favorite: Snapple's Honey of an Apple.

someone gave me some Republic of Tea Comfort and Joy, "featuring flavors of the holidays: cloves, apples, and cinnamon blended with fine black tea."

happily, they did not give me much because it was {{excuse the pun}} not my cuppa tea.

Yikes! I read that quickly and misread the first flavor as "doves" instead of "cloves."

Both weirdly appropriate and horribly shameful . . .

oh..I do think doves would have been worse. at least a bit.

#198 & 199: I'm ashamed to admit I got quite the chuckle out of this myself, a much needed laugh today. I'll never look at that tea the same way ;)
although the flavors might be ok minus the cloves.

Try strawberry black tea, cream earl grey, and if you like chai-Kama Sutra Chai from www.cupteavity.com
The BEST. You will not be disappointed!

I had Irish Breakfast tea this morning, which I'd never had before. Delicious!

Twinings' Prince of Wales Tea.

I have Twinings' Earl Grey steeping right now...I can hardly wait!

Vanilla Honey Chamomile. I know nothing of tea. I just drink it.

Twinings' Lapsang Souchong. I'd had trouble finding it at my usual sources, but found a shop near my volunteer job that has it, so I indulged.

Louis XIV's Favorite
A Lisa's Signature Blend
BlackBerry Jasmine

Blending the fragrance of French fleurs with one of China's rarest and finest Jasmine teas, "Yin Hao", Lisa's Tea Treasures has added the flavor of blackberries and a sprinking of dried blackberries to create this most unique treat.

Irish Breakfast Green Tea. Here's the description from Culinary Teas:

Irish Breakfast Green is full bodied with the 'umpf' of black tea but the gentleness of green tea. Enticing toasty hint of flavour. Massively Irish.

I agree with "toasty" and "gentle" but not sure about "umpf" and "Irish!"

Mostly Detox tea, which tastes delicious and soothes my stomach. What's a good brand of tea? My dad and I had a spirited debate about whether or not Twinings is any good.

As far as bagged grocery store tea goes...I'd pick Twinings or Bigelow over Lipton or a store brand. (Although I did pick up a package of Lipton loose tea some time back and it was much better than their tea bags.)

>209 gmathis: Maybe it's Irish because it's green?!

>210 ellevee:, 211 I'm perfectly happy with Twinings Darjeeling tea bags--maybe I'm not that sophisticated in my tea appreciation, but I certainly can taste the difference between it and that mud sludge that Lipton provides.

This afternoon (wind chills in the below-zeroes!) I made a pot of "Noel," a tea shop blend a friend sent me from Tennessee ... tastes just like drinking cinnamon red hots!

Nothing - all gone :-( Must go get another cuppa!

#211 - I'd group Bigelow with Lipton, not with Twinings; Twinings isn't the best tea around, but it's massively superior to Bigelow. And if you get Lipton in Britain, it's better than what we get here in the U.S. They send us the seconds ... :-6

With most of the big-name brands, the loose tea is superior to bagged tea, in my experience. Does Bigelow even *do* loose tea? Never seen it!

214 ... Bigelow does do loose tea, but I think through catalog and website only. I don't think I've ever seen it at a store.

They also have a nice flavored holiday assortment--gingersnap and "Eggnog'n" are my favorites, but again, never seen it anywhere but through their catalog.

Incidentally, they also market tea from the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only operational tea plantation in the U.S. My husband treated me to a few boxes---not bad for something plain and black!

evolution's Scottish Breakfast and having an english muffin and orange marmalade with it for a snack.

>216 LA12Hernandez:
LA12Hernandez,

I've never had Scottish Breakfast tea. Is it closer to Irish than English, or vice versa?

Closer to Irish then English. I use it as my any time, every day tea.

>218 LA12Hernandez: That makes sense--it must be a Celtic thing ;-)

Assam Golden Tip...breaking out of my usual English Breakfast or Earl Grey rut. Wow, this is divine.....

Harney and Sons Holiday Tea that has been saved until just this time.

I'm getting ready to enjoy a Vanilla Green from cupteavity.com. It sure smells good...I'll let you know how it is in a bit. Ooof! I'd better break out some biscuits to go with my tea.

I've got instant chai and leftover homemade tiramisu on the side!

I want some of this Tennessee Red Hot tea!

(And I'd take a bit of that tiramisu to go with it!)

I just finished some Earl Grey. Now I'm returning to the kitchen for something else. Oolong? Darjeeling? Guess I'll decide when I get there :)

H&S Ceylon...now it's time for some Kenilworth Estate tea from Kade's Koffee (I know....how wrong?!)

First Flush Darjeeling from The Tao of Tea - very nice!

Coffee, *sigh* I'm visiting and forgot my travel kit. I know they only drink coffee and yet I still left my tea at home.

Hey, Ceylon Tea is pretty good. I'm glad I decided to try it...It might just become one of my regulars.

Had Hawaiian tea by The Pacific Place, Hawaii. A kind gift from my cousin. The tea is called Tropic Royale:

Long leaf Ceylon based black tea infused with a medley of nine tropical fruit nectars and a Hawaiian rainbow of floras.

If you like fruit teas, this is a very very good tea. I must say, that all the teas my cousin got me from this tea place have been very good (I got a gift pack last year and have been savoring it very slowly).

A custom blend from Adagio Teas called Fluffernutter. It's a black blend that tastes sort of nutty and sorty of creamy. It's fantastic!

I'm having Assam this morning. I'm not sure which brand my local tea seller (The Bay Leaf, Lawrence, KS.) carries, but their website has this to say about it:

"A dark, full bodied single origin black tea from India that creates a rich, malty, fragrant cup."

I'm not sure that I'd call it full-bodied or rich, but it is a bit malty and fragrant. Of course, I'm used to English or Irish Breakfast Teas in the morning, and that's what I'd call full-bodied. Still, the Assam is pretty good.

Most English & Irish Breakfast teas are a blend of Assam and other teas. It's a very common base for blending.

One of the Christmas tea gifts that I received was a nice selection of loose teas from Mighty Leaf Organic Tea (Orange Dulce Black, Mountain Spring Jasmine, Organic Breakfast, and Silver Jasmine White). The one I am currently savouring is Silver Jasmine White.....it is delightful, and a perfect accompaniment for the book I am enjoying tonight: One Man's Wilderness, An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith and Richard Proenneke.

Adagio golden monke mixed with some fresh mint and dried licorice root. I may pour some over ice, it's a bit warm.

Oof...nothing is in my mug. Thanks for bumping this thread. It always reminds me that I need to make some tea.

My after dinner drink this evening is Culinary Tea’s Orange Spice tea with Drambuie and a touch of honey. Very warming on this chilly night.

PG Tips, the wonderous golden standard for the undergraduate tea drinker. Although I did just get a tea strainer, so perhaps I'll blow my grant on some proper stuff from Harrods or something.

Now, should I read Jude the Obscure or Women in Love?

wow, I just discovered this thread, (thanks, alcottacre) and I've had a great time browsing. I get my specialteas from Chai Baba but I'm no snob, all kinds of teas find their way into my kitchen. Right now a cup of Enlightenmint is perfuming my room.

Earlier today I drank Rooibos with cinnamon and vanilla, great in the morning. For afternoon tea today it's Wissotzky Apple and Honey.

(Blushing to admit) plain ol' Lipton out of a bag---especially since I frequently badmouth it. Was handy in the breakroom and I was too lazy to run back upstairs to get good stuff out of my office.

Will make amends soon!

Just found this thread and I love that it exists here since tea goes perfect with reading. It also reminded me that I need to brew up some tea later tonight!

TSzakacs, I like them both but I'll say read Jude the Obscure.

Going with my "Old Reliable"...English Breakfast Tea. And tonight it's extra strong!

Great news in this morning's newspaper! We have a new tea shop in town. Dragon Teas. I'll check them out and let you know....

I'm drinking lemon green tea from Teavana.

Santa brought me new teas for Christmas!

I'm having Earl Grey Lavender with sugar. My cat is having Lipton (I don't waste the good stuff on him) with a little milk, no sugar. Ok it's silly I know but after having him tip over one too many cups tea, I just got him his own. At least now he leaves my cup alone.

I'm having Earl Grey myself...also with sugar...but no lavender here. My cat will be having his usual...water, drip by drip from the leaky faucet.

I had some citrus chamomile blended with a herbal blend (pomegranate-lemon-apple), which I only have a little bit left of and need to use up.

I can only imagine my cats on tea. My little one is so hypered up, he doesn't need any more stimulant-caffiene.

LOL. My cat can't jump on to the counter so he'll have to settle on his water bowl. With the occasional cup of tea. I found the cutiest tea cup shaped feeding bowl at a pet shop.

Assam Borengajuli that's been sitting in the pot since morning...reheated, it's so strong it could possibly dissolve paint. Not a bad thing, however ... I'm prisoner to a writing deadline this afternoon and need the jolt!

want my raspberry zinger....but its doing battle with my want to continue sitting on the couch..soon....very soon.....

I know what you mean. I set up a tea station next to my reading chair. On a tray I have an electric kettle, tea pot and cup. In a box I keep teas, sugar packets, and stirrers. Underneath I have bottles of water. I can read and enjoy a nice cup with out being disturb. Especially now that I give my cat his own tea in a dish under the tray.

VICTORY!!!...mmm. so good. especially in accompaniment with the fresh blackberries i got from work yesterday and a copy of hunchback of notre dame. am content.

Wissotzky black tea with peach and caramel..... mmm

an odd combination... but it sounds yummy

Having Earl Grey with Pomegranate and a little sugar. It's very tangy and refreshing.

I HEART jasmine tea. is delicious and very soothing. mmmmmm

I HEART jasmine tea. is delicious and very soothing. mmmmmm

Just like 99 times out of 100, Darjeeling with milk. Few things on earth are more comforting to me.

Wild berry black tea for me tonight. Regretably the last cup of that tea that I had as I wanted another.

I'm nearly out of black teas and I like to brew loose tea. I enjoy black teas with other flavors added but like to have a good plain black tea on hand too. There's only one place to buy loose tea in town (a Teavana store). So where does everyone like to buy there loose tea from (online)? And what are your favorites from there?

Just made my first pot ever of Chrysanthemum - not sure how this is going to turn out...

>262 chrine:

I buy tea from Amazon, which seems bent on becoming the source for anything you could possibly want. I don't know how their selection compares to a real tea site, but there are some things that look good, such as:

Assorted Tea Sample Gift Set. 10 Tins of Gourmet Loose Leaf Tea. English Breakfast, Ceylon Kenilworth Estate, Cream Earl Grey, Monk's Blend, Darjeeling Margaret's Hope Estate, Jasmine 1st Grade Green Tea, Japanese Sencha Green Tea, Blueberry White Tea, Mango Green Tea, and Peony White Tea. Perfect Gift Idea.

They say each tin makes 10 cups and the whole thing sells for $33. I don't know if this is a good price; what I buy are Twining's Darjeeling tea bags, and getting them from Amazon costs about half what the grocery store charges.

It's flipping cold where I am so I feel like all I do is drink tea all day. I have the thermostat up to 80 degrees and it's still chilly in here. I think the temp outside is 8 degrees and getting colder. So here's the lineup for the rest of the afternoon:
Twinnings English Breakfast
Kenilworth Estate
Tetley British Blend (decaf)
Jasmine
and maybe some hot cocoa tonight for even more warmth.

I'm not sure that my apartment is sealed/insulated properly.

Tiegster - do you have one of those electric cup-warmers? It helps to keep your cuppa hot longer! Worth the small investment ... :-)

A tea cosy for the pot helps too.

Looking to make a cup of decaf Darjeeling to warm me up for bed.

#265 Super cold here too; they've already canceled school for tomorrow. I may regret replacing the filthy carpet with laminate--it's definitely colder without the carpet.

And the heat pump's making weird noises.

I had a mystery black tonight. I think it was cranberry black. My mom gave me a couple of unfinished bags of tea last month and I had put this one in a small container since there wasn't much left.

I doing a bit of a mystery blend this morning, myself. I accidentally put the remainder of my Assam into the Ceylon container! So the blend isn't so much of a mystery, but the enjoyment factor of it might be :)

I'm having a cup of Hyssop tea from Alvita . Its tastes good and its supposed to help keep up yer strength . Hyssop is one of those old biblical herbs that are listed in alternative medicine books .

Didn't know there was a hyssop tea ... will have to look. I have a little bottle of the essential oil to splash in bathwater or dab on pressure points. Sort of a nice clean smell to it.

Now that I think of it, lavender is another relaxation herb that is nice in oil form. Or vice versa, maybe.

Hot cider for a change tonight. Might have some tea next.

Hot cider good idea.

Horlicks for me tonight. I need to sleep. *yawn*

>266 staffordcastle: staffordcastle: Oooh yeah, I forgot about those dealies. I used to have one for my candles during college and I keep forgetting to pick one up when I'm at the store. I do have a tea cozy too. Now my roommates is back and it's back to being cold since she keeps turning down the heat...this means war. :)

Twinnings English Breakfast again.

I picked up two wonderful teas from our new teashop...Dragon's Lair. They are both just great teas. Marsala Chai and Lychee Oolong. Had to try a cup of each last night, and had the Oolong for breaky. Very nice.

Celestial Seasonings English Toffee, with hot milk. Yum.

#277: Oh.My.Word....I had the exact same thing three nights ago...hot milk and all.

277-278,

That stuff sounds good. I think I'll run to the store real quick and pick up some of that!

Well at this moment im trying me some Assam for the first time. I was stocking up on teabags for my supply at school and decided to get a variety - Breakfast, Earl Grey and Assam. Need to try the Earl grey now.

LadyViolet,

I keep English Breakfast and Earl Grey on hand as my two "go-to" teas. They're my "Old Reliables". I recently bought some Assam and Ceylon to keep around for a while as well. I like the Ceylon, but the Assam seemed pretty average to me. What are your thoughts on the Assam?

I liked the Assam - i can't really call myself a refined tea drinker because mostly i buy brands of tea like British Tetley or PG tips and drink the same type whenever i want a cup so i don't have much to compare the Assam to. For all i know i've been drinking rubbish for years.

Message 265: tiegster
I can relate, it's been in the single digits here and like yourself I feel like all day long I'm drinking tea, and more tea.....
my lineup has been:
Tetley British Blend
Tetley decaf
Yogi Tea "meditative time"
Hot cocoa
and Yogi "bedtime" tea

However I'm getting bored, someone mentioned Toffee and Blueberry I think I need to grab some of that next!

Just got some CS Canadian Vanilla & Maple, and some CS Vanilla & Hazelnut, and I can't decide which to brew!

Decisions, decisions.

>281 DanoWins: Assam has always been my standby, but lately I've been branching out to all different kinds.

I think Assam is seriously under rated. Yes there are more exciting teas but for me there's little to beat a really good Assam. It's nearly always my tea of choice at the end of a meal if I know a restaurant has a decent range of teas. It's so much more satisfying than a coffee but has real body to it still and even goes well (I find) with a good Armagnac.

I enjoy Octavia which Whole Foods used to carry, but they've discontinued it. *sniff sniff* the Winter Mint was wonderful. #221 I too enjoy the Holiday Blend and I just found out its especially nice with the addition of Coffee Mate Vanilla Chai Spice cream. Right now I'm enjoying a blend from Teavana called
White Ayurvedic Chai mixed with Samurai Chai Mate. Heaven

Been drinking espresso at work all day to almost no effect. Came home and brewed some Darjeeling First Flush.... PING!

Enjoyed a cup of strongly brewed rooibos chai with demarara sugar and half & half.

Hawaiian Summer Tea, Pineapple Flavor. Mmmmm....

Darjeeling with milk. Like always!

ejj1955,

Good idea! I think I'll copy you on that one.

Enjoyed the rooibos chai so much last night that I've had two cups of it today.

Just good old Tetley tea (in a bag, I confess!). Amazingly delicious, strong, and well-priced!

Hazelnut honeybush tea from Adagio Teas. A new favorite. I also tried the honeybush chocolate--very good, I thought, but as the chocolate taste is subtle and somewhat like a Tootsie roll, it may not please everyone--and the honeybush vanilla--which was not so great, with a weak and artificial-tasting vanilla flavor. I just received a vanilla honeybush sample from Upton (spotted an earlier post from Eurydice mentioning that one), so hopefully that'll be better.

If anyone has seen any flavored honeybush teas from other companies, my ears are open. Seems like everybody sells some kind of flavored rooibos, but I think I've given rooibos a fair try, and it's just not doing it for me.

eta: I must be going batty--there is no vanilla honeybush in my package of teas from Upton. Oh well, there's always next time...

I'm addicted to chai lattes from Starbucks, so I decided to pick up a mix of it at Wal-Mart.

I am not really much for flavored teas, but I happened upon three boxes that were a gift, go I thought I would give one a try. Organic green and black teas with passion fruit orange natural flavors from the 'earth friendly' Hawaiian Tea Company.

surprisingly, not bad....

Tonight I skipped my cup and saucer and settled on a triangular mug I got while working at Teavana...it has Japanese inscriptions inside the lip and no handle, in that I brewed white tea first, then took 1tsp shredded coconut and added to strainer to sit for a few minutes. Smooth, light and dreamy!

Beachgirl66 You worked at Teavana?? I'm jealous. I love going to teavana about as much as I love going into B&N. I just love their honey spoons. I tried to figure out a way to make them myself with the stick a spoon and raw honey. Couldn't get the stick to stay in position. Oh well. I have so much tea now, that I can't go back there for a while unless it is solely to buy a cup of tea to drink. I must repeat the mantra *Do not buy any more tea* 10 times a day LOL

Whittards of Chelsea Green Tea, Peach Flavor (Loose)

I must finish this tea, as it's been around too long. I think the flavor is too intense, and won't be purchasing this tea again.

Hi! Im new to the group I just joined the site... I live for tea... I get all of my tea from www.stashtea.com

They have great blends, Loose and some bagged... Tonight I am sitting down with my Cranberry-White chocolate scone & a caramel one... And a pot of stash Millennium blend
(Assam, Ceylon, green darjeeling, gunpowder temple of heaven, Dragonwell, formosa Oolong, mitan white, and Keemun Hao Ya) I live by this blend.....

I would recommend to any tea lover....

Welcome, MrsDowd! Enjoy LT and all it has to offer . . .

>300 mrsdowd1:, that does sound wonderful!

I've got some Lychee Oolong from Dragon Teas. I tasted a sample at the tea shop. loved it and bought some. The tea seller told me I should drink the second, not the first infusion of this since it is a 'fermented' tea. I've never heard of such a thing, but I'm doing it and it is very enjoyable. What about this second infusion thing?

I'm drinking Rishi Organic White Tea: Silver Needle. First time using Rishi tea, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the vacuum packing in the tin - the tea smells *very* fresh. Nice, clean white tea with a light finish. Recommended.

Wissotzky's Bedouin Chai (with cardamom and sage leaves) - I needed something strong this morning....

>304 eclecticitee:
Wow, that sounds very strong. What do you think of the tea?

Now drinking Kusmi Tea, Troika flavor from Paris. Earl grey with orange and madarin. It's more subtle than the description below would have you believe.

Russian blend of China, Ceylon and India teas with natural scents of bergamont orange and mandarin.

Upton's decaf Chai Agni--nothing like hot pepper to warm up before bed on this icy night. Hoping and praying the power lines don't start coming down.

Hi MrsDowd!

Currently drinking a lovely Keemun Rhapsody from Adagio Teas, and like RitaFaye and praying power lines do not start coming down along with the ice!

>305 vintage_books: I like the bedouin chai, it's got a very middle-eastern flavour that's good after a meal or when you need something with a bite. (Kind of like the tea equivalent of turkish or greek coffee.) It's one of my favourite chai blends.

#308 So where do I find this Bedouin chai? It sounds interesting.

I'm drinking a nice Darjeeling from Upton. Solace for the fact that my in-laws, who were staying in GA with family, insisted on coming home today. Despite me telling them we had an ice storm in progress and not to come. So they come and they don't have power, and unfortunately I do, so now they're staying with me.

A slight change of pace for me: Orange Pekoe. Lovely.

Oh My! Chi Tea

A Twinings gunpowder green. Slightly bitter, which is perfect for todays -2 C weather.

Adagio's Yunnan jig ... nothing to write home about, but it's a sample that's been sitting around for a while. OK if you like mild black tea.

I blended some sencha green tea with a lemon-apple-pomegranate herbal to temper it's sweetness. It worked well.

A Temi Sikkim from Upton. Getting nicer, as I manage the brewing better. It's nothing amazing, unlike another I've had from the region, but pleasantly medium-bodied, with a good second-flush Darjeeling effect for the (modest) price, and peach notes in the lingering finish.

As another interested party, I looked up the Bedouin Chai. It can be had, here: http://www.judaicawebstore.com/ynetnews/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W-0069

Wissotzky has several other interesting teas, including a rose chai (with cinnamon and coconut).

Aviglatt.com, an online kosher grocery, has a large selection, at great prices. (But not, apparently, the Bedouin Chai.)

http://www.aviglatt.com/

Amazon has gift boxes, and some normal individual varieties, also apparently reasonably priced. The brand is Kosher, Israeli, and in business since 1849, apparently!

Poor cup. Poor Oakes! Let us fill it with the accepted potation - Twinings Lapsang Souchong - if only virtually.

As we are creating out of thin air, I will share my non-existent shortbread, too. :)

English Breakfast Tea with milk and sugar this morning. It's been a while since I've had my old reliable...it's like being home again at the end of a long holiday :)

Thank you Eurydice! I've bookmarked that page.

And may I have some shortbread too? I'm fixing some decaf Darjeeling and could use a cookie fix. The in-laws are still here--no end in sight.

Ah... of course you can have some of my shortbread, RitaFaye! I would never deprive fellow LT members of creature comforts, or virtual support. ;) - Much less tea lovers of biscuits, for their tea!

In fact, I do have real shortbread, now that I think of it - a tiny bit, tucked away, in a tin. Maybe I will follow your lead, and brew up some Temi Sikkim (my current Darjeeling equivalent), shortly, with a petticoat tail.

(Or, I might revert to an extra-dark chocolate biscuit. Who knows?)

Either way, my sympathy, and hopes for the best, with your in-laws...

By the way, anyone else for a petticoat tail, or shortbread finger, from my virtual hoard?

:::::brandishing a plate::::::

A non-descript black on unknown origins. Not bad. Am in the process of drinking through the tea cabinet (more rapidly now that it is cooler here) so I can buy more tea. It's exciting to start contemplating what I might buy.

I'll have one, thanks, Eurydice! :-D

Another non-descript black of unknown origins this morning. This one was labeled as "English Teatime".

Currently drinking a cup of Sweet Wild Orange by Tazo.

Ceylon today, with a cup of Nutcracker Sweet in between.

May be breaking out the Darjeeling again--still no power at the in-laws house.

Ice storms are beautiful, until the family moves in.

My cup is empty now, but it was an extra large full of Tim Horton's steeped tea, 2 milk, 3 sugar. Ahhh...

Staffordcastle: anytime. :) And RitaFaye - have another. They really don't count. Light as air, you might say...

I had Upton's Hattialli BOPF Assam for breakfast. Incredibly characterful and appealing, for its price ($4.80/125g). Terrific to get you out of bed. I'm contemplating the tea of the afternoon. Like Chrine, I'm drinking through the tea cabinet (except with Hattialli and Temi Sikkim.)

Maybe a rose congou?

Just had a cup of Earl Grey. The tea cabinet is turning out to be larger than I thought. What's a rose congou, Eurydice?

I may be skipping the Darjeeling and heading for the wine--still no power at the in-laws. The ice melted today, but still no power!!

Thank you for the shortbread Eurydice, I may be back for a whole tin after I run the kid to his Super Bowl party.

Chrine, it's a light Chinese black tea blended and scented with rose petals.

You're quite welcome, RitaFaye. And don't worry: this sort of supply is pretty inexhaustible. ;) (Not that you wouldn't be welcome, if it weren't!)

Oh, yes: and I find my cabinet similarly full of odds and ends I didn't know were there. (The rose congou, among them.)

I'm having a hard time imagining what that might taste like. I'm thinking it's like jasmine green in that it sounds like it would taste odd but doesn't.

Yes.

Like jasmine and osmanthus and lychee, it's one of the traditional varieties of Chinese scented teas.

The base tea is generally somewhat light-bodied (for a black tea), without astringency, with a faint chocolate-smoke tone and a fragrant, in this case very rich, natural, unfolding of floral scent and flavor. I can imagine people not liking it, but if the scenting is well done, it's very appealing, elegant, a little sweet.

Sounds yummy. I must look for that on my next tea-buying binge.

It's a tea that used to be very popular, fell out of currency, and is gradually creeping back in. I bought a tin fifteen years ago at the Edward Bramah Museum of Tea and Coffee in London (great place!), and enjoyed it very much, but couldn't find it again for quite a while.

Taylor's of Harrogate makes one, sometimes carried. It was the first I tried. Upton has another, very cheap, nondescript base but lovely scenting. (Amazing at $3.90! I almost didn't try it.) Harney offers a Ceylong/Keemun version, which I must have had at some point, but not in years. They also offer a version with the addition of a dark chocolate flavoring, as "Valentine's Tea". Surprisingly pleasant, given how gooey it might sound. ;)

At $6.50 for the straight Keemun-Ceylon version, or $7 for the Valentine's (in a very pretty tin), when I finish this, I might succumb...

In fairness, I'll note that green and pouchong teas are also sometimes scented with rose. Perhaps even more so. Rishi and others, less traditionally, offer white teas with rose petals. Here, anyway, it runs low for their line, at $5.99. (Another thought for my February tea-buying. Romance and seasonality on a budget!)

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I love learning about teas.

Tonight I tried a green tea with toasted rice. It smelled so good. I would definitely buy something like this.

For all these random teas, I found some single to several cup samples of teas in the back of the cabinet. I have one more green to try and a mint-herb blend from the random non-contained ones. I have two groups of various herbal/noncaffienated samples as well. I also found some Earl Grey, which is good because I was very low on black.

There is another shelf on the cabinet still that I haven't looked at the back of...

Iri Genmai - Japanese Roasted Rice Tea.

Thanks vintage_books

My pleasure!

Iri Genmai is very very cheap at Japanese food stores. If you don't have one near you, try the web.

It is also re-packaged and sold in fancier packages at natural food stores for many times the price. It is worth it to check around, as I've found it fresher and much much cheaper from the Japanese food stores in my area, usually just a couple dollars for the lowest priced bag.

Sometimes it's packaged under the name Genmai-cha. Same thing.

Today I'm treating everyone to virtual pots of their absolute favorite tea, and vast tins of shortbread and chocolate chip cookies!!!

The ice has melted, power has been restored, and the in-laws have gone home!!!!

Life is good!!!

Maseltov, RitaFaye!!
And thanks for the tea and cookies! :-)

Ooh, how marvelous! Mmmm..... I think I'll go with my mood of the day, rather than an ultimate favorite, and request a 'virtual' pot of Upton's St. Isaac's Blend or Fortnum & Mason's Smoky Earl Grey (sure to make me smile) - while I filch from your shortbread.

Congratulations, and thank you!

Right now, Twinings blackcurrant/ginseng/vanilla.

(btw, the Wissotzky rose chai is very nice, I highly recommend it. They have come out with lots of new teas this year!)

RitaFaye, CONGRATULATIONS! We went through a long, ugly week without power during a December 2007 ice storm...the day the heat came back on, I danced around the house grinning like a goof singing "Thank You Very Much" from the last act of "Scrooge!" (Albert Finney).

Adagio Cream in the cup this morning...nice, mild, just a little bit sweet.

#262 -
Have you tried the Ticolino Tea sticks? The "High Tea" tea stick is awesome.

https://www.dccoffeeproducts.com/swizzlesticktea.html

I'm in class and have already had two cups of Good Earth Jasmine Green Tea Blend. They have sayings on the tag:

"What we play is life." - Louis Armstrong (1900-1977)

"It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. - Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Bigelow's English Tea with half and half. Two packs of sugar in at 16 oz cup. Delicious! This year I want to purchase loose tea for my new tea for one set.

>338 chrine:- I loooove Genmai Cha- it's one of my favorites, and definitely my favorite green tea. The toasty flavor is so good on a cold night.

>351 lahochstetler:
It's pretty nice on rainy afternoons, too! :-)

Glad you enjoyed the treats! I seem to be stuck in Darjeeling mode still.

I am very thankful it only took 6 days for their power to be fixed. The morning paper said some areas will not get power back until MARCH!

That is brutal. Time to break out the Pinot Grigio. Sometimes tea is not enough.

Well...as it's only 7* outside I've already had two cups of tea and a cup of cocoa. Jasmine green tea blend by Good Earth again.

"All human actions have one or more of these seven causes; chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire." -Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)

Since this thread is really long , I've started a new one . Same title , but with #2 added to it .