Good teas?

[bayareaking510]

I want to try drinking some teas, but I have no idea where to even start. Does anyone know of any teas that are really good?

[bb4034]

http://www.adagio.com/ - they used to be a sponsor and they got me into it too.

I was kinda pissed that they raised the teaware prices:mad:

[acidburn]

Adagio.com has good tea. I do most of my ordering from them. I'd recommend their Blood Orange, Cha Cha, and Rooiboos Jasmine. Just a few of my favorites. Or try a sampler package to get a good mix.

Teavana.com is good too. I think they have similar quality and choice as Adagio but cost more per ounce for the most part. Tealuxe.com is local to Massachusetts, but sell online too. I like a few of their teas but not many.

For a local alternative, are you near a Trader Joes? They have a pretty good selection of bagged teas.

[rabidbadger]

I was a pretty good tease in my 20s, oh wait. I read that wrong. nevermind

/rosanne rosanna danna

[iccanui]

http://www.guayaki.com/index.php

[AriaStar]

Adagio is good, but if you want a basic start and to not spend a lot of money, Tazo and Bigelow (brands) are both affordable and available at the grocery store. It would suck to spend $20 on a type of tea you end up not liking. For this reason, I also wouldn't recommend a beginning wine-drinker buy expensive things until going through the not-expensive ones to get an idea of whether red or white or blush hits a chord, dry or peppery, etc..

Things people like in tea include lemon, milk, honey, and sugar (I use Splenda).

[Joey85]

Wow! This thread is weird as I was just about to ask the same thing.

I've stopped drinking all sorts of flavored drinks about 6 months ago and since then been drinking 90% water, the only thing is it is getting kind of boring and I am looking for something new. I don't like Coffee, so I ordered the green tea starter kit from Adagio (Remember them being a sponsor a while back) last week.

I got it, and I was also looking for tips. I like some flavors but not others. For example I loved the Citron Green, but today I tried the Genmai Cha, and I took a sip and couldn't drink it. I tried "getting used to it" but I just couldn't bear the taste of this kind. (It kind of tasted like fish to me?)

Would it be easier to start with maybe black or flavored teas? What are some good types to get started with?

[royall]

I like Earl Grey tea. Very minty, addictive flavor. But whatever you do, NEVER, EVER have hot Lipton tea. Frickin' terrible stuff.

The store near me has three brands: Bigelow, Twinings, and Celestial Seasonings. I don't really like Celestial Seasonings, but the other two are good.

[paulg57]

I've started drinking a pomegranate, raspberry green tea. It's very refreshing. In fact I've started to drink more green tea, and they have some nice flavours with tme.

[rvas]

Trader Joes has a good selection of teas but I think Whole Foods has the best selection of teabags (no pun intended) that I've seen. Other than that go to adagio.

[agamotto]

Bigelow and Twinnings are good places to start. I would avoid Celestial Seasonings and Lipton, as they are the Folgers crystals of the tea world.

If you like coffee, but want to reduce, try Earl Grey - caffeine, but no where near as much as regular coffee.

If you can't stand coffee, chai would be a good place to start. Chai lattes do wonders for me, as they have replaced coffee in my home.

If you want something smooth, almost milk-like in texture, try White tea, or Rooibos.

I used to love the teas served at Borders, however they have switched to Seattle's Best coffees/drinks, and it doesn't taste nearly as good.

[bayareaking510]

Thanks everyone. I went to my local grocery store and all they had was Lipton tea so I went online to Adagio.com to order some sample teas. I got: Blood Orange and Wild Strawberry herbal teas and Jasmine #12 oolong tea. Should be interesting to try them out since I rarely drink tea.

One terribly noob question though...how do I make tea?
My guess is just boil up some water then pour it into your cup with some of the "stuff" and let it steep for a couple minutes, then drink?

[rvas]

Well, since you bought loose leaf tea, you can just boil some water and pour on the leaves. Wait a good 3 to 4 minutes for the flavor to really...whats the word...taste good? Then if you dont mind drinking tea with leaves in the cup, go ahead, if you dont want the leaves, go ahead and strain them out. Since you're just starting out I would get used to drinking tea first, then if you like it you might want to order the teapot with the strainer from adagio.

[bayareaking510]

Well, since you bought loose leaf tea, you can just boil some water and pour on the leaves. Wait a good 3 to 4 minutes for the flavor to really...whats the word...taste good? Then if you dont mind drinking tea with leaves in the cup, go ahead, if you dont want the leaves, go ahead and strain them out. Since you're just starting out I would get used to drinking tea first, then if you like it you might want to order the teapot with the strainer from adagio.

Thanks. Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to like tea so I don't want to buy a teapot yet, but if I do, I might get the one Kevin had on the last diggnation...Stumbled upon it at Amazon for $29.

[AriaStar]

For a proper cup, boil the water. Steep the tea for three to five minutes depending on the type and your preference for strength. Tea cozies are to keep the cup and contents hot.

Lipton's fine for a quick cup in the evening. I don't think anyone should base their preferences on what others say. Lipton's not as "fine" of a tea, but some people genuinely like it. I drink a lot of foreign and fancy teas, and Lipton's still fine when that's what I want. It's snobbery that would lead someone to say to avoid something for not being the best there is. Whatever you like, you like.

[acidburn]

Thanks. Yeah, I don't know if I'm going to like tea so I don't want to buy a teapot yet, but if I do, I might get the one Kevin had on the last diggnation...Stumbled upon it at Amazon for $29.

Get a teaball for now. They are pretty cheap. Should cost you no more more than $5. Your grocery store may even sell them. Or any other store that sells stuff for the kitchen.

It will look like one of these:
http://www.tealuxe.com/goto/ourmerchandise.html

Adagio sells empty tea bags, those are good too. If your order hasn't processed, you may be able to add them on for about $3. Or you may already have a coffee press at home. Just use that to brew your tea. You can totally just put the leaves in the water and strain it when ready to drink, but you'll enjoy loose tea more if it is easy to clean up after.

[acidburn]

Wow! This thread is weird as I was just about to ask the same thing.

I've stopped drinking all sorts of flavored drinks about 6 months ago and since then been drinking 90% water, the only thing is it is getting kind of boring and I am looking for something new. I don't like Coffee, so I ordered the green tea starter kit from Adagio (Remember them being a sponsor a while back) last week.

I got it, and I was also looking for tips. I like some flavors but not others. For example I loved the Citron Green, but today I tried the Genmai Cha, and I took a sip and couldn't drink it. I tried "getting used to it" but I just couldn't bear the taste of this kind. (It kind of tasted like fish to me?)

Would it be easier to start with maybe black or flavored teas? What are some good types to get started with?

I wouldn't recommend starting with the black teas. Some can be fairly intense and strong. Try herbal teas or more flavored green. Or if you want to give black teas a try Golden Monkey is a fairly smooth black tea.

Get started with bagged teas found at most grocery stores. It will cost less up front and you can get a feel for what you like. For a brand I'd recommend Stash. They have a good selection. http://www.stashtea.com/

One tip I can offer for brewing green tea that can improve the flavor is to not use boiling water. Most green teas need 180 F. You don't have to be exact, but a lower temp might just make that Genmai Cha taste a little better, or maybe not ;)

[royall]

I actually make my tea with a coffee machine now. I pour the leaves from the bag into a filter, pour water in, and turn it on, as if the tea was coffee grinds. It works well, and it's faster than a kettle or microwave.

Douglas Adams on Tea.

One or two Americans have asked me why it is that the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to know how to make it properly.

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it's this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it's merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That's why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that's why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That's why they don't understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don't know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you're staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful - you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let's just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn't have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it's probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.(1) If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.

Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you've come to isn't maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It's worth bearing this in mind when visiting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A61345

[Joey85]

I wouldn't recommend starting with the black teas. Some can be fairly intense and strong. Try herbal teas or more flavored green. Or if you want to give black teas a try Golden Monkey is a fairly smooth black tea.

Get started with bagged teas found at most grocery stores. It will cost less up front and you can get a feel for what you like. For a brand I'd recommend Stash. They have a good selection. http://www.stashtea.com/

One tip I can offer for brewing green tea that can improve the flavor is to not use boiling water. Most green teas need 180 F. You don't have to be exact, but a lower temp might just make that Genmai Cha taste a little better, or maybe not ;)

Thanks for the tips. Yet again I tried another of the sample flavors they sent me. This morning it was Kukicha. I liked it for the most part, it had a very "natural/earthy" taste to it. But I couldn't help making another cup of the Citron Green for the road. :) It just hits the spot.

As for the temperature, I think you might be correct. I had made the Genmai Cha form the hot water spout from the coffee machine at work, it may have been too hot. Today I made them at home and like a true geek (This is a Diggnation forum after all?) used the temperature reading on my multimeter since our kitchen lacks any type of theromometer. :rolleyes: 181 F, pretty much perfect.

Another question, right now I am dealing with loose teas since I got the ingenuiTEA (http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html?SID=6da54eb9063cb132d178bb5 97842bd7c) with the starter kit. When I put the leaves in should I just let them sit for the 3 minutes, or should I mix them up at the end or anything? Does it make a difference?

I think I will try some flavored greens first, and go from there. Thanks.

[AriaStar]

I actually make my tea with a coffee machine now. I pour the leaves from the bag into a filter, pour water in, and turn it on, as if the tea was coffee grinds. It works well, and it's faster than a kettle or microwave.

Douglas Adams on Tea.

One or two Americans have asked me why it is that the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to know how to make it properly.

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it's this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it's merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That's why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that's why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That's why they don't understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don't know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you're staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful - you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let's just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn't have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it's probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.(1) If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.

Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you've come to isn't maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It's worth bearing this in mind when visiting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A61345


Adams also says that Earl Gray is meant to be drunk with lemon, no milk at all. :)

[MD2389]

I prefer to mix blends.

So far the best result I've had is mixing 2x family size Louisianne tea bags with the single-serve Biggallo green tea bags (Easily found at your local wal-mart). Sweeten to taste, though just be warned that the green tea adds a "natural" sweetness to the flavor.

Kevin, if you happen to be reading this thread, I definitely recommend you give this a shot. You will be thanking me later. :)

[Amp300]

My recommendation is to find your local Asian market and check out their tea selection. I've been able to get some excellent Jasmine and Gunpowder Green Tea for a heck of a lot less money than you'd pay at a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

[deadnoob]

adagio.com definitely. get the ingenuitea cup for starting out. its very nice. also order the little $2 samples (almost all except a couple are $2). they last about 5-10 cups. this was if you dont like the tea you arent out so much money. if you do like the tea, just order more.

when i order from the my stuff comes the next day, which is extremely convenient

[bayareaking510]

I just got my teas today, and well, it didn't taste so good. It was the wild strawberry herbal tea and it tasted too watery. I definitely put enough tea leaves because I doubled what was recommended. I went back and read a couple of reviews and some people said that it tastes better iced or with some sugar added.

[jdg369]

I LOVE TEA.

Seriously, tea is like my thing.
I really reccommend tazo tea. I prefer teabags just because it's easier(I don't care for the leaves). I generally drink the china green tips tazo tea and with that you take the teabags out after about 3-5 minutes or the bottom will get bitter. The Zen green tea is good if you just want something with less flavor... it's very mellow. The passion tazo tea is also very good.

I never add anything to my hot tea.. it unpurifies it ;P

OH! and lipton is a disgrace to tea[period].

sooo give it a shot.

I love tea. I actually just got home from getting tea with my friend :]

[AriaStar]

I just got my teas today, and well, it didn't taste so good. It was the wild strawberry herbal tea and it tasted too watery. I definitely put enough tea leaves because I doubled what was recommended. I went back and read a couple of reviews and some people said that it tastes better iced or with some sugar added.

Don't base all teas on one type. Some teas are meant to be mild. A strawberry-infused tea won't taste as strong as biting into a fresh strawberry.

What are you looking for in a tea? Something mild, potent, sweet, bitter? That might help us give better suggestions for you rather than to just throw out our personal favorites.

[bayareaking510]

Don't base all teas on one type. Some teas are meant to be mild. A strawberry-infused tea won't taste as strong as biting into a fresh strawberry.

What are you looking for in a tea? Something mild, potent, sweet, bitter? That might help us give better suggestions for you rather than to just throw out our personal favorites.

Well, I'm not really sure, but I think tea isn't my thing. Iced tea, on the other hand is something I've always been into. The Lipton iced tea such as green tea and white tea taste great. It may not be the real thing, but it sure tastes good.

So anything that tastes like that would be something I might be into. If drinking it hot still doesn't do it for me, I might try to make iced tea.

I've never made it before, but it shouldn't be too different... Isn't it just putting it in the refrigerator overnight after cooling it down?

[kiegh]

If you think you might like a certain type of tea and want to try it cold, brew it up about 3x as strong as normal, sweeten it while it's still hot, and throw it in a pitcher full of ice and store it in the fridge. The ice will melt and dilute the tea to a normal solution and who knows, you might enjoy it.

[bayareaking510]

If you think you might like a certain type of tea and want to try it cold, brew it up about 3x as strong as normal, sweeten it while it's still hot, and throw it in a pitcher full of ice and store it in the fridge. The ice will melt and dilute the tea to a normal solution and who knows, you might enjoy it.

Thanks, I think I'll try that with my strawberry herbal tea

[whoisscott]

Adagio is great, you can buy their sample packs that make a few cups for as little as $2. I really like the oolong and herbal tea, like the jasmine and foxtrot. You just have to remember that they mostly sell loose teas, so you will have to strain or diffuse them. I also like tazo refresh and tazo calm. bigelow mint green tea. And Lipton blackberry is one of my favorites.

[Idris]

I'm similar to you, and started drinking tea over the Xmas break as a healthy alternative to water.

I've settled on Red Bush tea (Rooibos). Probably not that adventurous but it's supposedly as benificial as normal tea but with without the drawbacks (no caffeine and lower levels of tannin). It's also easy to drink black (adding milk is currently though to negate health benifits of normal tea (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241139.stm)).

[Joey85]

I got my second shipment from Adagio a few days ago:

Black Cinnamon - Different from my others as it is a black tea, but still very good. (On my second cup for today)

Passion fruit - Hadn't had this yet, but smells good.

Casablanca twist - Again, hadn't had this yet, but can't wait to try it as it smells very good.

Citron green 4oz - I liked the sampler so I bought the larger size.

Apricot green - I had it iced last night, it was pretty good.

Vanilla Green - Tastes pretty good, might be a bit better with a drop or two of vanilla extract with it.

They also sent me a free Valentines day flavor, it smells like chocolate which it not a good smell for tea, but it was free...

[AriaStar]

Boil water, pour over tea leaves, either loose or bagged (Lipton is crap), steep, strain, serve with milk and/or sugar.

So what am I drinking?

A glass coffee cup with a Lipton tea bag in it, water, microwaved for a couple minutes, three heaping teaspoons on Splenda. And I'm on my second cup and loving it. None of the fancy shmancy stuff sounds good right now, not the $28-for-six-ounces chai, not the Twinning black peach, but good ol' Lipton made in the microwave with my cancer-sweetener of choice. (And a bowl of brussels sprouts.) At almost 2am.

Life's good.

And tea peeps will be having heart attacks. :)

[Kronos6948]

As much as I like a good tea, this whole different flavors thing seems to be the new fad. Sure, it's an ancient art to actually blend good tea, but it's gotten really popular just recently. I wonder how long it will be before something else takes its place?


-Lou, Preferrer of Earl Grey and regular old green tea.

[NoxDineen]

-Lou, Preferrer of Earl Grey and regular old green tea.
Outstanding choices, those are my top 2 teas as well.

[xibalba]

I have always drank many types of teas English Breakfast and Earl Grey the most. I say drink tea even if it isn't the best quality or made in a strange as long as you enjoy it.

[masherscf]

Outstanding choices, those are my top 2 teas as well.

Picard?

[Kronos6948]

Picard?

Hey, don't knock it. CP was the reason I first tried Earl Grey. This was back when I was a kid. I liked it ever since.

[masherscf]

Hey, don't knock it. CP was the reason I first tried Earl Grey. This was back when I was a kid. I liked it ever since.

I drank nothing else while I was getting my master's degree. I finally had to kick it. Basically, I rigged up a Bunn commercial coffee maker in my dorm room and loaded the hopper with earl grey. I would make about a quart of tea at a time. As soon as it was empty, I would fill the carafe again. I drank serious too much tea.

[tokenuser]

Picard?If my wife asks me to make her a cup (bag) or a pot (loose leaf) of tea (Earl Grey or similar black bergamont tea is a staple), when I give it to her, I do my best Picard voice and say "Earl Grey. Hot".

[Kronos6948]

/threadjack

Man, I sure could use a replicator. Working 4 ten hour days makes it murder when it comes time for dinner. I don't feel like cooking a damn thing, and I'm frickin hungry. I can't really afford to (and I shouldn't) order out, so I need a replicator to make me dinner, STAT!!

[AriaStar]

Chai sounds good now. How many calories are in chai?

[silentspyder]

I'm a coffee guy but since my latest coffee machine came with a tea thingy I've been meaning to try it.

[scoobydiesel]

Its all good, as long as you digg what your drinking than thats what counts.

I drink normal green tea's an some times i try random stuff from adigo's but meh some just taste odd an not something i wanna drink offten.

[AriaStar]

Yeah, good ol' microwaved Lipton is just awesome sometimes.

The way I see it is who cares, if someone likes it, it's all good. Be it a bottom-shelf wine or something you get from the reserves directly at the vineyard, Lipton or some special tea, if it tastes good, then it is good. :)

[Shinku]

Builder's tea for me, ta.

[TechChic]

I was pleasantly surprised and really did LOL at the Picard comments. I was SO thinking that as I read. :) It is nice to have options for tea...tho I normally drink the cheaper bag variety (or Lipton's as discussed here too), it is a nice treat to drink other teas too like loose tea etc. I am fairly new to tea, so I do not have any favs yet.

[Manbearpig]

Hey guys, I'm new to the site and I noticed that there really wasn't a thread about tea (although there is one about the Diggnation teas, this is about any type). Myself being a pretty serious tea-drinker, I'd like to hear what people are drinking, any recommendations, opinions, etc. Thanks!

[acidburn]

http://www.guayaki.com/index.php

Good suggestion, this is a really good tea. Makes a good iced tea too.

[smoger]

Hey everyone,.. new to the site, and new to tea, but in the limited selection I've tried, I'm most loving a tea I got from Teavana.. it's a mix of Rooibos Chai and "Mate Vana" which, I guess is what they call their brand of mate.

It's a little pricier than Adagio(the teas I've tried from them are quite good too), but if you have a local Teavana store you can at least save on shipping, and either way it's still cheaper than grabbing a cup at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts each day.

This blend does wonders for waking me up in the mornings(without caffeine), keeps me "flushed out", and I feel less hungry when I drink it(maybe it's in my head?).

Anyway,.. my suggestion to the OP is just try some samples until you discover what you like!

[Nikole]

a staple of my tea shelf is always going to be earl grey, i lurve it

[whoiseric]

I'm pretty new to tea, the only thing I've really had is Chai tea that I bought from Costco. It's just the the kind where you put a cup of the powder in and mix it with hot water (like hot chocolate powder). I like the Chai a lot, but I what to try some other kinds. Can someone recommend me a couple teas from Adagio or the like? Thanks.

[decepticon]

I really liked Kevin's mint blend on Adagio, as well as Alex's.
I'd say if you're new, get one of the starter kits from Adagio. That'll give you a few to sample and try...see what you like.

[ipodman715]

The Wegmans closest to me has an epic selection of teas:


http://unlimited3.dnsprotect.com/~twitmirr/pics/wegmanstea_supersmall.jpg



the tea section covers 3 walls. They have loose tea as well.

I personally love Rooibos (even though it's not a true tea :P)

[monika]

Its all good, as long as you digg what your drinking than thats what counts.

I drink normal green tea's an some times i try random stuff from adigo's but meh some just taste odd an not something i wanna drink offten.

:)hi .I prefer green tea with Jasmine, it`s very cheerful:eek: