Tea Thread

[The Bullfrog]

Let's talk about tea.

As a drink of choice tea seems hard to beat, not only for its health benefits but also in the number of different ways you can enjoy it. It is a drink you can get creative with and I am curious to see what others have come up with.

Tell me what type of tea you drink and how you like to flavor it.

My go to tea is green tea and my standard flavorings are cinnamon, lemon and ginseng root.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I'm a big fan of Emperor's and Persimmon as cheap, off-the-shelf, options.

 

[Thana]

I fell in love with white tea, with just a touch of sugar and a touch of milk.
Mmm... Yum.

 

[The Bullfrog]

I'm a big fan of Emperor's and Persimmon as cheap, off-the-shelf, options.

*Edited link out.

Browsing your link I am getting lots of ideas to try out. Peppermint and orange seems like they might make good additions.

I see some teas having ginger listed, I am not sure about that one but I would be willing to try it.

 

[The Bullfrog]

I fell in love with white tea, with just a touch of sugar and a touch of milk.
Mmm... Yum.

I have never put milk in my tea but I hear that lots of people like their tea that way. Sounds like a good way to add a little bit more calcium to the diet.

 

[Quintessence]

Ahahahhahah! Better to ask me what kinds of tea I don't drink, because it is a much shorter list.

Those things that call themselves "tea" but merely HFCS-infused sugar water with fruit juice flavorings? Nope. Some of them are actually not so bad, but they are not tea. Honest tea is one of the few brands that actually tastes like tea. That Lipton stuff? Disgusting. Arizona? Not tea... sugar water. Peace tea? The only 99¢ can I'll drink, but still not really tea. Xing tea? Easily the best of the canned teas, but still more of a juice than a legitimate tea. It's really depressing how few pre-bottled/canned teas actually taste like tea. There's only a couple that I've found that do. Both come in glass containers, and both are rather expensive, unfortunately.

Those brands that claim something is "green tea" yet it consists of poor quality leavings that never brew a cup that stands up to a proper green tea? Nope. When it comes to tea, you tend to get what you pay for. Cheap tea is usually bad tea. Especially cheap green tea. Cheap black tea - though not a proper blend - usually stands up fairly. Cheap green tea? Cheap white tea? Awful. Not even worth it. Much better to buy yourself a proper sencha, silver needle, or genmaicha.

 

[Exhibitkris]

My quick go-to tea is the cheap Tazo green tea you can get at the grocery store, I buy “Zen” I love the lemongrass and spearmint flavors, I drink it unsweetened and iced.


For hot tea I prefer a Black tea, straight up no sweetener or milk, currently enjoying Teavanas Yunna Golden Pu-erh tea.


I in general, I like my tea bitter, just like my heart

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

This hit the news about a month ago. It should be a great go-to option for overpriced tea. Hopefully the quality will warrant the patronage.

 

[The Bullfrog]

Ahahahhahah! Better to ask me what kinds of tea I don't drink, because it is a much shorter list.

Those things that call themselves "tea" but merely HFCS-infused sugar water with fruit juice flavorings? Nope. Some of them are actually not so bad, but they are not tea. Honest tea is one of the few brands that actually tastes like tea. That Lipton stuff? Disgusting. Arizona? Not tea... sugar water. Peace tea? The only 99¢ can I'll drink, but still not really tea. Xing tea? Easily the best of the canned teas, but still more of a juice than a legitimate tea. It's really depressing how few pre-bottled/canned teas actually taste like tea. There's only a couple that I've found that do. Both come in glass containers, and both are rather expensive, unfortunately.

Those brands that claim something is "green tea" yet it consists of poor quality leavings that never brew a cup that stands up to a proper green tea? Nope. When it comes to tea, you tend to get what you pay for. Cheap tea is usually bad tea. Especially cheap green tea. Cheap black tea - though not a proper blend - usually stands up fairly. Cheap green tea? Cheap white tea? Awful. Not even worth it. Much better to buy yourself a proper sencha, silver needle, or genmaicha.

I just buy generic green tea and then add my flavoring when I prepare the tea.

I have always wondered what the difference were between cheap green tea and the more costly stuff. As far as health benefits go is there a significant difference between the two?

 

[Quintessence]

Tazo is actually a decent brand as far as bagged teas go. Not outstanding, but decent. Their bagged green teas are acceptable, but no bagged green tea can really stack up to a proper loose leaf green.

I didn't know Star$#@%s bought out Teavana. That might explain some of the disappointing changes I've noticed in their line-ups lately. Too much trying to be trendy, not enough catering to tea snobs like myself. I wouldn't call their stuff overpriced, however. My gripes over their attempts to be trendy aside, many of their blends are excellent.

 

[The Bullfrog]

Tazo is actually a decent brand as far as bagged teas go. Not outstanding, but decent. Their bagged green teas are acceptable, but no bagged green tea can really stack up to a proper loose leaf green.

I didn't know Star$#@%s bought out Teavana. That might explain some of the disappointing changes I've noticed in their line-ups lately. Too much trying to be trendy, not enough catering to tea snobs like myself. I wouldn't call their stuff overpriced, however. My gripes over their attempts to be trendy aside, many of their blends are excellent.

What is the difference between bagged tea and loose leaf tea?

Is this just a matter of flavor or is there more to it?

 

[Quintessence]

I just buy generic green tea and then add my flavoring when I prepare the tea.

I have always wondered what the difference were between cheap green tea and the more costly stuff. As far as health benefits go is there a significant difference between the two?

I know a lot about tea, but when I did a research paper on it years ago, I didn't really look into the health benefits in depth because I personally don't care about that. To me, the massive difference in the flavor profiles is more than enough reason to go with looseleaf green teas whenever possible. Generic bagged tea is basically a mish-mash of leavings or "left overs" from the production of higher grade teas. For highly oxidized teas (black, oolong), leavings are not so bad quailty-wise, but for green teas, they're poor. Once you've had good loose leaf green teas properly brewed, it's really hard to go back to drinking the other stuff.

And now I'm going to have to brew up some sencha or something...

 

[Quintessence]

What is the difference between bagged tea and loose leaf tea?

Is this just a matter of flavor or is there more to it?

Other than what I noted above, when I said "mish mash" before, I mean they will blend teas from different growing regions, different seasons, and that also may have used different production methods. A more proper name for this kind of tea is a "blended tea." Tea connoisseurs know that the region a tea comes from, the season a tea was grown in, and the processing method affects the flavor profile. You loose the unique flavor profile of teas in the bagged teas, which are almost always blended teas (I say almost always, because I recently discovered a brand of bagged tea that doesn't do this... I was quite shocked, to say the least, and they've become one of my favs). Loose leaf teas can be blended as well, though; it just depends on what you're getting.

 

[The Bullfrog]

I know a lot about tea, but when I did a research paper on it years ago, I didn't really look into the health benefits in depth because I personally don't care about that. To me, the massive difference in the flavor profiles is more than enough reason to go with looseleaf green teas whenever possible. Generic bagged tea is basically a mish-mash of leavings or "left overs" from the production of higher grade teas. For highly oxidized teas (black, oolong), leavings are not so bad quailty-wise, but for green teas, they're poor. Once you've had good loose leaf green teas properly brewed, it's really hard to go back to drinking the other stuff.

And now I'm going to have to brew up some sencha or something...

I see, well to each there own. I am more interested in the health benefits.

Like a ginseng tea mix would be good for a boost of energy and vigor.

A cinnamon tea mix would be good to drink while performing mental task since cinnamon, or its smell, seem to boost some mental functions.

A lemon mix is great just because lemons are very healthy on many different levels.

It also looks like a peppermint tea mix could be good for your air ways and for soothing your stomach.

Tea is a great way to incorporate healthy foods into your diet. I am fine with the taste of cheap tea. Unless there is a significant difference in the healthy benefits of the tea I'll stick with the cheap stuff.

 

[The Bullfrog]

Other than what I noted above, when I said "mish mash" before, I mean they will blend teas from different growing regions, different seasons, and that also may have used different production methods. A more proper name for this kind of tea is a "blended tea." Tea connoisseurs know that the region a tea comes from, the season a tea was grown in, and the processing method affects the flavor profile. You loose the unique flavor profile of teas in the bagged teas, which are almost always blended teas (I say almost always, because I recently discovered a brand of bagged tea that doesn't do this... I was quite shocked, to say the least, and they've become one of my favs). Loose leaf teas can be blended as well, though; it just depends on what you're getting.

Sounds a lot like what wine drinkers do with their grapes.

 

[The Bullfrog]

I might have to send you a message from time to time with tea questions, Quintessence. I bet we could come up with some healthy great tasting tea ideas.

 

[Quintessence]

Sounds a lot like what wine drinkers do with their grapes.

It probably is, but I'm not into the wine thing.

I have made my own herbal "teas" for health or magical/ritual reasons, but it's not the main reason I do tea. I'm not enough of a health nut for that. I made a blend to help with anxiety a while back; I wasn't sure if it was going to taste good, but it does.

 

[The Bullfrog]

I use to drink wild strawberry tea to calm my nerves. They grow all over the place around here, I would just go out in the wild and pick leaves.

 

[Quintessence]

Oh, experimenting with native plant infusions is great! One needs to know a thing or two about botany to do so safely, though. I think the best one I've tried is Monarda fistulosa, which is better known as Beebalm or Wild Bergamot. It makes its home in the prairie remnants/restorations around here.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What is the difference between bagged tea and loose leaf tea?

The bag?