HATE TEA

jgnatca wrote: »

Try the fruity herbal teas like Red Zinger by Celestial Seasonings. Flavour it with an artificial sweetener. Here in Canada we have tea stores that offer samplers like David's Tea.

Especially if you HATE TEA, I suggest getting small samples so you aren't out of pocket.

This^

Get a box of Celestial Seasonings herbal tea sampler or fruit tea sampler. These are all herbal, you can try a bunch. If you don't like them singly.....mix and match these with "plain" black or green tea. Be careful not to steep too long, or use water that's too hot. Green tea (for example) will get bitter when you use too hot water.

Stash, Twinings, and Bigelow also have sampler packs. The trick is finding a grocery store with a large tea selection. In my area that's Woodman's.

I hate plain camomile, but really like Twinings Winter Spice (seasonal). It's camomile, apple, cinnamon, and cardomom.

Not sure if there are any health related benefits (sorry I did not read all of the previous comments) to this tea but I think it is yummy.

Passion Tea Lemonade - Starbucks Brand
I brew the tea, add fresh lemon juice and some stevia. Let cool in the refrigerator, serve over ice. It does not taste like tea, but if you are looking to increase your water intake and want something not so boring this would work.

I also find that the Yogi Tea's are very flavorful. I always add lemon juice to them.

There's no reason to drink tea if you don't like it. Problem solved

So I just re-read my previous post, and wanted to add something about the lemon juice.
I rarely have fresh lemon juice.
I get frozen lemon juice, it is by the frozen orange or apple juice. It comes in a bottle. Closest I have found to fresh squeezed. It also works great to add some flare to H2O.
I also use True Lemon packets.

I wouldn't force it if you don't like it, but I understand, as I usually don't like tea myself, but enjoy it in the winter/when I have a sore throat. It took me awhile to find the right fit for me - herbal blends seem more enjoyable to me than black or green ones. I've found TAZO passion and wild orange to be the only brand/flavor I really enjoy. I take mine with agave nectar to give it a little bit of sweetness without the grittiness of sugar - it seems more smooth that way.

I drink a lot of water, but also enjoy a nice cup of tea, and like to try different varieties. Good Earth makes a sweet and spicy blend that's pretty good; it's got a touch of natural sweetness to it as well.

Hit up the tea aisle, buy a box of something that looks interesting, and give it a chance. Worst case is you don't like it and can leave it in kitchen at work.

Oh boy, there's a lot going on in this thread. Please allow me to clear up a few things.

"Teas" can be made out of anything. You can make a "tea" out of old shoelaces steeped in water.

If you are looking for health benefits of actual tea (i.e. camellia sinensis) - the type of tea you think of as black tea, green tea, oolong tea et al. you will NOT find those benefits in Celestial Seasonings. Those are all herbal "teas" - which are fine, but they do not contain any actual tea (camellia sinensis). There are other plants that provide a caffeine kick similar to what you get from camellia sinensis leaves: guayusa, yerba mate, yaupon (all varieties of holly).

Herbal drinks are fine if you like the herbs and what they do for you, that's another conversation. However here I am talking about actual tea, from tea plants. Hereafter "tea" is going to be that tea, ok?

If you find tea bitter:
- Do not oversteep it. If you want a stronger tea, use more leaf. Don't steep it longer. This only causes bitterness.
- Try whole leaf tea instead of tea bag tea. Tea bags are filled with "fannings" - the leftovers after the higher quality, whole or partially broken leaves are taken out. Breaking the leaves increases surface area and increases the odds it will be bitter.
- Steep your tea at the right temp and for the right amount of time. Green tea is not supposed to be steeped at the same temperature as black, for example. Read the package.
- An old southern trick when making iced tea is to add baking soda. I haven't done side by side comparisons if this changes bitterness or not but "they" say it helps.
- Sweeten it and/or add milk. Heavy cream will curdle in very hot tea. Milk or half and half is a better choice.
- Or, just keep trying it plain and develop a taste for it.


Sorry for the diatribe! I have a certification in tea (it's actually a thing, believe it or not).