Thinking of drinking tea

[Klutzington]

Hello everyone. I have never really... drunken... tea... ever. I want to try some, but not a sh*tty brand that I would probably hate.

Could anyone recommend me a brand they love? Or possibly advice on how to actually brew tea? I don't want something dredged in sugar/honey or something that is bad for you. Is there a "healthy" tea which doesn't taste like ass (or semi-"healthy")?

[Korgoth]

I think taste is too personal. You really need to just start trying stuff. There is quite a few sampler kits on Amazon that you could get then work your way through some different types until you found one you really like, then start trying different brands of that type to find the best brand for you.

[purpledrannk]

Hello everyone. I have never really... drunken... tea... ever. I want to try some, but not a sh*tty brand that I would probably hate.

Could anyone recommend me a brand they love? Or possibly advice on how to actually brew tea? I don't want something dredged in sugar/honey or something that is bad for you. Is there a "healthy" tea which doesn't taste like ass (or semi-"healthy")?

tea is probably the best thing one could possibly drink. Its antioxidants alone are worth its weight in gold. In all seriousness, lipton cold brew is rediculously good and cheap.

[Badpaladin]

I'm partial to cinnamon teas, but it's really something you're going to have to try out for yourself. You can never go wrong with some somewhat-mild black tea if you're "new" to it all.

And if you're feeling like a treat/dessert:

- Black Tea
- Water
- Milk
- Ginger (sliced, etc)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Black Pepper

Brewed in a pot over the stove is lovely. There's certainly better ways to make Chai, but it's not half bad.

[velren]

Hello everyone. I have never really... drunken... tea... ever. I want to try some, but not a sh*tty brand that I would probably hate.

Could anyone recommend me a brand they love? Or possibly advice on how to actually brew tea? I don't want something dredged in sugar/honey or something that is bad for you. Is there a "healthy" tea which doesn't taste like ass (or semi-"healthy")?

Always nice to see someone exploring tea, I will not bore you with a long story i often tell about the sparking of my love of tea from a trip to China....needless to say I think you're making a good choice! Now, could you be a bit more specific with what you want from it? Are you looking to enjoy a fine cup of hot tea or something you wish to chill or enjoy throughout the day? Also, your individual tastes will come into play as well, you say you do not want something very sweet (i never sweeten my teas) but you also appear to not want something very bitter. There are some naturally sweet teas that are quite subtle, while i use my own and specialty leaves I'll look and see if i can find a more well known brand that may have something like that, if indeed that interests you. But please do let me know how you wish to 'enjoy' the tea as i asked above, believe it or not that will greatly factor into what leaves you should look for.

[Deleted]

Hello everyone. I have never really... drunken... tea... ever. I want to try some, but not a sh*tty brand that I would probably hate.

Could anyone recommend me a brand they love? Or possibly advice on how to actually brew tea? I don't want something dredged in sugar/honey or something that is bad for you. Is there a "healthy" tea which doesn't taste like ass (or semi-"healthy")?

Just go for PG Tips, most popular Tea in England.

[Gemini Sunrise]

Try Stash. It's a pretty damn good tea brand (Raspberry Pomegranate is my favorite from them).

[Creotor]

Actual tea is not at all sweet or anything of the sort. Maybe some very specific kinds are (not that gallon sweet Lipton stuff, that's an insult to tea), but definitely not the typical black/green ones.

Also, somewhat relevant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q72_KOpSTX0

[velren]

So, I rarely order tea online but will add a link to quite the nice website a friend gave me awhile back. I am quite partial to loose leaf and would suggest trying it, also bear in mind loose leaf can often be infused 2-3 times so are actually quite inexpensive when you think about it. Now, I would suggest their starter kit, purely because you did not state the means you wish to drink the tea. Looking over the kit it seems you can enjoy most hot or cool and they have some blends that will hopefully lead you down a path to discovering exactly what flavor profiles you enjoy. Again, if you elaborate on how you wish to consume the tea I can give much more specific recommendations.

http://theteaspot.com/organic-tea-sa...html?catid=250

[Cirque]

If you want simple tea (small sack, soak in hot water, drink), I'd recommend Lipton's Marocco tea:



It's my favourite tea, also cause I like my tea 'black' (no sugar, milk, or anything), and this one doesn't turn bitter so fast when you leave it for awhile.

Admittably minty tea is not necessarily the best if it's cold (minted tea is drank when it's hot actually!), but I love it anyway. It's refreshing and tastes awesome.

[Jaxi]

Moroccan mint is very good and very simple. I approve of Cirque's tastes.

Speaking of tastes, I'm going to have to try some of the suggestions in this page. I normally don't like tea since it tastes like licking a stick, but I do want to drink more of it.

[Forgettable]

Not sure if they've got them in the states, but in Canada at least... Teavana and David's Tea are both good in my opinion. As stated by others, your preference of tea will be different than mine. However, I am a big fan of herbal tea... But I think Green, White, and Red are my favorites. Anything with a fruit flavour I find is great. I'm currently enjoying Sakura Alure (Green), Goji Pop (Herbal), and Creamy Nut Oolong (Oolong) with a pinch of Nettle Leaves thrown in. I find that most fruit flavoured teas do not require any sweetener, so I suggest trying one of those if that's what you're aiming for.

[DeltrusDisc]

Chai tea and Green tea are absolutely amazing.

Black tea has a lot of caffeine though, do be careful.

[Cirque]

Moroccan mint is very good and very simple. I approve of Cirque's tastes.

Speaking of tastes, I'm going to have to try some of the suggestions in this page. I normally don't like tea since it tastes like licking a stick, but I do want to drink more of it.

yes, I agree! So will I. I'm not a big tea-lover though, I like my teas *really* strong, and most teas turn really bitter if you make it as strong as I like. That's the big advantage of this tea too.

[Wiizper]

Theres a tea i love.

I think its called something Chi, its a brown box.

Green tea with cardamom and cinnamon in it.

[imabanana]

pu-er are the only teas I drink, best tastes I found, and seems to be good for your health too. Hard to recommend one though, people compare it to wines as there are so many types and tastes, also one of the very few teas that ages in a similar way to wine, some are much better when (very) old.

[Kalis]

Buy some English Tea, such as PG Tips or Twinings.

1) Put teabag in cup.
2) Add boiling water.
3) Dash of milk.
4) Add a little bit of sugar, if that's your thing.
5) Eat some gingernuts.
6) Moan about the weather.

If you want a builders brew, add loads of milk and sugar.

[DrKirre]

My favorite tea is something called "Tension Tamer". I forget the brand, but it's pretty much everywhere. It's not the best tea, but it's positively lovely with a touch of honey and cream. It tastes like sugar cookies. :3

[taubut]

Chai is good, most people prefer chai from starbucks (a chai latte) better than normal chai tea. Chai latte uses steamed milk instead of water, and the ones at starbucks use a chai concentrate which gives it extra flavor.

If you would prefer the normal tea bag style tea go for some English Breakfast Tea in the morning, its got a nice easy taste to it and if you are a coffee drinker its probably the one that resembles coffee the most. I prefer mine with nothing in it normally. Sometimes a toss a bit of sugar but It really doesnt need it.

There are tons of different types of green teas out there, Id say pick a flavor you like and try that. Also white teas are very nice and relaxing.

If you plan on drinking any of these teas DONT bob the tea bag up and down, and DONT squeeze the tea bag thinking it will give it extra flavor. Just put the bag in an empty cup, and pour the boiling water in the cup and onto the bag. Then put a lid or something on top of the cup and let it sit for 5-8 minutes for a green / white tea, and 6-10 minutes for a black tea (english breakfast tea is a black tea). Then remove the lid, take out the bag and enjoy. Dont leave the bag in while drinking.

OH YEAH! dont fall for that Teavana crap, and lipton is crap too. No offense to the people above who said they love lipton.

OH YEAH AGAIN! if you want to make ice tea, make sure you use at least double the amount of tea, or else the flavor will get watered down too much. Boil the water, put the tea bags in the cup, put lots and lots of ice in the cup. Pour the water in the iced cup, let the ice melt and the drink to cool, then put more ice in it.


ENJOY!!


EDIT: add a little honey to your tea if you got a soar throat to make it feel way better!

[Deleted]

I do not know why, but I laugh when I think of 'starter kits' and trying and blending.

I mean after all it is just a hot beverage. Call me barbaric but I like nearly all tea, just dip a bag in there and I will drink it.

:P