# okay...so we've had coffee...



## The Gabba Goul (Feb 11, 2005)

but I dont recal there ever being a thread on teas...I just woke up about a half hour ago, made some phone calls, and am going to be getting ready to face the day pretty soon here (yeah, I know, it's noon...I'm a night owl...what can I say???)...I just fixed myself a cup of Cerassie with canned milk and honey (need to go shopping, no sweetened condesned milk)...more often than not I drink tea in the mornings (coffee is more of an after dinner thing to me)...I'll also have some kind of herbal tea before I go to bed at night (usually with lemon and honey in it)...

I figure with all the fans of Britan we have on the boards here there's probably some serious tea drinkers out there...so...what's everybody's favorite varietys, and how do you take them???


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## samblau (Apr 2, 2005)

I am a fan of the English however I doubt any true gentleman would approve of my tea drinking habits. For one I usually take me tea with only lemon, honey on occasion, never sugar or milk, the exception being Chai which is rare but enjoyable. I usually use plain old Lipton although the restaurants sometimes have some fancier stiff. I enjoy herbal tea, specifically the orange flavor, brand isn't too important. I will drink English breakfast tea, Twingins (sp?) brand. I also love iced tea, homemade the best, basically just brewed hot tea served ice cold with a big piece of lime. Not traditional but what can I say, delicious and 0 calories. Better tasting and cheaper than the packaged stuff. I also tend to sip tea and enjoy it rather than coffee which I seem to down quickly.


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## Hobson (Mar 13, 2007)

Happily, Fortnum & Mason is once again available in the U.S., now through their own website. I would recommend Royal Blend, Breakfast, and Queen Anne. I'm a bit lazy in the morning and generally use a tea bag instead of brewing it properly in a tea pot. However, I always brew for guests. Speaking of tea bags, one can still purchase the original tea BALL from the Gertrude Ford Tea Company in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.. They actually invented the tea ball and still use the original machine to manufacture it. It does take a bit longer to make tea because there is no "flow through" and the tea is not ground into a fine powder like many tea bags. They have a pretty wide selection, including, as I recall a few herbals. Check both websites:
https://www.fortnumandmason-usa.com/


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## jbmcb (Sep 7, 2005)

I take mine Scottish-style, strong and straight-up. I prefer plain old Red Rose orange pekoe, but I also have a selection of Bigelow and Twinings for variety.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

I drink mostly coffee, but when I do take tea it's Earl Grey.


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## The Gabba Goul (Feb 11, 2005)

TMMKC said:


> I drink mostly coffee, but when I do take tea it's Earl Grey.


I remember back in the day, I used to go to this cafe that allowed smoking in their courtyard area (a rarity to be sure here in CA)...they served this excellent Earl Grey, and for the life of me, I can't remember what brand it was now...it came in bags that were packaged in these acrylic apothecary jars with really artistic labels...I don't really drink many black teas, but...man alive, that stuff was good...


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

The Gabba Goul said:


> I remember back in the day, I used to go to this cafe that allowed smoking in their courtyard area (a rarity to be sure here in CA)...they served this excellent Earl Grey, and for the life of me, I can't remember what brand it was now...it came in bags that were packaged in these acrylic apothecary jars with really artistic labels...I don't really drink many black teas, but...man alive, that stuff was good...


I can brew a mean cup of tea but my favorite place is called Tea Drops in the Westport area of Kansas City. They serve these little pots to you on a tray with a cup, saucer and timer ( to make sure the tea steeps for the requisite amount of time). Their macaroon cookies aren't too shabby either!


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## stainless (Aug 27, 2007)

I like Earl Gray and Constant Comment in moderation, but most days I drink plain black (orange pekoe). Usually just have sweetener although I like having milk in my tea. 

For the non-traditional I really enjoy yerba mate', although it is not truly tea (though it still has caffeine). My favorite herbal tea is a Stash licorice spice, which is sweet enough without sweetener.


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## TMMKC (Aug 2, 2007)

Alleged health benefits aside, I find green tea an empty experience (much like decaf coffee or no-alcohol beer).


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## Droog (Aug 29, 2006)

I find green tea to be like, in my imagination, drinking boiled grass. Having said that, Green Lime is now one of my staples. See www.island-rose.com .


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## The Gabba Goul (Feb 11, 2005)

I used to drink Green Tea, back before it was even "cool" to do so...I find that there are some very flavorful green teas out there, but they're usually kind of hard to find, the best is Peet's gunpowder (https://www.peets.com). But I find now that I prefer Cerassie, aparently it has more health benefits, plus, once you get used to the taste, it's actually pretty good (it has alot of flavor anyway)...

I remember for a while the fad in my office was that brown rice tea...that stuff just smelled so bad that I wouldnt want to drink it, plus, when you did actually drink it, it tasted like crap, and gave you some kickin breath (always carry gum)...


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## cgc (Jan 27, 2007)

Good loose teas (bags are inferior stuff) are difficult to come by in the US. A few specialty shops exist in larger cities that cater to high end teas:

Chicago (my local supplier):
https://www.myplacefortea.com/

New York (run/owned? by Moby):
https://www.teany.com/

Oolong and white teas are the most prized along with first flush lightly processed darjeelings. Some of my favorites run upwards of $200 per pound.


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## The Gabba Goul (Feb 11, 2005)

cgc said:


> Oolong and white teas are the most prized along with first flush lightly processed darjeelings. Some of my favorites run upwards of $200 per pound.


I remember this guy I used to hang out with once told me about this tea that he bought which cost something like $275 a pound, because aparentlyit only grows on some steep hillside or something, and they have to lower monkeys down to pick it or something...I thought that he was blowing smoke up my wazoo...but not too long ago, somebody else was talking about it too...

I don't drink "tea" tea too often (it's usually herbal or Cerassie), but when I do it's almost always loose leaf from Peets...


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## cgc (Jan 27, 2007)

The Gabba Goul said:


> I remember this guy I used to hang out with once told me about this tea that he bought which cost something like $275 a pound, because aparentlyit only grows on some steep hillside or something, and they have to lower monkeys down to pick it or something...I thought that he was blowing smoke up my wazoo...but not too long ago, somebody else was talking about it too...


Monkey picked Oolong is the tea - don't worry you can barely taste the monkey. I like a certain Taiwanese Oolong better but it is harder to find.

One aspect to remember about tea is that the less it is processed the tea the more desireable (in the tea market). Also, the harvesting is very limited for the best teas - often only a few days per year for picking the finest leaves of the year.

An ancient Chinese text called 'The Classic of Tea' goes into considerable detail on the processing of tea both in the original text and the commentary.


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