Tea?

Aequitas503
Aequitas503 Posts: 62
in Food and Nutrition
I've never tried tea and I'd like to try it, if only to see what the fuss is about.

The thing is, there are so many types I'm not sure where to start and what to try.

Any suggestions?

If it makes any difference, I'm not a fan of hot coffee (I like iced coffe though)
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Replies

  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    Best to just start with regular tea, green or black, and then try out different flavours.

    Green tea is a lot milder than black tea and tastes better without sugar.
    Black tea can get quite strong quite quickly, especially if you don't want to add sugar or milk.

    Green tea does need to be made at 80 degrees C, instead of 100 degrees C, otherwise the leaves will burn a bit and it will taste bitter. Just fill up your cup with 1/4 cold water and then add the boiled water and then the tea. Leave to stand for 2-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want it.
    Black tea needs to be made at 100 degrees C (boiled water). Don't leave to stand, because it gets too strong really quickly.

    A lot of people also like herbal teas, but that really depends on your taste. Just have a look in the shops and see what looks good to you.

    For a lot of people tea is an acquired taste, but most start to like it really quickly.
  • RedWeb
    RedWeb Posts: 108 Member
    As someone from the UK where tea is drunk by everybody I find it hard to imagine how someone can be on this planet for 25 years and never had a cup !

    Drink and enjoy...it is refreshing. More so than coffee.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I really recommend Whittards tea - not sure if you can get it where you are, but they have a website where people can order. They sell various types of tea leaves, and it's never bitter. I like their green tea with mango, and their black tea with rose petals.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Is there a tea shop near you? A lot of them will have a few kinds of tea brewed and ready for tasting. In general, the kinds available in the supermarket in tea bags is crud; the powder and ripped leaf bits left over when the full tea leaves have been harvested and packaged.

    I will second what Illona said about the differences between drinking green and black tea.

    Here's a littler primer on black tea varieties:
    Orange pekoe: Your general, all-purpose black tea
    Earl Gray: Black tea flavored with bergamot (orange) oil
    English breakfast: A mix of black tea varieties good for drinking with breakfast for some reason
    Oolong: The black tea they serve in Chinese restaurants

    Lastly, you can sometimes get green tea with flowers in it, usually jasmine or chrysanthemum. These are very tasty. Also, if you like toasty flavors, there is a Japanese green tea called genmai-cha that comes with toasted grains in it that I love.
  • Mirandac2012
    Mirandac2012 Posts: 12
    Im UK so suggest the classic Breakfast tea. Twinings are fantastic....I see your Australia so here is a link so you can read up on the different blends http://www.twinings.com.au/
  • eena56
    eena56 Posts: 1,456 Member
    As someone from the UK where tea is drunk by everybody I find it hard to imagine how someone can be on this planet for 25 years and never had a cup !

    Drink and enjoy...it is refreshing. More so than coffee.

    Completely agree!

    I love my PG tips, best tea ever. Add some milk and enjoy. Multiple times a day. For the rest of your life.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    I'm a big fan of Sainsbury's own Red Label tea: makes a really strong brew (although, outside the UK, I'm not sure where you'd source it). Co-op's own fairtrade tea is pretty similar and produces a diamond brew. Perfect to wash down eggs of any description for some reason!

    PS Tea is not just great to drink, but also a kind of magical psycho-tropic compound that makes any bad situation or disaster just plain better. That might just be an English cultural thing though......
  • paulaviki
    paulaviki Posts: 678 Member
    I've never really understood why it's always called English breakfast tea when us Brits drink that sort of tea all day!
  • stagknight
    stagknight Posts: 130 Member
    Tea, Earl Gray, Hot!
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    PG tips may be a bit strong for a first time tea drinker. Lipton is a pretty standard US brand and Twinnings is good and not as strong as PG tips. Also, green tea tastes drastically different than black tea so I'd look to try both. Ten Ren is a brand you might see in any grocery store. Just pick up a box and try it. If you don't like it hot, try it iced.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    Tea, Earl Gray, Hot!

    Ha ha!

    Engage!
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Love tea. It is so good.

    Go to Republic of Tea. They have good flavored ones. If you aren't a tea drinker you can try starting with a flavored black as those seem to be the most palatable for people. Whites are also quite mellow. Green as more of a vegetable taste.

    I tend to mix my teas. I get matcha/green for the increased health benefits but mix a few bags of black or white in with them when I am making a gallon of iced tea.

    RoT has a Wild Plum Green that is great but I would recommend trying the Mango Ceylon or Papaya Passionfruit Black. Those are incredible.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Im UK so suggest the classic Breakfast tea. Twinings are fantastic....I see your Australia so here is a link so you can read up on the different blends http://www.twinings.com.au/
    Here, here. Twinnings is both tasty and affordable (I love their Earl Gray).

    Also, to the Star Trek nerds: Takei recently posted a funny macro on Facebook. A picture of Jean-Luc reading a book with the name "50 Shades of Earl Gray." :bigsmile:
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    English Breakfast Tea with a dash of milk and sugar to taste!
  • vacherin
    vacherin Posts: 192
    Best to just start with regular tea, green or black, and then try out different flavours.

    Green tea is a lot milder than black tea and tastes better without sugar.
    Black tea can get quite strong quite quickly, especially if you don't want to add sugar or milk.

    Green tea does need to be made at 80 degrees C, instead of 100 degrees C, otherwise the leaves will burn a bit and it will taste bitter. Just fill up your cup with 1/4 cold water and then add the boiled water and then the tea. Leave to stand for 2-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want it.
    Black tea needs to be made at 100 degrees C (boiled water). Don't leave to stand, because it gets too strong really quickly.

    A lot of people also like herbal teas, but that really depends on your taste. Just have a look in the shops and see what looks good to you.

    For a lot of people tea is an acquired taste, but most start to like it really quickly.

    Wow - you really know your stuff! I thought I knew a lot about tea, but you are spot on - hats off to you!

    I get my tea from www.teapigs.co.uk - it's a bit pricier than regular tea, but the difference in flavour/quality is astounding. I was recommended it by a friend, and I thought, "Surely all tea is just the same" but it's not. Their peppermint tea, in particular, is not like any peppermint I have tried before and has won loads of awards.
  • rachmass1
    rachmass1 Posts: 470 Member
    As someone from the UK where tea is drunk by everybody I find it hard to imagine how someone can be on this planet for 25 years and never had a cup !

    Drink and enjoy...it is refreshing. More so than coffee.

    Completely agree!

    I love my PG tips, best tea ever. Add some milk and enjoy. Multiple times a day. For the rest of your life.

    Drink at least one pot of PG Tips a day. The best!
  • dhakiyya
    dhakiyya Posts: 481 Member
    As someone from the UK where tea is drunk by everybody I find it hard to imagine how someone can be on this planet for 25 years and never had a cup !

    Drink and enjoy...it is refreshing. More so than coffee.

    Same!!

    OP - try all the different ones and see what ones you like. To make it less strong, leave the teabag in for less time. Even with black tea there are several varieties of it so don't give up if you don't like the first one you try.
  • GuineaMother
    GuineaMother Posts: 59 Member
    Tea can be sooo different.
    If you want to get something you can drink all day with minimal calorie input then try white tea without milk. Unlike black it never gets bitter, and is really smooth.

    I also love lady grey and peppermint last thing in the evening.

    Also- lovely tea drinkers please add me!! I need more friends for motivation
    x
  • Morvoran
    Morvoran Posts: 2 Member
    Well, for my very first post on here, what better topic than tea!

    I was a black tea drinker from the age of 2 (yes really). Twinnings Assam was my favourite, stong and full bodied. But about 18 months ago, I weaned myself off of that and on to green tea, I did this for health reasons (migraines) but the all-round health benefits of green tea are amazing. The thing I notice more than anything is how clean my teeth are, no tartar build up at all. Imagine what nice things that must do to your insides ;)

    Green tea, is an aquired taste, but if you persevere with it, you will start to love it. The best one I have found is an organic tea by Clipper. They have an amazing range, and if you find green tea a little bitter, it comes in all sorts of flavours. Green with peppermint is great, and very soothing for your digestion. Green with lemon is refreshing in the morning. Sometimes, I just drink regular green, but pop a couple of fresh mint leaves from the garden into the water while it is steeping.

    Someone mentioned teapigs. I love them! Their camomile is made with whole flowers, and is extremely relaxing at bed time. And a favourite at the moment is their silver tips white tea, which is even lighter than green. Very refreshing.

    Good luck on your journey of tea discovery ;)
  • MissSusieQ
    MissSusieQ Posts: 533 Member
    i like black tea, but i'm a really big fan of fruit teas. they really knock off a sweet craving, and if you get one you like they're really refreshing and are a great way of upping your water intake

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