Forums » Smalltalk » Tea drinkers...

I gots a question for ya. Actually, I've got more than one, but let's start off with this one:

What's your favorite blend?

You see, for the longest time I've just been drinking good ol' Southern iced tea. But then I gave Chai tea a shot, and liked it, and then tried an Earl Grey brand from H-E-B (a Texas and Mexico based grocery store) and really liked that. Now I'm on the edge of becoming obsessed with drinking different teas, and I'm getting ready to go all out: I want a pretty tea pot, and delicate little tea cups (or some cool mugs, whatevs), and a cool tea infuser. But I've never used loose leaf tea. I've been using the bagged variety. And after a bit of research, I've learned that there's a whole bunch of different blends from different companies, and I don't know where to start!

So I would really like to hear(read) some of your personal opinions and recommendations. What's your favorite blend? Why is it your favorite? When do you drink it? I'd like to find a good tea to drink before work in the morning, and maybe another to wind down in the afternoon. I've also seen some fruit teas? I've tried raspberry iced tea, which I really didn't like, but I didn't know there were hot fruit teas. Are those any good?

Just a curious tea noob, interested to hear y'all's opinions...

I drink earl grey with a tiny bit of vanilla or raspberry leaves, nettle and hazelnut. My granny lived next to a tea leaf reader, so I drank a lot of tea when I was wee. I'm really picky about what I will drink straight, but I drink anything that doesn't have passion fruit (allergy) or chai, but with sugar.

I will definitely give Earl Grey with vanilla or hazelnut--both flavors I love-- a try. And that's cool that your granny lived next to a tea reader! I didn't even know that was a thing until I read Harry Potter.

OMG, TEA!!!! We need to be friends. I was recently introduced to loose-leaf tea as well and it is heavenly.

I love earl-grey--especially the non-decaf version. (Decaf tastes like flavored water, ick.)

Peach Black tea is a really really good beginning tea. If you add a little sugar or honey, it brings the sweetness up, but the flavor is amazing without being too overly powerful. It's also a black tea, so it has a full flavor, unlike a lighter tea--such as white or green.

A tea I just recently tried that I liked was an Acai, Blueberry, Pomegranate Green Tea. The flavor is really good.

And if you want a hefty, strong flavored, bold black tea--Yorkshire tea is the way to go. Even stronger if it's imported from the UK. But pairs perfectly with shortbread cookies.

Message me and we can talk all about loose leaf tea. Or I'll just spam this forum.

Pen

Ripton's Strawberries & Cream.

I'm a fan of Twinings Breakfast blend. I put a bit of milk at the bottom of the mug before pouring in the tea, then I add sugar.

I use loose tea and my little bird diffuser all the time! Tea bags are fine and less work; but, loose tea is more flavorful in my opinion.

I typically use Twinings Irish Breakfast tea. I suggest lemon tea if you want to try out fruit tea. It's usually light and very delicious. Green tea is very good and good for you, too!

For loose tea, I put about two spoonfuls of tea into my diffuser. I then boil water in my kettle and pour it into the teapot. I let it diffuse for about two minutes, three if I want it stronger. Afterwards, I add sugar into an empty mug and pour the tea. I put the milk in last so I don't add too little or too much. And, done!