What's your favorite tea?

[Spaldeen]

I really enjoy a good cup of catnip tea made with fresh leaves. Anyone else?

[Lucinda]

1. Green with mint

I have others, but always reach for this one.

[Spaldeen]

4. Do you drink it cold, or hot? n/t

[Lucinda]

18. Yep

lol
Both actually - depending on my mood and the weather

[Warpy]

2. PG Tips

It's the cheap stuff they put into a Twinings box and drink in the UK. I used to beg people who were traveling back and forth to bring me a few boxes and that worked for a long time. Now they're selling it here.

Runner up is Red Rose from Canada. It's now harder to find than PG Tips, although they used to sell it here in NM in bigger groceries.

Tetley is the only US brand that doesn't taste like boiled sneaker laces.

[Spaldeen]

3. PG Tips!

I had to look that up because I thought I had never heard of it, but I recognize the box from our international foods section at a nearby grocery store. I'm not a big fan of black teas, but it might be because I have haven't had the right one. Is it that good??

[Warpy]

5. I think so

I use the loose tea and one heaping spoonful is enough for a pot, the stuff is pretty strong and that makes it economical.

My other go-to tea is Chinese jasmine tea. I just put a pinch of leaves into a cup and brew it one cup at a time.

[Spaldeen]

6. It's just me here

So I usually do just one cup at a time on almost all my tea. I'll have to pick up a box the next time I'm at the store and see how it turns out.

[LiberalLoner]

11. PG tips is awesome. Really strong.

[hlthe2b]

7. iced: black mango, jasmine green pearls, moroccan mint (spearmint, NOT PEPPERMINT--uggh)

iced or hot: fine oolong or green jasmine pearls.

Favorite source? The Teaspot out of Boulder: www.theteaspot.com

They are really great folks and offer the most superb quality of teas.

[TxDemChem]

16. Those sound divine!

I'll be visiting that site today.

[hlthe2b]

19. I have no personal interest in the site, but love that they are a local success story...

Even Oprah has featured them so they've gotten some recognition in recent years.

Before buying from them, i used to think tea was all about teabags--Lipton, Twinings, Tetley and the like.. Maybe Celestial Seasonings if I was feeling adventurous--LOL

Good loose tea is the "bomb!"

[cbayer]

8. Earl Grey for real tea,

but i like all kinds of herbal teas.

These days I'm into aguas frescas - Jamaica, Horchota, watermelon juice. So refreshing and so easy to keep hydrated.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

17. Earl Grey as well

I generally don't like tisanes, probably because I was served a really nasty one in Grenoble when I was a wee bairn.

[Major Nikon]

9. Dragon Well green tea

[locks]

10. Tea from Kenya

It's the best I've ever had. Best as loose tea but hard to find, different brands come from the UK like Williamson Tea Company's Lifeboat (named so because they contribute directly to the training and support of crewmen and women around the UK and Ireland). I was at World Market last week and they are no longer carrying it.
If you know someplace that sells Kenyan tea buy it and let me know what you think.

[tencats]

30. Single estate "orthodox" Kenyan teas

While I almost exclusively drink Assam teas some Kenyans are similar in flavor. Here are a few that I've had this past year in my tea cabinet. These Kenyans from last summer were good and will be available yet.
Marinyn Estate GFOP1
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/item.asp?from=catalog.asp&itemID=TK56&begin=0&parent=Teas%3EBlack%3EAfrica&category=Kenya&sortMethod=6&categoryID=22
Milima estate tea
http://shop.tgtea.com/Kenya-Milima-Loose-Leaf-Black-Tea-00801-100/

[locks]

34. Thanks for the help

glad you've found some good Kenyan teas here. Hope you can get to Kenya and have a wonderful experience at a tea farm as I did outside of Nairobi.

[Blues Heron]

33. Harney and Sons online

https://www.harney.com/

They have Kenya Milima loose for about $23/lb

[gblady]

12. Equal Exchange fairly traded......

Organic Darjeeling is my currant favorite wake-up tea.

[greatauntoftriplets]

13. Bewley's Irish Breakfast Tea.

And that's my drink. No coffee.

[NJCher]

14. in the autumn, it's...

Good Earth Sweet & Spicy.



For some reason, it's not appealing to me in the spring or summer.

In the summer, I make my own lemon balm tea from the lemon balm that grows all over my property. Lemon balm is known to be a calming herb. This is my absolute favorite tea for summer. I sweeten it with stevia.

One day I was telling someone about it in a post office line. I said how it had a sedative effect and it made me very calm. The woman behind me grabbed my elbow and said, "I have 8 kids! What's the name of that tea again?"


Cher

[japple]

15. In the best-of-all-possible

-worlds, it would be a full-leaf Assam for the sheer pleasure and taste.
2nd - Barry's (it's not easy to find except thru mail order).

In the real world and what I drink every day, PG Tips.

Black tea has been touted for lowering blood pressure among other health benefits.

This is the only proof I've got: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9046030/Drinking-eight-teas-a-day-cuts-blood-pressure-and-heart-disease.html

Edit to add: I grow lots of catnip around my place, but it's solely for the cats. I find the fresh stuff too "skunky" for my tastes, although, since it is a mint, it might benefit from being dried and brewed into a tea. Will have to try it.

How do you prepare your catnip tea?

[Spaldeen]

23. I brew it the same way as I do white teas

Very hot, but not boiling water, lots of catnip leaves, and I let it steep until the water has a green tea color to it, so around nine or ten minutes.

If you try it, be careful, it can make you sleepy.

[japple]

26. Thanks for responding. Do you use fresh or dried leaves?

I really look forward to experimenting with this. I love mints, but fresh catnip smells a bit "skunky" to me.

[Spaldeen]

27. I always try to use fresh

It grows so easily around here it could easily be considered a weed! The only time I don't use fresh is in the wintertime, which is when I use frozen catnip I plucked when it was growing gangbusters.

I'm not sure if frozen catnip is considered dried catnip, but it loses the smell you are referring to when it's in the frozen/dried state.

[Melissa G]

20. For real tea, chai, darjeeling or monkey picked oolong

Jasmine pearl is also tasty.
Since I am very caffeine sensitive, I drink more tisanes or herbal infusions. Linden infusion, lemon balm, hibiscus with mint are big favorites!

[Spaldeen]

25. Ok I have to ask

What is monkey picked oolong?

[Melissa G]

29. There is a story there...

http://leeryescuchar.blogspot.com/2011/11/monkey-picked-oolong-tea.html

[grasswire]

21. jasmine is my sentimental favorite

Some years ago I was the producer for a cultural event that brought artists, musicians, authors, film-makers, dancers from China to a festival in my town. The festival was sponsored by a local non-profit arts organization. In return for my dealings with the liaison of the Peoples Republic of China on this event, I was invited to tea with the liaison at the Embassy of the PRC in Washington. It was a memorable event for me. A tiny bit creepy, there all by myself.

I was served jasmine tea there, and so I favor it.

Otherwise, another memorable tea was something called "Evening In Missoula" sold by bulk at natural foods store. We always thought it was like someone ran a mower across their back yard and these were the clippings. Very grassy and flowery.

[grasswire]

22. If I tried to drink fresh catnip tea...

...I would have a 23-pound tabby on my shoulder!

[Spaldeen]

24. Yes!

I have to fight my cats to keep them out of my cup too!

I usually try to bring some in for the furballs too, so they leave mine alone.

[laundry_queen]

28. Hm. tough one.

I don't really have A favorite, but I do have favoriteS. Earl grey and jasmine are my 2 major standbys at home. I also buy loose teas from this one place and their blend of lemon and black tea is amazing (they do add flavoring though). I also absolutely love Chai. My parents bought me some spicy lemongrass tea from Jamaica that is very yummy.

And when I'm not at home, Tim Horton's steeped tea is my absolute go to. I sometimes buy their (Tim's) black tea bags to try to imitate the flavor, but it's not the same (though very close).

[sir pball]

31. Lapsang Souchong.

Brewed extraordinarily strong. Sometimes straight, sometimes with maple syrup, anywhere from a hint to sweet tea territory.

[Blues Heron]

32. Darjeeling and Kenya black teas

I buy it loose from Harney and Sons - about $23/pound

Darjeeling for flavor and Kenya for body.

https://www.harney.com/

I make my own blend - 2 scoops of Darjeeling to 1 scoop Kenya. Then I do a second steep with the addition of one more scoop of Kenya.