Tea drinkers

I find it useful to try a variety of teas, and adagio.com sells samples of most of their flavors. I suggest trying them out to start.

I like strong flavors that aren't compatible with sugar, to keep me from adding sugar to it. The best teas for that for me are Genmaicha (Japanese tea with roasted rice in it, tastes like toast), Gyokuro (expensive shade-grown Japanese green that has extra caffeine and a very strong flavor, sort of like green vegetables, but not bitter), Hojicha (Japanese green tea that's roasted, it tastes smokey), lapsang souchong (Chinese black tea that tastes like a gosh darn campfire, a little overwhelming if it's not blended, but definitely memorable and incompatible with sugar), and Pu-er (Chinese aged black tea that tastes like dirt...but in a good way!).

Adagio is good to try these all out. That's where I found them.
After you try them, Yunnan sourcing has some exciting pu-er's, and O-Cha has a great variety of better-priced Japanese green teas.

SnowOwl26 wrote: »

I'm a big coffee sugar and cream type girl. But I want to give it up and drink teas. How do I make them taste good and which ones are best. How to drink tea Mm

I can't say which ones you will like, but look for sampler boxes. Sampler boxes will let you try lots of different teas. I hate buying a box of tea I can't stand. This can at least steer you in the right direction. Look for Stash, Bigelow, Celestial Seasonings, or Twinings.

I like flavored black tea - not sweetened - hot or cold. I make a big pitcher of iced tea using flavored (Twinings Mixed Berry) and plain black tea bags. The flavored tea bags mellow the tea out. Black iced tea - straight - may be an acquired taste. Chais are yummy spicy black (or green) teas but I tend to add milk & sugar. Bigelow Vanilla Chai is a good "beginner" chai, no black pepper in there. Celestial Seasonings Chai is an acquired taste (IMO).

I like flavored green tea - not sweetened - hot or cold. I make green iced tea using flavored and plain green tea bags. Again, flavored tea bags (I use a store brand) mellows the tea out. Don't use too hot water to steep green tea (not boiling) or your tea will be bitter.

Herbal tea - rooibos (red tea) is very mellow. I like Celestial Seasonings Madagascar Vanilla.

If you're looking for black tea try PG Tips. Brew the tea with boiling water( I brew for the recommended 3 minutes), don't squeeze the bag, add 1/2-1 tsp sugar or none at all, and 3-4 tablespoons of 2% milk.

An herbal tea I've been enjoying lately is Tazo Dessert Delights. I usually don't like lemon teas but their Lemon Loaf is delicious. It's like a lemon vanilla tea. It doesn't need sugar but you could add 1/2-1 tsp for extra delicousness.

Tazo Butterscotch Blondie is another delicious black tea.

I like fruit-flavored green teas. Lipton used to (or maybe still does, but I haven't seen it in months) a mandarin orange one which was my favorite. But all of the lemon (with or without ginseng) ones are good. Aldi has really good pomegranate-blueberry-acai green tea, too.

I don't put anything in them, as I like their tastes as-is.

Good tea needs to 'brew in a pot for 3 or 4 mins, preferably a china pot English Breakfast with a splash of semi skimmed milk for me please

Apple cinnamon tea is my favorite, and a great replacement for dessert in the evenings.

I drink my tea and coffee with no cream or sugar. I used to be a 2 creams, 2 sugars in my coffee type of girl. I widdled down my use a half serving at a time. I also dilute my coffee slightly to cut the bitterness. You can look for the same flavors in tea that you liked in coffee. I really love french vanilla, so I drink Tea Forte Orchid Vanilla (loose leaf). It has a strong vanilla flavor. I also love Bigelow's French Vanilla (bag) and Vanilla Chai (bag).

Many tea brands offer sampler's online. Tea Forte has fantastic samplers. Once you find what you like, you can buy more economical loose leaf teas.

Already been mentioned but my favorite is Celestial's Bengal Spice. So much cinnamon flavor, it's just lovely. I love it with a bit of raw honey and a splash of milk.

I used to be only a big coffee drinker, and I found that most teas just didn't pack the flavor punch I was looking for. Took some time for me to find ones that I really liked and they've definitely grown on me over time.

So many teas and tea lovers!

OP, why do you want to give up your coffee? There are potential health benefits to drinking coffee just as there are to tea - you just have to be careful what you put into it. I used to hate coffee. Then I discovered the mocha, which is a calorie-laden bomb if you buy it at Starbucks, but making one at home I use stevia and 2% milk, no whipped cream on top. I drink regular coffee sometimes, too but not without it being sweet and lightened somehow, so I know where you're coming from. Maybe try experimenting with things besides sugar and cream - stevia, and perhaps one of the non-dairy milks, or a lighter cream? I've had to do this myself and you can get used to it.

But I like tea, too. Drinking English Breakfast with stevia and a bit of lemon right now If you're going to replace your coffee, that's the one I'd recommend starting with as it has a nice, full body. Earl Grey is good, too - it has bergamot in it which gives it a yummy citrusy aroma and flavor (actually the scent kinda reminds me of Froot Loops and always has). I've mostly replaced my soda habit with iced green tea sweetened with a mix of stevia and a little Splenda, plus some mint added, too. Very refreshing.

Good luck with your tea-venture!

cs2thecox wrote: »

Semi-skimmed milk is the key - 2% fat - I think the Americans call it half and half? Full fat milk tastes great in coffee but is too rich in tea, and skimmed milk (0.1% fat) is also terrible in tea as it's just too watery.

No, we just call it 2% as far as I know, or perhaps low fat (though I think that's usually 1%). Half and half is a mixture of whole/full fat milk and whipping or heavy cream - a lot of people use it as coffee creamer. Not as many calories as cream, but richer than whole milk (at least for coffee).

When I first started drinking tea, I knew I was going to have at least 8cups a day so I didn’t add anything to it. If you get fruit flavored teas it’s actually not bad to taste. It’s like flavored water. My faves are pomegranate green tea or lemon green tea. I’m sure if you only have a few cups a little sugar wont hurt.