How do you tea?

moontyrant

This is something I've been rolling around in my head for a while. With winter upon me, I want a new hot beverage that is not coffee or cocoa, which leaves tea.
Tea. The final frontier.
I have never enjoyed a mug of hot tea before. My mother used to brew sun tea during the summer on the porch, and I could drink that all day long (I only consume unsweetened tea because reasons). But ice tea doesn't appeal to me in the winter because it's so cold.
What teas should a novice try first? What brands are the best, taste and/or healthwise? What is the best way to prepare tea- in a kettle? in the microwave? leave the bag in? take the bag out? lemon or milk? Bestow your wisdom unto me, tea drinkers!

Rage_Phish

love sun tea

we drink a lot of herbal tea in my house (GF is allergic to caffeine).

I find that some are better than others, but it's all just personal preference. Go get a sample box or just a few different varieties that sound good.

swoodco

Current addiction is Trader Joes Candy Cane Green Tea but I always love mint-y tea. Not very particular about how I take my tea - boil water in electric kettle, pour over tea bag in giant glass (tempered, of course) and enjoy after it's cooled enough to drink.

If I'm drinking black tea I do enjoy a small splash of skim milk in it. No sugar.

moontyrant

The sampler box sounds like a great idea! Myself, I don't care for mint in general, and I have had chocolate tea in the past (barf) but I'll definitely try herbal teas for the zero caffeine angle.

VaingloriousVictoria

If there is a store called Teavana near you, I suggest you give it a try. It is quite pricey, but there are so many blends and varietals, you will find something you enjoy. (They sell it by the cup, and they also have at least 4-6 samples in the store.)

If you aren't willing to put too much money into it, I recommend Jasmine Tea. It's light and floral. I also enjoy Oolong and Green Tea, but those flavors might be to intense for a first timer.

I hope you find some yummy tea!

lynn_glenmont

There's such a wide range, and people's tastes are so different, you're probably just going to have to try a few until you find out what you like. If there's a Teavana or similar store (look for ones with walls of loose tea in canisters, and pricey tea pots to sell) near you, many of them offer free samples of brewed tea of several varieties at any given time, and many will sell you a brewed cup of other varieties so you could find out if you like it before buying a lot of it to take home.

For black tea, which I assume is what you're used to drinking as iced sun tea, I like a little low-fat milk (not just for fewer calories; I like the thinner "texture" in the tea) and a little white sugar. And I prefer either Earl Grey or a stronger "breakfast" tea. Chai (black tea with blend of spices, usually ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, etc.) is good too (with milk and sugar, or even plain). Celestial Seasonings' Bengal Spice is a caffeine free herbal version.

For herbal teas, I like mixtures that have a lot of naturally sweet flavors (cinnamon, licorice, mint -- you don't taste the mint individually -- ginger, citrus) that don't need anything added to them. The original Good Earth recipe is like this (with black tea), but they also make decaf and herbal only versions, I think. Celestial Seasonings' Tension Tamer flavor has a similar mix of flavors, and I'm sure other brands have similar mixtures.

For a single-flavor tisane, I like ginger, which you can even do yourself very easily with fresh ginger root.

Now I want a cuppa.

lucyloutoo

I try throw a couple of cups of green tea into my day for the supposed health benefits, either fruit flavoured or with a dash of cinnamon.
But I love hot water with a slice of lemon in...slightly addictive for me.

tabbyxxcat

CELESTIAL SEASONINGS!!!! My favorite tea brand :DDD they have a large selection, from herbal sleepy time teas, to fruity teas, and are found in most grocery stores! They come without strings on the bags (some save the environment thing) so I stick the bag in a pot on the stove, stretching it into a few mugs rather than 1 tall cup of tea (I'd find it waaaay too strong anyways). I love peach tea of any kind as a personal preference, but you'll find the peppermint tea fantastic in winter and honey vanilla chamomile a sweet brew for all tea lovers alike! It's the one I make when I have people over, etc
Happy tea hunting, it's one of my best new refreshments next to water ;D

ScientificExplorerGirl

Jasmine Tea
Chamomile Tea
and my new Favorite: Stash's Christmas Morning and Christmas Eve Tea!

Also, I recently started having hot water with 2 tsp lemon juice (realemon) plus stevia. It's pretty tasty!

87monkey

I love hot tea ...like others said personal taste is so different you should just experiment. I like black teas with cream and sugar or honey.

jennifer_417

I love lots of different kinds! Here are some I recommend:

English Breakfast
Earl Gray
Chai
Chamomile
Peppermint

If you just want to run down to your local mart, try these brands: Stash, Tazo, Bigelow, Twinings. I'm not terribly familiar with any fancier brands.

As for preparation: I'm of the opinion that pouring boiling water over your tea bag is the best, but really, any way you get hot water and your tea bag together will work.

fitgirlandfoodie

In Ireland the options are Barry's or Lyon's..I'm a Lyon's girl myself. (They are both black tea served with milk in Ireland) Of course there are all the herbal ''teas'' (even though they're technically not teas according to QI) but almost everyone takes their tea with milk.

this clip kinda explains the importance of tea in Ireland..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N20wHvMPTGs

vjrose

Good earth sweet and spicy is my go to (no sugar needed) and the celestial seasonings most anything if I'm needing caffeine free or a different taste, their holiday blends are tasty. We have an electric kettle I can set to several different temps so I can use the best temp for the tea. I tend to leave the bag in unless it is a very strongly flavored tea, then the last few sips can be too intense.

rsing557

Fiji style -- Black tea with a teaspoon of sugar and whitened with evaporated milk.

BinaryPulsar

Spearmint tea is good. I buy loose leaf from David's tea. It smells so good! You can try stevia to sweeten tea.

Slrajr

I'm enjoying a tall peppermint tea at Tim Hortons as we speak:)

trijoe

I have this boring water pitcher that I brew half gallons of tea in. 3 tea bags in, then the hottest water our tap has. It's hot super hot, but I don't like mine that hot anyway.

We've got about a dozen different teas. I love the stuff. Usually caffeine free, or decaffeinated.
Some favorites:

Herb tea: Gramma's tummy mint. Goofy title, delicious tea. Soothing, at night.
Red (rooibos) tea: Republic of Tea Cinnamon orange. Naturally caffeine free. A true delight.
Green tea: Bigelow green or decaf green.
Oolong: Bigelow Oolong
Black tea: Republic of Tea Comfort and Joy. It's a holiday tea so get it while you can. My favorite, winter or summer.
Holiday tea: Republic of Tea pumpkin spice. I gotta be in a holiday, autumn, or wintery mood.

Good luck finding what you like. Tea has flavors from the simple to the way out there.

BinaryPulsar

Oh yeah, I agree that rooibos (red tea) or vanilla rooibos is yummy.

Some tea brands I like are: Numi, Mighty Leaf, Tazo.

I like Tazo Zen tea. That is green tea with other flavors such as spearmint and lemongrass.

BeachIron

You forgot about Gluhwein

GothicaAdore

I think I drink at least one cup of tea a day. I really like black tea with sugar and milk, or herbal tea with sugar, or fancy teavana tea without sugar or milk. If it doesn't taste just awful (Lipton tea is just so so bad), then I'll drink it. I drink my ice tea unsweetened. I have a tea I don't drink that has twice the caffeine of a cup of coffee. I had it once and that much caffeine gave me a horrible migraine.

Try a few different teas, even people who don't like black tea (my favorite) will still have some tea that they like.

gimpygramma

You run cold water for a few minutes before filling a kettle and putting that on to boil. (you want aerated water not the stuff that has been sitting in the pipes.)
And it really must boil! Hot water won't do.
You then need a tea pot. Cups for brewing won't do either.
Pour a little hot water into the tea pot to warm it while you are waiting for the water to boil.
Put your tea bag or loose tea (I use a tea ball) into the nice warm tea pot and add the boiling water.
Put the lid on said pot and let the tea steep for not less than two minutes. (Longer if you want stronger tea.)
I am guessing that you are from the US and I am not sure what brands you get there but look for an English Breakfast Tea.
I drink mine plain but the Brits like theirs strong and generally serve it with milk and sugar.
In nasty weather or if you are fighting a cold, it is lovely with lemon and sweetener.
Enjoy.