Who likes tea?

[2535Miles]

Though my vote goes to Mr. T.

[summerwind03]

My favorite is a Stash tea called Vanilla Nut Creme -- decaf. Strong enough to stand up to milk and sugar. (Plus Stash has a cool B&B free night stay coupon thing.)

[EarlJam]

Though my vote goes to Mr. T.

Yes.

-EarlGreyJam

[colchar]

What's your favorite colchar and how do you take it? Knew I could count on you for this thread.

Orange pekoe of various brands. And the way I take it varies. Usually I take it with milk and sugar. Sometimes I take it with a bit more or a bit less of either of these. And sometimes I'll take it black - usually with sugar but not always. Really depends on my mood.

[aimo]

I like ice cold sweet tea with a lemon in it. Oh yes, I’m from the South baby!

This brings up a good question though. You know how that coffee maker product “Mr. Coffee” really caught on? Seems everyone had a “Mr. Coffee.” Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio was the face of the product.

Well, if you took the same concept and used if for a tea maker, wouldn’t you have a “Mr. Tea?” Hmmmmmmmm. Now who in the world would make a good spokesperson for a product called “Mr. Tea?” I have no idea.

-EarlJam

There is one. Or was one. Called Mrs Tea, thank you very much. But why bother? A good pyrex measuring cup and a microwave is all you need.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRS-TEA-BY-MR-CO...d=p3286.c0.m14

[2535Miles]

There is one. Or was one. Called Mrs Tea, thank you very much. But why bother? A good pyrex measuring cup and a microwave is all you need.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRS-TEA-BY-MR-CO...d=p3286.c0.m14

I prefer a glass pitcher and a front porch.

[captmojo]

I'm sippin' while writin' this. Those tiny little tea leaves in Tetley do the trick for me. I don't like it too sweet (as a matter of fact I use Splenda) and no lemon.

I don't use any contaminates in my coffee either.

[Bostondevil]

Being born in the south, I love iced tea, I think it come with the territory. I'm also a hot tea drinker and it's my caffeine addiction mode of choice, especially now that I'm trying to give up 'Co-Cola'.

I too do not like coffee. I'm a tea drinker. Two shelves in my pantry are full of tea.

In the morning, when I'm in a rush and using a teabag, I drink either Bewley's Dublin morning or Barry's gold blend, both imported from Ireland and available in the international aisle at Stop-N-Shop. If it's later in the morning and I have time, I'll brew up a pot of Bewley's Irish Afternoon tea, still my favorite all purpose loose tea. For some reason I prefer Taylor of Harrogate's Darjeeling (the call it Afternoon Darjeeling) and it's a great afternoon tea. I also really like Prince of Wales and Twinning's has a very nice Prince of Wales tea, both the bags and loose. After dinner, if I need a cup in the evening, I will drink Twinning's Irish Breakfast decaf. I like Earl Grey but don't tend to want it everyday. I'm not the crazy about Twinning's Earl Grey though, it's too strong or something. If I need to blow my own socks off, I'll brew up a pot of Taylor's of Harrogate's Scottish Breakfast. The tea you get in Chinese restaurants is jasmine tea. It's a nice tea but it really should be brewed with almost but not quite boiling water. Boiling water gives it a bitter taste, jasmine tea is usually a fairly delicate tea. I have some special occasion teas as well, a spiced tea I drink around Christmas and a vanilla tea I make when the knitting group or the book club comes over. I also have several herbal teas that I keep in the house only for my book club. They drink it, I don't usually.

I take milk in my tea. If I've brewed it in the pot, I'm a miffer. If it's a teabag, I steep it then add the milk.

[DukePA]

has anyone else had Thai iced tea? The tea seems to be brewed in water then mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice. It is completely decadent. I've only had it a few times and loved it. I'm also Chai tea fan either hot or cold.

[Jim3k]

OK. I have to confess I've been drinking tea for over 60 years. When I was about 9, before tea came into the American consciousness, my mother did a major study on it for a group in Illinois. As a result, I learned about some unusual teas, one of which, very smoky, is/was Lapsang Sou Chong. As a 9-year old, it about knocked me out. At that age it was way too strong...but as time passed, I began to discover more and more about black teas. I also learned about the legend of a monk who stayed awake for 9 years by drinking tea.

Today, I only drink black teas -- unfortunately, my wife prefers to buy them in bags, so that limits my choices, even though that's what she drinks. (I did have a white tea recently,)

As for the best tea available, I want to point to a tea that is currently called "Market Spice." It used to be known as Seattle Spice, but the shop owners changed the name sometime back. This is an orange spice tea in the mode of Constant Comment, but far more orangey and far more cinnamony. It is almost too strong for daily consumption, but wow... (Don't store it in tupperware-type plastic; it will eat it away.) It is available from the tea shop at Pike Place Market.

It's a great tea -- but all things in moderation.

I have no problem with any black tea or tea blend. Bigelow, Twining, Melrose, St. James, most of the Chinese teas -- Oolong, Jasmine and such. Tazo from nearby Oakland has some pretty good black teas, too, but their Earl Grey is not as aromatic as it should be. There are Aussie and Canadian blends that are very good, too. I can even take lapsang sou chong, now, but prefer nonsmoky teas.

Our English contingent should be weighing in on the hundreds of blends available from Harrod's. Out west you can still get a wide variety in bulk at Cost Plus.

I even like green tea pretty well; it's great for when your chest is congested as it contains natural theophyllin.

I no longer sweeten it (or if I do, it's with Splenda, and I never spoil it with milk. Lemon is good once in a while and will soften the taste of the strong blends.

But do not ever serve me an herbal tea!

[CameronBornAndBred]

When I was a kid, if I had a cough, my mom would give me hot tea, with honey and a small amount of bourbon. I love tea in the winter, but every now and then I'll throw in some bourbon and think of mom's nursing skills.

[sue71, esq]

My favorite hot tea is Mighty Leaf Vanilla Bean. Just add some sugar. Mmmmmmmmmm good stuff.

I also adore (cold) sweet tea. I'm a Jersey girl originally, so my NJ crew just doesn't understand.

[CameronBornAndBred]

George Clooney hates tea. Known fact.

[Lavabe]

I even like green tea pretty well; it's great for when your chest is congested as it contains natural theophyllin.

I no longer sweeten it (or if I do, it's with Splenda, and I never spoil it with milk. Lemon is good once in a while and will soften the taste of the strong blends.

But do not ever serve me an herbal tea!

I enjoyed your post, and agree with your comment about sweetening. I never have enjoyed milk in tea.

Although I like black teas, they no longer like me. On the other hand, jamsines (especially jasmine oolong) seem to work fine with me, if taken in moderation. I can have white teas and some blooming blends.

Rooibos red teas (tisanes) are much safer with me, and the right blend (for me chai or vanilla) is hard to beat. They are loaded with antioxidants, impart great flavor, and are naturally caffeine-free. If you need the caffeine, they are not right for you; if you don't mind the caffeine-free, they are definitely worth a try.

As for the herbal comment, some really are a bit bizarre, especially the over-the-top fruit or mint tea bag varieties. On the other hand, I started appreciating them when I encountered their use in developing countries. At my field site, we had a local tea tree (the leaves were used as a health-promoting tea by local people), and to this day, it is one of my favorite herbals/tisanes. Chamomile and honeybush are also very healthful, especially when you're sick.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Bostondevil]

George Clooney hates tea. Known fact.

Yeah? Cite your sources. And I don't care. I'll learn to brew coffee if I have to.