Favorite flavor of tea?


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Tea is my favorite beverage as it helps me to relax after a long day or during stressful situations. I thought of this question while making a cup of tea this morning.

Do any of you Neowinians have a flavor(s) of tea that you prefer?

I am very fond of Earl Grey tea as its flavor is very distinctive. On the top of my head, Tension Tamer and Sleepytime by Celestial Seasonings are the other two flavors that I enjoy.

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I like licorice, lemon ginger, and darjeerling flavors, though it varies a great deal with whether I'm having it with food and also time of day.

 

Currently having Earl Grey with extra bergamot.

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I like a few different oolongs, and green teas.    I am actually learning how to appreciate a pu-erh teas too, both cooked and uncooked.

 

But I love a good quality black earl grey with lemon and cane sugar. It is simply the best.

 

Tulsi teas from Organic India are nice too, though the best once are only the Ginger one and the Chai one.

 

 

 

 

Some quality green loose tea leafs are best rinsed and then put in a jar of cold water in a fridge for 12 hours.   The best most gentle way to get the nice flavor out of them with 0 bitterness.  But I mean the loose leafs, not the crappy chopped up tiny pieces you get in tea bags.  The leaves should be at least like that

 

dragonwell-tea-z.jpg

 

Or like that:

1966765-315690-pearl-green-tea-loose-lea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and NOT like that:

 

 

Leaves_of_green_tea.jpg

 

 

 

 

So you can put them in cold water and easily strain them, with no smaller particles staying in the water!

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Of course, there are pros and cons to brewing tea this way. Cold-brewing will produce a lighter-bodied tea with less astringency and bitterness, as this method draws out a fewer tannic compounds, which is great for a mellow, even sweet, iced tea. Cold-brewing is also more time efficient, since you can make a pitcher of tea and store it in the refrigerator for a few days without having to brew a batch every day.  On the flip-side, it is also suggested that cold-brewing will draw out as little as half of the caffeine and half the beneficial antioxidants derived by hot-brewing, but our ?research? can?t speak to that. Some suggest that splashing the tea leaves with a little bit of hot water ?opens up the leaves?, helping release stronger flavor, more caffeine and higher antioxidant levels.

How To Cold Brew Tea

All you need to cold-brew tea is some good-quality loose leaf tea, a quart-size glass jar with a lid (if you don?t have a fancy cold brew tea pitcher), and cold water.  Any black, green, oolong or white tea will brew well. Herbal teas are generally not recommended, since they don?t usually undergo heat processing and may therefore harbor impurities and bacteria that are killed through standard hot-brewing.

Here are the simple steps for cold-brewing the perfect batch:

  • Measure four to eight teaspoons of loose tea and give them a quick rinse (to remove dust and impurities, etc).
  • Put the tea into the jar and fill to the top with cold water.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 to 8 hours.
  • Strain the tea leaves before storing or drinking to minimize bitterness.

You may want to experiment with the ratio of tea leaves to water and the length of steeping, depending on how strong you like your tea. You can also play around with the flavor of the tea by adding cut fruit or mint to it while it?s steeping. Cold-brewed tea is naturally sweeter, but you can sweeten it further with simple syrup, honey or agave nectar. Adding lemon or other citrus juice to the tea can also help sustain the tea?s antioxidants.

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Tea is my favorite beverage as well.  What I drink depends on the time of day mostly.

 

Every morning I start my day with a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea. (currently drinking Barry's)

During the day on cold days I'll have cups of Chai tea.  For a daily brand I kind of jump around but I keep an eye out for things like "Double Spice" variants.

On hot days I cheap out and go with iced tea which is typically just regular Lipton or even Arizona brand Diet Green Tea.

If I'm at a restaurant I nearly always order tea.  I rarely drink soda at all.

Every night before bed I have a cup of Chamomile Tea. (currently drinking Tazo Calm)

 

On special occasions my overall favorite tea is to brew the Samurai Chai Mate loose leaf tea from Teavana which I have a dedicated cast iron tea pot for that's been "seasoned".

 

I never drink decaf black/white/geen/oolong.  If I want decaf I'll drink an herbal or rooibos tea.  Just a weird quirk of mine.

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Chai is my go-to tea.

 

I only enjoy Chai as a Latte :P

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I love the taste of Kashmeri Tea (recipe), none of the other tea can beat the taste for me :)

 

Interesting.  I love the idea of almond tea drink.   I will have to try it. 

I only enjoy Chai as a Latte :p

 

I started like that, but now I don't consume milk, and black chai with sugar is still pretty awesome. 

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Tea flavored tea.  Sweetened, unsweetened, don't matter.  Not a huge fan of all the fruity flavors out there.

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Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Lapsang Souchong.  I drink coffee rather than tea usually.

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Ditto for "Tea, Earl Grey, Hot."  That said, starting the day with a strong cuppa Barry's Gold is tops. Fav tea when out is chai at the local Indian restaurant.  My friend from Bombay makes killer chai with clove, cardamon, and a cinnamon stick.

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Once when I stayed with a friend in the USA, she offered me a cup of tea, I jumped at the chance. She called from the Kitchen "You Brits have milk with your tea right?".

I responded with yes, she came through with Mint Tea... With Milk... I sat there and politely drank it...

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