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This has got to be the best drink in the world. Nothing else I drink gives me as many health benefits as these beautiful leaves do. Whenever I'm feeling stressed or tense it relaxes and calms me. Whenever I'm feeling tired or bored it stimulates me. It increases my metabolism. It tastes great! If you're not a tea drinker I dare you to try one of my favorite teas starting with the top ones, the bottom ones on my list are for more refined tastes.
My favorite teas right here:
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_black.jpg) Good ol' black tea. Nothing special, nothing fancy. Drink it as iced tea, or drink it hot, its great no matter how you prepare it. I prefer it as hot as possible. One of the most commonly drank teas outside of Asia.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_green.jpg) Ah but here, this is the other great classic. Probably more popular than black tea, except more so in Asian countries than everywhere else. Drink it warm, always. Protip, brew anything with lighter teas like green or white at lower temperatures, usually ~145F is perfect. Its a pain to find a way to get that temperature quickly every time but its worth it if you can. Green teas brewed too hot become very bitter and some tend to get a fishy odor.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_lemonblack.jpg) Want a bit of lemon in your black tea? Well sure you could squeeze some lemon juice in there and add a bit of sugar, but why not try this instead. I find this tea tastes great on its own, just brew it hot and drink it strait up.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_chamomileherbal.jpg) Ah, the herbal tea. Whenever I'm feeling sick or want to relax or sleep faster I drink a nice warm cup of this. The most relaxing tea I have, I suggest this to anyone.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_vanillachaiblack.jpg) Now we're getting into the more exotic teas. Chai is a great tea no matter how you prepare it, but vanilla chai, with a little milk and honey? Oh man is this shit good. I still want to experiment with using other plain chai teas and some vanilla extract but until then this stuff is great. Its a very flavorful tea, not something to toy around with this is a pretty serious flavor.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bentley_pomegranateblack.jpg) This is my most recent favorite. I first tried this tea christmas of '10 and was blown away at how great it is. Its the perfect blend of pomegranate and black tea. Now whats the trick to preparing this tea for me? Brown sugar. Crazy I know, but its one tea combination you won't regret.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/stash_whitegreen.jpg) This should probably be higher in the list but it found its way down here. White tea is one of those odd not very popular teas but it stands on its own just fine. However when I tried this white tea/green tea combination I was sold. It has a deep flavor that you can taste more and more you drink it.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/numi_chaiblack.jpg) Another chai tea, but the better of the two. Doesn't have vanilla in it but it does pack a strong bold flavor. Its a very different creature than the mass produced tea from above and it is best drank with nothing but a little sugar. This tea tastes better every time I drink it.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/stash_pomegranateraspberrygreen.jpg) A weird little creature this tea is, if you can taste the green tea in it then I tip my hat to you but I cannot. What I can taste is a strong but not bitter raspberry flavor with a hint of pomegranate. Its a great morning tea, and its when I usually drink it. This is the kind of tea people smell across the room and go "oooh whats that great smell?"
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_orangespiceherbal.jpg) Orange spice is not something I always enjoy, but every once and a while I just get a craving for it and can drink once or twice before I'm done again for a month or two. Its a very odd flavor but it tastes great. This one in particular I haven't had a lot of but I couldn't find Bentleys orange spice tea, so this takes its place.
![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/numi_gunpowdergreen.jpg) The final tea from my collection and one of my most favorites. Green tea was great, I loved it, but one day my boss showed me this stuff and I just had to try it. Gunpowerder green tea lives up to its name by being a green tea with a bit of smokey flavor. It feels more like a black tea but still tastes like a green, I don't know a better way to describe the flavor. Its something you gotta try for yourself and its probably the most acquired taste of all the teas on this list.
Well thats all, if you're not a tea drinker I hope I've inspired you to go out and try one of these for yourself. Tea is not a drink you'll quickly regret trying and its cheap and relatively easy to prepare. For beginners just take a coffee mug full of water and microwave it till its hot and steep the tea packet for the suggested time (typically 2-5 minutes). If you're a tea drinker already please share what you enjoy drinking most and how you prepare it, I would love to hear what else people drink and how they prepare it. I do have one last tea on my list...
+ Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/chuiu/tea/bigelow_oolongblack.jpg) Chinese Oolong black tea... whenever I eat out at chinese places sometimes I'll order hot black tea. What they serve at some of these places is _NOT_ plain black tea though. I noticed a distinct difference in flavor and no matter how many times I asked they always insisted it was 'just black tea'. Well after trying many different flavors of black tea I found this stuff that tastes exactly like their tea. They're not lying about the black part, it is black tea, but its oolong black tea and it has a much different flavor. This isn't something I can drink a lot of, just a small cup every now and then.
   
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I just tried the orange and spice tea yesterday and i also think it has a very unique and great flavor.
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My gold standard of tea is
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I tried Twinnings Oolong and Celestial Seasonings Pomegranate one, and I didn't like any of them D: Maybe I just had the wrong choice of tea brand, or maybe I just want to keep it simple. Like red tea with basil leaves, or with a little bit of cinamon, oh god tea's maybe the best drink in the world. Nice blog!
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Oh man seeing all those teabags makes me hurt a little bit inside. Please get some loose leaf tea and look up the appropriate steep times at what water temperature, it will make your tea drinking experience so much more enjoyable.
I especially recommend some quality jasmine tea.
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If you are really a fan, i cannot recommend enough switching to loose leaf. It's far cheaper, generally higher quality, resteeps better, and is healthier for you, as the antioxidants in tea are absorbed better when they come from straight from the leaf. With tea bags, you're generally drinking low grade tea ground into a powder, and the flavor is far weaker than what you'd get with leaves. Plus, you can usually find many more variates of loose leaf teas, as tea shops will often do their own mixes and blends.
There's no good reason to stick with tea bags when loose leaf is available.
Few other comments
Never drink decaf tea. Ever. If you want tea without caffeine, drink herbals or Rooibos. Decaffeinated tea has been fucked with even more than most tea bags already have been, don't touch it.
Gunpowder tea is called that because the leaves are rolled into little balls that look like unground black gunpowder. Honestly, I'd really hesitate to call any tea in a bag "gunpowder tea" since it doesn't have the characteristic shape.
Oolong tea isn't black tea, it's oolong tea. Green and white teas are roasted right after being picked and processed, and black teas are allowed to oxidize for awhile before being roasted. Oolong's are allowed to partially oxidize, some are much closer to green, some to black.
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xmShake, I don't brew with bags anymore. I started brewing with loose leaf about a month ago and only use bags for teas I want to try or cannot find loose leaf for. But for most people bags is the easiest introduction into tea drinking and the most convenient. I don't exactly want to brew loose leaf when I'm at work, but a tea bag fits perfectly into my pocket.
deafhobit, you're correct about the gunpowder tea, but not for the shape. It does for the most part retain its shape in bags as long as its not smashed. When Numi packages their teas they leave a small pocket of air in the bags to prevent damaging and put plenty of room in the boxes. Though I don't drink their teas in bag form any longer. As for the oolong, the one I put up there is closer to a black tea and tastes more like a black tea. It might as well be oolong black tea because of how closely it resembles it.
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On March 31 2011 12:23 xmShake wrote: Oh man seeing all those teabags makes me hurt a little bit inside. Please get some loose leaf tea and look up the appropriate steep times at what water temperature, it will make your tea drinking experience so much more enjoyable.
I especially recommend some quality jasmine tea. that reminds me of reading this article! http://www.slate.com/id/2279601/
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cheap and tasty
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On March 31 2011 12:30 Chuiu wrote: xmShake, I don't brew with bags anymore. I started brewing with loose leaf about a month ago and only use bags for teas I want to try or cannot find loose leaf for. But for most people bags is the easiest introduction into tea drinking and the most convenient. I don't exactly want to brew loose leaf when I'm at work, but a tea bag fits perfectly into my pocket.
If you want to brew looseleaf at work check out this.
It's a thermos with two different tops, a drink one and a mesh bowl for steeping. I've owned one for years, and it is amazing. The tea cools down much less when steeping, and it's easy to steep on the go anywhere with hot water. Just bring a tin or a ziplock with some leaves in it and a teaspoon and you're good to go. It also makes resteeping a far easier process as you can just take out the mesh top, set in it a cup, and once you're done with your current cup of tea you put the mesh top back on and steep again.
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Fuck yeah Tea.
All about the ability to save heat from one container to the next mmmmm yeah
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On March 31 2011 12:34 Terrakin wrote:cheap and tasty ![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tJ7vF5PHZZc/S3l5v4f4_zI/AAAAAAAAAgg/wNy3JBwwlxw/s400/Fujian+Tea+036b.jpg)
LOL we always had this tea in our house too. I didn't mind it when I drank it, but I rarely drank tea
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jasmine tea is where it's AT.
that green tea is pretty good. they have those at my dorms. other green tea's taste very different. of course there's super hi quality green tea with recipes handed down thousands of years, but there's always super hi quality everything to compare to, so we'll exclude those.
jasmine by far is my fav. the smell, the smoothness, everything. i often find other kinds of tea's have a "rough" feeling / taste. maybe it's the ashes, maybe it's the burnt-ness? anyhow, jasmine is awesome cz it be smooooth
terrakin knows what's up
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That vanilla chai tea is amazing and it smells incredible. Definitely my favorite bigelow tea
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On March 31 2011 12:34 deafhobbit wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2011 12:30 Chuiu wrote: xmShake, I don't brew with bags anymore. I started brewing with loose leaf about a month ago and only use bags for teas I want to try or cannot find loose leaf for. But for most people bags is the easiest introduction into tea drinking and the most convenient. I don't exactly want to brew loose leaf when I'm at work, but a tea bag fits perfectly into my pocket. If you want to brew looseleaf at work check out this.It's a thermos with two different tops, a drink one and a mesh bowl for steeping. I've owned one for years, and it is amazing. The tea cools down much less when steeping, and it's easy to steep on the go anywhere with hot water. Just bring a tin or a ziplock with some leaves in it and a teaspoon and you're good to go. It also makes resteeping a far easier process as you can just take out the mesh top, set in it a cup, and once you're done with your current cup of tea you put the mesh top back on and steep again. Wow I'll have to check that out, thanks! I think I'll look for a glass or plastic one though so I can make sure I'm getting the right color, I can see a couple in the related items.
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
Classic.
![[image loading]](http://tea-gift-set.info/_cache/Lipton%20Tea/img/y_images_lipton%20tea%20earl%20grey_2.jpg)
Boil water, pour into a standard cup, dip the bag in and out until gold then save for another cup (personally this is distasteful to me but I grew to appreciate economic approaches), then add a half teaspoon of sugar and half-squeeze a lemon slice then drop it in. Fucks your stuffy nose and sinuses UP.
Read This Before Rage
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I'm surprised no one or the OP haven't mentioned my favorite tea of all time:
+ Show Spoiler +
Earl Grey Tea baby!
*Edited* DAMN YOU POSTER ABOVE ME FOR NINJAING MY POSTTTTTT!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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I love tea too. Green tea especially. Nothing quite like a nice oolong with a meal. Oh man and it is the shit when you are sick.
One of the best things I discovered in Japan is Shouchu(preferably tantakatan) and Green Tea. Best drink ever!
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On March 31 2011 12:37 Chuiu wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2011 12:34 deafhobbit wrote:On March 31 2011 12:30 Chuiu wrote: xmShake, I don't brew with bags anymore. I started brewing with loose leaf about a month ago and only use bags for teas I want to try or cannot find loose leaf for. But for most people bags is the easiest introduction into tea drinking and the most convenient. I don't exactly want to brew loose leaf when I'm at work, but a tea bag fits perfectly into my pocket. If you want to brew looseleaf at work check out this.It's a thermos with two different tops, a drink one and a mesh bowl for steeping. I've owned one for years, and it is amazing. The tea cools down much less when steeping, and it's easy to steep on the go anywhere with hot water. Just bring a tin or a ziplock with some leaves in it and a teaspoon and you're good to go. It also makes resteeping a far easier process as you can just take out the mesh top, set in it a cup, and once you're done with your current cup of tea you put the mesh top back on and steep again. Wow I'll have to check that out, thanks! I think I'll look for a glass or plastic one though so I can make sure I'm getting the right color, I can see a couple in the related items.
You can generally gauge the color pretty well by the drippings. The tea leaves expand when steeping, and some water gets trapped between them. When you lift the mesh bowl out, the water drips down and you can see the color just fine.
If it has one problem, it's that the mesh isn't quite tight enough for rooibos. Most loose leaf rooibos's will have some seeds in them, and those regularly drop through. They're very scratchy, and it makes the last bit of the cup hard to drink. I don't drink very much rooibos, so it's not really a problem for me, but for someone who does it would be a problem.
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I only use dried tea leaves as opposed to blends or from tea bags since my family has friends that bring it back from China, its usually in a giant molded shape or some sort. I personally only drink green tea, so accustomed to it I rarely try other types. Though, the black tea that majority of the people drink in Chinese restaurants are cheap powdered stuff, bleh!
I was taught to always do a quick rinse of the tea leaves in the pot first and then fill it up. Also been told not to drink too much tea since the overdose of caffeine will result in being "tea drunk"(literal translation), sounds bizarre but its suppose to be worse then a terrible hangover.
Ive tried 2-3 day old green tea still in the pot along with the leaves, it felt like a falcon punch to my internals. After that I felt dreadful, guess a sort of fermentation process began. So I learned lesson since I was told before hand not to drink it. :/
edit: Oh, I never drank Milk tea or anything related. Sad to know but its true...
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I've tried a couple brands of Earl Grey and I definitely think that must be an acquired taste, I have no desire to try drinking any of it anytime soon. I've never tried Jasmine tea of any sort though I do actually have some in my cupboard right now (just haven't gotten around to trying some, right now I'm sipping my Numi Chai). So I'll try some tomorrow perhaps.
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On March 31 2011 12:38 Murderotica wrote:Classic. ![[image loading]](http://tea-gift-set.info/_cache/Lipton%20Tea/img/y_images_lipton%20tea%20earl%20grey_2.jpg)
Kill it with fire.
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Agree, I avoid Lipton teas as much as possible now. For some reason their teas lack the same body and flavor other brands easily maintain.
On March 31 2011 12:43 Disregard wrote: Also been told not to drink too much tea since the overdose of caffeine will result in being "tea drunk"(literal translation), sounds bizarre but its suppose to be worse then a terrible hangover. If you drink too much caffeine you can get a caffeine withdrawal headache the next day or two, but you have to drink a lot more than the normal amount. I used to suffer from caffeine headaches all the time when I was a big Mountain Dew drinker. I still love the drink but I try to avoid pop as much as possible nowadays.
EDIT: Yeah definitely try milk and honey with chai and other black teas. I don't really like the combination with green tea but some do.
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Yes! I need something to drink that won't make me fat and isn't quite as boring as plain water. I'll try to see if I can find some of these at the store this weekend.
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
I am going to use my last post before I have to sink into remission to work on my 2000th to put something straight. Lipton teas suck dick in general. Their green tea is the worst I have ever tried. Their black tea is close to the worst. Their Earl Grey is tolerable but meh. I only posted it because it was one of the first results for "Earl Grey" and my absolute favorite brand of Earl Grey was not. So, mortals, bow before the Lord:
![[image loading]](http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/6017/twiningsnewearlgreysm9ck.jpg)
If anyone has anything negative to say about this tea, take it to PMs. I may or may not hunt you down and kill you.
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Canada8029 Posts
The only place to get tea from is directly from the growers.
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/hs2I1.jpg)
Probably one of the cooler things I did when I went to China. The tea you get there is generally of higher quality than the stuff you can find in stores as well. For instance, each one of those bags on the table in this picture contains a different grade of tea. The small basket on top is the highest grade, and is taken from the tea plants from late winter to early spring, when the plants are just beginning to bud.
It's kinda insane when you realize they have to pick all these leaves by hand.
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OK. My tea story.
I drink black tea, lemon herbal tea, earl gray (which tasts different than my really cheap black tea), and occasionally make green tea a leaves
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Chamomile <3
What do you guys use to sweeten? I've been using some stevia. Hrmmmm..
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I'm a fan of Jupu tea xD Greentea is the best!
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On March 31 2011 13:01 Dalguno wrote: Chamomile <3
What do you guys use to sweeten? I've been using some stevia. Hrmmmm.. Yeah! I've been on a diet so I can't use sugar, honey, or milk that I normally drink with. Since then I've been using these stevia packets I picked up at the store and one packet is perfect for a cup of tea and it blends really well with tea. Its a lot better than the artificial sweeteners you find in diet colas. But when I normally don't care about the calorie intake honey and milk is the best sweetener for darker teas, and sugar for lighter teas.
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On March 31 2011 13:04 Chuiu wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2011 13:01 Dalguno wrote: Chamomile <3
What do you guys use to sweeten? I've been using some stevia. Hrmmmm.. Yeah! I've been on a diet so I can't use sugar, honey, or milk that I normally drink with. Since then I've been using these stevia packets I picked up at the store and one packet is perfect for a cup of tea and it blends really well with tea. Its a lot better than the artificial sweeteners you find in diet colas. But when I normally don't care about the calorie intake honey and milk is the best sweetener for darker teas, and sugar for lighter teas. Hmm. Have you ever had Southern Style Tea?
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http://www.o-cha.com/Yutaka-Midori.html
Best tea I have had. Love sencha, bout the only thing I have a good taste for. There is a place nearby where I live that has pretty good loose leaf teas so I buy stuff from them, but I get my senchas online usually shipped out of Japan.
Have a digital kettle, digital scale, and ceramic pot I use for the sencha.
Matcha and pu-erhs are also great but they are both teas I don't know enough about.
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Oh, I am all over this. Tea is one of the great loves of my life; I drink it pretty much every day.
I've drunk a lot of different stuff, but the hot tea I drink most often now is this stuff:
![[image loading]](http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/englishteastore_2150_131057449) Just good, strong black tea. I mostly take it straight, but with a bit of sugar it's even better (don't really like it with honey).
But besides that, I brew and make copious amounts of Iced Tea (living in the southern united states as I do), both sweet and unsweet; though I prefer sweet tea when I can get it. It's pretty much my favorite drink in the world, and it is really very, very good. For iced tea, I would highly recommend Luzianne:
![[image loading]](http://www.meijer.com/assets/product_images/styles/xlarge/1001029_047900313199_A_400.jpg)
It makes the best iced tea you can find. Lipton, as others have mentioned is utterly dreadful both for iced and hot teas, and I never get it.
I also make a few other varieties of iced tea, such as mint tea, tea with cinnamon and cardamom, and some other stuff, all with Luzianne as a base. The mint tea especially is utterly delicious, if I do say so myself; and I make it most of the time.
Hail tea!
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The great thing about "tea" is that it is a blanket term that covers a huge array of drinks that can fit any mood. Some good choices in the OP.
I'm kind of surprised that none of the teas listed are loose-leaf. My favourite store is the Tea Store, which has an entire wall of jars (that contain loose tea leaves and flavorings) that covers a vast spectrum of tea. I find loose leaves allow me to make a cup or pot as strong as I want, as well as having a much wider variety of flavours to choose from. If you can find a store like this, I strongly recommend you check it out!
My top 5 favourite teas, in no particular order: Coconut Chai Sencha (a type of green tea leaves) Earl Grey Oolong (my friend brought some amazing stuff back from China) "Raspberry Thriller" by President's Choice (this one comes in a box)
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Oh shit, I fucking love tea you have no idea. Really. I drink tea every single day. Morning, day and night. In fact, I have some right now.  But I don't know where to even start naming my favorites. Anything really. But there's this weird tea I drink. Since I'm a super stressed out person 24/7, I sometimes have this caffeine free tea, with catnip in it. Lol right?
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![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/fWiuy.png)
+ Show Spoiler +Fo'real though. I love general sweet tea, mandarin tea, peppermint tea, and earl grey
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I don't understand how can tea lovers can drink made with tea bags. They just put low quality tea powder in it. And most brands use chlorine to bleach the tea bags.
I drink tea every day. My favorite : 黄山毛峰 (Huangshan maofeng)
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/mptSX.jpg)
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On March 31 2011 14:54 endy wrote:I don't understand how can tea lovers can drink made with tea bags. They just put low quality tea powder in it. And most brands use chlorine to bleach the tea bags. I drink tea every day. My favorite : 黄山毛峰 (Huangshan maofeng) ![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/mptSX.jpg) those look like seaweed :O
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On March 31 2011 14:59 Roe wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2011 14:54 endy wrote:I don't understand how can tea lovers can drink made with tea bags. They just put low quality tea powder in it. And most brands use chlorine to bleach the tea bags. I drink tea every day. My favorite : 黄山毛峰 (Huangshan maofeng) ![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/mptSX.jpg) those look like seaweed :O
Yeah, it's because they are whole tea leaves. And I keep it in airtight boxes in the fridge so it can't be oxidized or lose fragrance. When it's in the glass or tea pot, it really looks alive, just like fresh leaves, even if it has been harvested a year ago.
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I too am in love with tea ;] - usually have about 3 cups a day - really keeps me feeling human.
![[image loading]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/media.steepster.com/product_images/5624/large.jpg) My bread and butter tea
![[image loading]](http://www.bestcheapbuy.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Twinings-Irish-Breakfast-Tea-Tea-Bags-20-Count-Boxes-Pack-of-6.jpg) Sometimes mix it up with this.
![[image loading]](http://www.coffeeforless.com/images/uploads/bigelow%20constant%20comment.jpg) Fucking amazing tea right here - it has a very slight taste of orange, but not overpowering - still feels like black tea .
![[image loading]](http://tea-gift-set.info/_cache/Stash%20Tea/img/y_images_stash%20tea%20chai_1.jpg) My favorite chai tea - not too sweet (or doughnut-y tasting like the bigelow chai), but still has that nice chai flavor. Great with heavy milk.
![[image loading]](http://www.coffeeforless.com/images/uploads/bigelow%20earl%20grey.jpg) Occasionally, I'll get bored of english breakfast and have some of this. Nice for a change every once and awhile.
![[image loading]](http://www.coffeeforless.com/images/uploads/intro/bigelow%20cinnamon%20stick.jpg) My girlfriend loves this. Not my usual [sic] cup of tea usually, but it's nice on occasion.
However, I'm thinking about expanding my black tea range to include something else, i'll have to consider this carefully.
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![[image loading]](http://stepupstarbucks.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/starbucks-cups1.jpg)
Venti chai with 2 shots of vanilla pls
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51391 Posts
i'm addicted to lipton/nestea iced tea at the moment
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Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.
Just like Picard. :D
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I like loose leaf tea with Green and Oolong being my favorite. For tea bags, the Tazo teas are pretty bomb. In fact, I'm gonna drink some Cham. right now before sleep
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Just finished the last of my Alishan oolong. So sad D:
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Earl Grey! It's the best, babeh. Chinese Oolong too. Forgot what that stuff was called, thanks! And I'll be checking the rest of these out soon. Great blog.
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On March 31 2011 13:37 Frobert wrote:
My top 5 favourite teas, in no particular order: Coconut Chai Sencha (a type of green tea leaves) Earl Grey Oolong (my friend brought some amazing stuff back from China) "Raspberry Thriller" by President's Choice (this one comes in a box)
On March 31 2011 16:41 denzelz wrote: I like loose leaf tea with Green and Oolong being my favorite.
On March 31 2011 18:26 hp.Shell wrote: Earl Grey! It's the best, babeh. Chinese Oolong too.
Again, like i said in the beginning, Oolong Tea refers to a huge set of different teas with wildly different flavors. wikipedia says the oxidation level of oolong's can range from 8% to 85%. because it refers to a whole range of teas lying between green and black. Seriously, saying you "like oolong tea" is about as descriptive as saying you "like black tea."
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Most grocery stores aren't very specific about what kind of Oolong tea they're selling I have about 5 kinds of Oolong tea, 4 of them are looseleaf, and none of them are particularly labeled.
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On March 31 2011 22:37 Chef wrote:Most grocery stores aren't very specific about what kind of Oolong tea they're selling  I have about 5 kinds of Oolong tea, 4 of them are looseleaf, and none of them are particularly labeled.
Sad news bears - but that's why you don't buy tea at grocery stores. Most decent sized cities will have a few dedicated looseleaf shops, which are usually worth frequenting.
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Mmm, tea. I drink like 1.5-2 liters a day. :p
The one I drink the most of is this:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/dGSz9.png) I dislike pretty much every other Lipton tea, but I just love this one. I kinda grew up drinking it, so that might be the reason.
Every once in a while:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/E4HXd.jpg)
As for green tea, I usually order online, I can't stand the bagged green tea they sell over here. It's usually pretty expensive for shipping, at least for me living in Norway, but it's totally worth it. I love sencha:
![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/nInCC.jpg)
and I also love genmaicha, green tea mixed with roasted brown rice. It's delicious:
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Seriously, green tea and iced tea tastes like total wank. Typhoo is best with milk and 2 sugars
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On April 01 2011 02:57 Cain0 wrote: Seriously, green tea and iced tea tastes like total wank. Typhoo is best with milk and 2 sugars
Ew, milk. Ew, sugar. D:
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On March 31 2011 22:23 deafhobbit wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On March 31 2011 13:37 Frobert wrote:
My top 5 favourite teas, in no particular order: Coconut Chai Sencha (a type of green tea leaves) Earl Grey Oolong (my friend brought some amazing stuff back from China) "Raspberry Thriller" by President's Choice (this one comes in a box)
On March 31 2011 16:41 denzelz wrote: I like loose leaf tea with Green and Oolong being my favorite. On March 31 2011 18:26 hp.Shell wrote: Earl Grey! It's the best, babeh. Chinese Oolong too. Again, like i said in the beginning, Oolong Tea refers to a huge set of different teas with wildly different flavors. wikipedia says the oxidation level of oolong's can range from 8% to 85%. because it refers to a whole range of teas lying between green and black. Seriously, saying you "like oolong tea" is about as descriptive as saying you "like black tea."
That's interesting, I was not aware of how much variety there was within the category known as Oolong. From my very limited experience with it, I enjoyed it. I'd be interested to find out exactly which kind I've had in the past (unfortunately I could not read the Chinese label).
That being said, most types of tea have a huge amount of variations. Someone may say that they like green tea in general, which I would accept, but there exists a huge spectrum of flavours that fall under the "Green tea" category. I personally love Sencha, but am not a fan of heavily toasted green tea leaves.
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these aren't the traditional types of teas, but here are my favorite types of teas:
![[image loading]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pnJuYezEQUE/TXzdT2W-BPI/AAAAAAAACxg/5R8FEKJM078/s1600/bubble%2Btea%2B5.jpg) bubble tea<3<3<3
![[image loading]](http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/latteart1.jpg) anything with matcha (not quite a tea, but close enough to green tea :p)
![[image loading]](http://www.royalthaigurnee.com/Food/Drinks/Thai%20Iced%20Tea.JPG) thai iced tea
my love for these drinks run so deep. i would choose these drinks over an alcoholic beverage any day.
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On April 01 2011 01:09 deafhobbit wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2011 22:37 Chef wrote:Most grocery stores aren't very specific about what kind of Oolong tea they're selling  I have about 5 kinds of Oolong tea, 4 of them are looseleaf, and none of them are particularly labeled. Sad news bears - but that's why you don't buy tea at grocery stores. Most decent sized cities will have a few dedicated looseleaf shops, which are usually worth frequenting. Yeah well not all of us live in or near a city large enough to have a dedicated looseleaf shop. If I want to get super picky with my tea I have to order the loose leaf online, sometimes I have to make do with what I have locally as far as looseleaf goes.
EDIT: Nvm, I asked around and apparently there is a place called the Tea smith out here, Its a long drive though so I'll have to check it out on my day off.
On April 01 2011 02:14 MinoMino wrote:and I also love genmaicha, green tea mixed with roasted brown rice. It's delicious: ![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/QZmHt.jpg) Oh! I love this stuff too, it has a nutty flavor to it, really good stuff. Its too bad I can't find any locally though, I bought some boxes of it when I was in florida visiting my folks and forgot to bring it back with me. I wonder if I can order some of it online somewhere.
On April 01 2011 03:53 Bereft wrote:![[image loading]](http://www.royalthaigurnee.com/Food/Drinks/Thai%20Iced%20Tea.JPG) thai iced tea Hah! I forgot about that. Whenever I go out for thai I always order their iced tea, its so flavorful.
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On March 31 2011 12:34 Terrakin wrote:cheap and tasty ![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tJ7vF5PHZZc/S3l5v4f4_zI/AAAAAAAAAgg/wNy3JBwwlxw/s400/Fujian+Tea+036b.jpg)
That tea was featured in Limitless, the movie sucked, but at least the tea is good and cheap
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On April 01 2011 03:53 Bereft wrote:![[image loading]](http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/latteart1.jpg) anything with matcha (not quite a tea, but close enough to green tea :p)
Matcha actually is green tea, there's no "close enough" about it. Throughout tea's history, how it has been processed and served has varied. Originally, it was mostly baked into bricks and broken off into chunks before being steeped. Then, people started making it into a powder, and frothing it into water. Finally, people began roasting the leaves, and just steeping them directly. Matcha is just green tea processed in the second way, but it's still 100% tea.
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I'm about to try a cup of jasmine green tea for the first time and without even drinking it I'm not getting a good first impression. It smells a lot like a cat litter box ... after something has gone down ... Alright so it doesn't taste like it smells. Thats a good thing, for sure. But I'm not digging this flavor at all. You guys can keep your jasmine. I think I'll try some rooibos next.
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I alternate between greens and oolongs.
For greens, lately I've been drinking lots of sencha, and usually the cheap looseleaf kind. Now that I think about it, it's almost Shincha season, so maybe I'll pick up one of those (and I don't give a shit about the radiation scare). I used to drink a lot of Chinese greens, especially Long Jing, that was my favorite.
For oolongs there used to be this shop in town that specialized in it. They would sell leaves from the same tree or something like that. They closed down, but they still do internet sales. I actually prefer the wilder, woody tasting ones than the sweeter ones. http://www.teahabitat.com
I also liked Silver Needles, I was usually really lazy ordering it so I just picked up the Rishi Teas and it was really good... but I work through one order at a time so I haven't had time to fit it anywhere.
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On April 01 2011 04:53 deafhobbit wrote:Show nested quote +On April 01 2011 03:53 Bereft wrote:![[image loading]](http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/latteart1.jpg) anything with matcha (not quite a tea, but close enough to green tea :p) Matcha actually is green tea, there's no "close enough" about it. Throughout tea's history, how it has been processed and served has varied. Originally, it was mostly baked into bricks and broken off into chunks before being steeped. Then, people started making it into a powder, and frothing it into water. Finally, people began roasting the leaves, and just steeping them directly. Matcha is just green tea processed in the second way, but it's still 100% tea.
Yeah in a matter of speaking you could say matcha is more of a tea then most other teas since you drink the entire leaf.
On April 01 2011 05:18 Chuiu wrote: I'm about to try a cup of jasmine green tea for the first time and without even drinking it I'm not getting a good first impression. It smells a lot like a cat litter box ... after something has gone down ... Alright so it doesn't taste like it smells. Thats a good thing, for sure. But I'm not digging this flavor at all. You guys can keep your jasmine. I think I'll try some rooibos next.
Now thats not actually tea in a strict sense.
Also if you have good jasmine green tea, it should smell very sweet (like jasmine).
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![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/dBbWl.jpg)
I have a problem.
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Bigelow Earl Grey has completely ruined me for any other kind of store-bought tea. After having a few cups of earl grey for a week, I tried to go back to my cheap box of Lipton for my morning fix (the one that comes with like, a hundred tea bags for like $3), and it didn't even come close to tasting decent. There's no going back now.
![[image loading]](http://www.coffeeforless.com/images/uploads/intro/bigelow%20earl%20grey.jpg)
earl grey + teaspoon of milk/cream + three teaspoons of honey = ♥
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Does anyone have a good store brand of chamomile tea bags?
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