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Tea time
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Stephanie
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Dec 18, 2014 10:16AM
I'm thinking of switching from coffee to tea in the new year and was wondering which kind of tea is good/recommended? The coffee I drink is mostly filled with flavored creamer so am thinking tea would be healthier :-) thank you in advance for the recommendations!
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What level of caffeine would be first to decide. Herbal has none green in middle black has most. I think but there may ne some others in middle. We get black tea flavored however you like. Usually french vanilla around here but I can't think of brand. Something tai i think
Oh I definitely need the caffeine part :) I honestly didn't know there was tea without caffeine. Thanks for the info, Travis :-)
Or maybe chai. Ill check the box when I get lunch. It's good tea though. We get french vanilla or blackberry. I also like a lemon tea with honey added to it. We still add a little creamer to our tea thougj. I take 1 cream 2 sugar in mine. I have to have a sweetener of some sort in my tea. Honey or sugar
I stopped drinking coffee not too long ago. I did it for health reasons (nothing major just wanted less caffeine) plus our Kuerig was breaking down. I went with green tea in the morning (2 cups) which was a harder transition since I loved the caffeine kick from coffee. I sometimes drink a black tea in the afternoon. I will still have a cup of coffee now and then but since I started drinking tea I find myself preferring the tea. The green tea is enough for me in the mornings now since I'm not dying for a caffeine wake up anymore. I was only drinking one cup of coffee by the time I quit, not sure how many you are drinking but it really was relatively painless for me to make the switch. Good luck! I think you'll be happy you switched.
Stephanie!!! Let's do this together!! :)I was seriously thinking about it last night that I wanted to stop drinking coffee/creamer and go to tea!
Thanks, Tasha! I only drink one cup a day sometimes 2 on the weekends. I add a lot of creamer to my coffee though which is why I'm looking to switch to tea :) I don't like the taste of coffee is why I use so much creamer, lol. I'm hoping it is an easy transition :-)
Melissa!! We are definitely friends, lol!! Either that or you are reading my mind, ;-) Yes, let's!!!! :-)
My husband and I both drink tea, first thing in the morning and again when we get home from work. He is really serious about his tea. We order tea in quantity from http://www.republicoftea.com/?gclid=C... . I prefer black tea, and I usually drink British Breakfast in the morning and Irish Breakfast in the afternoon. Republic of Tea is also sold in some grocery stores.Check out the website, though, for general info on tea.
Thank you so much, Casceil :-) I will definitely check it out!!
We been buying Bigelow brand vanilla chai black tea. We seem to prefer the chai although there are some herbal teas I like as well. You probably will end up with many vatieties in your cupboard by the time youre done as your tastes may change througout the day. We always have at least 4
Ahh, tea! The nector of the gods! I love tea, I drink some 4-8 cups a day. I bring two cups to work and sometimes have to go buy a third, and then brew a pot when I get home. I am a big fan of the classic black teas.
I like English Breakfast, Lady Grey and Earl Grey from Twinings.
The Earl Grey from Tazo is awesome. The Starbucks on this side of the country serve it but I'm not sure about east coast.
The Orange Pekoe from Tetley is the best of this kind in my opinion. I'm not a fan of the Red Rose or Overwaitea brands.
My parents drink Darjeeling which I don't like as much but is still good.
I have found that sampler packs are a good way to try lots of kinds to help you decide and if you have a local British store they always have lots of tea.
I'm a Mississippi girl and sweet tea (iced, not hot) is a staple. It goes with every meal and in between. Most homes will have a gallon brewed and ready to drink in their refrigerator every day of the year. I have just recently started drinking hot teas and I don't personally know a single other person that drinks it. LOL. I mainly started drinking it so I could mix my essential oils to it for a quick and tasty way to get their benefits. Plus, tea is good for you.
I've been just drinking whatever brand of green tea I randomly pick up, but recently my husband bought some Good Earth Citrus Kiss Green Tea and I LOVE it! If you can find it where you are, you should definitely try it! Plus, it has different quotes on the tea tags that I love reading. I keep meaning to save the tags but I tend to throw them away without thinking. I did save one the other day that I really liked...
"Drink live as it comes, straight no chaser." - Bush
I mostly quit caffiene a little over a year ago because of it's negative effects on my digestive system :-(since then, I drink a whole lot of herbal tea and some of my favorites are:
Twinings: Camomile, honey, vanilla
Celestial Seasonings: True Blueberry, Mint Magic, or any of their green teas
My old standby's are: English Breakfast and Earl Grey (which do come in decaf versions)
I drink coffee, though I'm trying to reduce the amount. I like teas too, and I'd say that green tea is my favorite. But the infusion I drink the most (actually we, my husband and I) is mate, prepared with yerba mate. Best beverage in the world!
Too bad you weren't around when we ordered our own Toppler tea. There were two varieties. Somewhere is the link to the website that created our blends for us. I'm not sure if they still stock it.My favourite tea is Earl Grey. I also like white tea. My sister brought me a mango tea (black tea I believe) that I absolutely loved and can't seem to find whenever I go to Hawaii.
I'll go see if I can find the Toppler Tea thread.
The celestial seasonings honey,vanilla chamomile is a favorite too
Awesome! Thank you for the link, Janice :-)I'm excited to start drinking tea over coffee!
Another one of my favs is really hard to find. I'm not even sure if it's available any more. It's called "Constant Comment" and is by Bigelow. It's a black tea with spices.
I just went to Design a Tea and they still have our Toppler teas in the catalogue! Has anyone ordered any lately?http://www.designatea.com/products.ph...
You'll find Proper Toppler and Tipsy Toppler about half way down.
We must have posted simultaneously!
I mostly drink green tea, and rooibos. I don't like most fruit teas, I do like chai, mint (especially made with actual mint leaves!), lavender, jasmin, vanilla, or for example with cinnamon and other spices in winter. I used to buy supermarket teabags but recently I went to this shop where they have hundreds of 'fresh' teas, and I'm now trying out flavours there. One of my favourites so far is white tea with lavender and vanilla.
Actually the constant comment I found is a green tea not sure on black
I just went to Bigelow's site and there are a lot of people complaining about Constant Comment and saying that Bigelow has changed the recipe. Cindi Bigelow replied that they haven't changed the recipe - that it has always been her grandmother's coffee. They use black tea from Sri Lanka and mix it with orange and spices. I noticed that the site offers a Constant Comment Green as well. I wonder if that's what people have tried and are complaining about. I imagine green tea would give it that bitter flavour.
Oh well, I can't get it here any more anyway, unless I order it from the States.
Must get back to work!
yeah it's been a while but constant comment was pretty good as i recall...just ordered a bunch of republic of tea stuff thanks to this post...if you ever get a chance to go to the celestial seasonings plant near Boulder, CO, the selection they have there is awesome. Lots of good stuff that they don't sell in stores or online.
The first tea I ever drank was iced tea and was at Marcus' house. I drank it but it was horrible. Then just like coffee and beer which I also found nasty over time kept drinking it and find it quite delicious. That must have been over 20 years ago
I've ordered tea from Republic of Tea several times. I love getting several small tins to test. Janice - RoT has Mango Ceylon, which has a mild fruit flavor, and is described as a favorite retreat for coffee lovers.
One bonus of RoT - I get a brochure every so often, and it includes a tea bag, usually of a seasonal tea. Two of their teas I'm currently drinking are Republic Red Chai, The herb rooibos has been blended with a delicious mélange of other herbs and spices: cinnamon, orange peel, ginger, cardamom seeds, Chinese star anise, cloves, and black pepper. and Black Currant Cardamom Green rooibos, apples, black currants, sweet blackberry leaves, cardamon seeds, natural black currant and vanilla flavors. One thing I've discovered is that I don't hibiscus - too overpowering for me.
Another tea that I love is Oregon's Wild Harvest Immuni Tea. I get it at Healthy Life Market. It has a minty flavor, and is really good hot or cold.
Recently I noticed a new store at the mall - Teavana. I didn't have time to look at their selection, but I did run in and get a tea ball.
Thank you everyone for all of the great ideas! Now if the new year can hurry up and get here so I can drink some tea! I need to get through 29 k-cups of coffee till then :)
wow, all the comments since this morning! This is a great thread. I'm going to go back and reread some of these posts and take notes! It's inspiring me to brancj out a bit more...and brew a cup of chamomile right now (celestial seasonings chamomile for me and CS Red zinger for my daughter).
Janice wrote: "I just went to Design a Tea and they still have our Toppler teas in the catalogue! Has anyone ordered any lately?http://www.designatea.com/products.ph...
You'll find Proper Toppler and Tips..."
That is SO cool! I'm sad I didn't do that one.
Peggy wrote: "I mostly drink green tea, and rooibos. I don't like most fruit teas, I do like chai, mint (especially made with actual mint leaves!), lavender, jasmin, vanilla, or for example with cinnamon and other spices..."Our tastes are similar in tea, Peggy. Ginger is another favorite. In summer, hibiscus served ice cold is very refreshing.
Janice, my next door neighbor got me started on Constant Comment tea from Bigelo when I first met her thirty some years ago. I still love it and always have some on hand. I have not tried their Green version. I also love Earl Gray, English Breakfast and Blackberry herbal tea, when I can find it. I usually drink coffee in the morning and at work, but like tea in the afternoon and at home. I have been cutting back on my caffeine and and not drinking as much of any of them as I used to. I like to drink a cup of hot beef broth or chicken broth in the evening. It helps me cut down on the caffeine at night and helps me not think about going into the kitchen and getting something to eat if I am bored or craving something sweet. I have never consistantly added creamer or sugar in my tea or coffee, but ocassionally I like milk and sugar in my tea in the afternoon. My family in Tennessee all love their sweet tea but there is just too much sugar in it.Oh, and Amy and I did order all of the Toppler Tea flavors to try as well as a couple of other flavors that sounded appealing. The Christmas blend was our favorite.
How were those toppler teas? I'm thinking about trying them just for fun. :)
Stephanie, welcome to the world of tea! You've gotten some great advice but I can't resist adding some of my own. ^^Getting into tea can be kind of like getting into wine - it's easier to start with sweet or forgiving brews and slowly work your way up to more robust blends.
Flavored teas are often a great place to start because they tame down the tea leaves a bit. Many are good with sugar but be careful with milk, as citrus in the blend can make it curdle. :/ Follow your taste buds and pick flavors you already like. Many brands have sampler boxes so you can try many kinds and pass along the ones you don't like to your friends. -_^
Earl gray, or black tea with bergamot, is a nice intermediate step between flavored teas and straight up tea. Not to mention it takes milk really well. ^^
Straight up tea offers many flavors that are different in subtle ways. It all depends on where the leaves were grown, how they were picked, and how they were processed. Just like wine or coffee it's possible to get crazy detailed, but here's some common varieties in broad strokes:
Darjeeling - Light, floral, astringent. Not astringent like acidy, but like a dry wine it kinda sucks moisture out of your mouth after you swallow. ...if that makes sense. Best without milk or sugar.
Assam, Ceylon - malty, bold, strong. Stands up to milk and sugar.
Chai - black tea with spices in. Everyone makes their chai a little different so if you don't like one brand it may be worth it to try another. Strong, goes well with milk and sugar.
If you're looking to recreate your milky morning cuppa you may like a "breakfast" tea (Irish breakfast, English breakfast) loaded up with milk and maybe some sugar.
Enjoy exploring - there's a lot of tea out there! :D
Marcus wrote: "I mostly quit caffiene a little over a year ago because of it's negative effects on my digestive system :-("Marcus, have you tried Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime? It's a spearmint blend that's great for winding down. I'm not a huge peppermint fan so it's my go-to mint. ^^
Thank you so much, Kazen! I look forward to exploring the world of tea. I have chai tea from Starbucks before but am thinking it is different than real tea :-)
@j'mom. The Mango Ceylon sounds nice. I was digging in my cupboards and forgot that I have a Mango Peach White tea which is Safeway's generic brand. It's actually quite good.@Cherie. We seem to share similar tastes in tea. I'll keep my eyes open for Constant Comment. It looks like I can buy it online from a Canadian supplier. Shipping might be more than the tea.
@Tasha. I enjoyed one of the Toppler Teas. I think the one I liked was Proper Toppler. The other came bulk instead of in teabags. I think they made a mistake when they shipped it. I didn't care for it as much.
It's more than just the tea. It's the china cup as well. My friend's father gave me a china cup when we were visiting him in Scotland. Whenever I need a little distressing, I'll make a cup of tea in his cup and it's very calming.
I was a 2 pot black coffee 2 pack marlboro 2 amp energy drink 12 pack budweiser every day guy before i was married. When I got serious to quit smoking I haf to give up coffee and beer as well to keep the cigarette cravings down. Now my mug holds half a pot coffee that I make everymorning now with a bit of flavored creamer just becausr black coffee made my cravings come back. Also cut out the energt drinks so tea has made a nice afternoon filler for me if I need something. I don't doctor my tea much. My mug for tea is a 16 oz so i use 2 tea bags 2 splashes of creamer and 2 level teaspoons of sugar. If I have a sore throat or am in real dusty conditions I will add quite a generous dose of honey though to keep my throat happy. I do likr the variety you get with tea. Theres more than I can cou t.
Good thing you got married, Travis. :)I drink both my coffee and tea black. I don't want to mess with the flavour by adding anything. There is one exception to that. When I'm driving a long distance, I like to add the French Vanilla creamers to my coffee. I don't know why... it just feels like a treat.
Janice wrote: "It's more than just the tea. It's the china cup as well."This! My husband got me (well, us) a pair of nice tea cups last year and it's amazing how much it "ups" a cuppa. ^^
Marcus, have you tried Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime? It's a spearmi..."Sleepytime is great. I have sleepytime, double sleepytime, and vanilla sleepytime :-)
having some sleepytime with honey as we speak
Marcus wrote: "I have sleepytime, double sleepytime, and vanilla sleepytime"Holy cow, I've never even heard of the last two! This is what I get for living abroad. -_^ Must stock up while I'm home for the holidays....
I'm going to try ginger TJ, thanks for the tip! I've never seen hibiscus tea around here, but if I do, I'll try it too.
Picked myself up somr Republic of Tea hicaf. Extra caffeine appeals to me very much. I used to buy a caffinated hot chocolate.
With all this tea talk I had some sleepytime tea myself last night. Except I added some vodka to make sure it was truly sleepytime
Kazen wrote: "Marcus wrote: "I mostly quit caffiene a little over a year ago because of it's negative effects on my digestive system :-("Marcus, have you tried Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime? It's a spearmi..."
My Mum swears by this, she has a medical condition which makes sleep very hard and elusive. She drinks it every night. When I have bouts of insomnia I drink it too.
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