Tea

[embonpoint]

Jun 8, 2011 10:30:03 GMT -5 Dodger Thirteen said:

Mmm...Chai....

English breakfast.
Three-plus tablespoons of sugar.
Dash of milk.


I was raised on sweet teas, so any other way seems wrong. I'm slowly trying to wean myself off sugary tea, though.

I am going to assume there's a difference between US 'tablespoons' and UK 'tablespoons' because three+ tablespoons of tea here would be like, half the cup...

I drink PG Tips, brewed for anything between three and fifteen minutes, with between one and two teaspoons of milk, no sugar. Niiiiice and strong, and ALWAYS made with filtered water, not tap (this is more important where I live because it's a hard water area, but if I'm buying a cup of tea somewhere, I would expect nothing less and it does irk me somewhat if I'm having tea at somebody's house and they fill the kettle from the tap).

[Umbvix]

Jun 8, 2011 14:06:21 GMT -5 devilishlybookish said:

I love tea. There are two kinds I'll go for on your typical day: Celestial Seasonings "Sleepytime" blend (lots of chamomile, lemongrass, and rosebud), or some PG Tips that I brought back with me from England <3. Regardless of my choice, it's always no milk, no sugar. If I'm out at a place serving different kinds of teas I'll get adventurous, though.

Aaah! My friend that had the sugarplum tea also gets "Sleepytime" blend I would wander to her dorm to get some when I was sick because it helped me relax and go to bed without coughing up a lung. The bag smells soooo good.

[moosethemoose]

I make my own Chai sometimes [read: when I visit my parents' place and they have all the spices and milk that I want]. If anyone has the inclination, I suggest you try it.

4L milk [or 2 cups per person, plus a bit]
2 cups castor sugar [you can use other kinds but I like castor]
4-5 cloves, whole
3 tbsp black tea
3 tsp ginger, freshly grated
5 cardamom pods, crushed under a knife
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg [rather less than more]

1. Put the milk in a large pot, on high heat. Make sure it doesn't boil! This is very important.
2. Wait until the milk is quite warm to the touch. The sort of temperature you'd want a babycino. Add the tea and stir. It will mostly float on the surface, that's okay. Add the sugar, slowly, stirring it in to dissolve.
3. Add the cinnamon and stir. Sprinkle the nutmeg on gently - you'll see the cinnamon move interestingly due to Brownian Motion! [This step is optional if you're uninterested in Brownian Motion.]
4. Add the rest of the spices.
5. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and leave for however long you want. The flavour changes over time. At least 20 minutes is recommended.
6. Strain before serving.

All of this is very approximate, but a good place to start. Try your own spices, less sugar if you don't like it so sweet [this is a very sweet recipe], maybe honey. I like a bit of cayenne pepper in it sometimes.

[KatjevanLoon]

Yogi Tea's Green Tea Triple Echinacea is my standby. I also enjoy chai -- I frequently make iced lattes with almond milk.

I hate Earl Grey. (Well, actually, I'll drink Earl Grey in the form of a London Fog, but only if I can't taste the Earl Grey. So, you know, I hate Earl Grey.)

[andy]

I never liked tea with sugar and since I've given up on dairy milk, I have it plain. I usually have a few cups of Earl Grey or plain black tea per day and when I want something a bit more special I go for floral teas, green tea with jasmine or black tea with rose petals, usually.

[alyoshka]

I like black, green, oolong tea. I hate sugar in my tea. As my friend always said when someone put sucre in her tea, "I want my tea bitter like me"

Since i'm Chinese, I pretty much drink tea with almost every meal.

[Dodger Thirteen]

Jun 8, 2011 14:23:35 GMT -5 embonpoint said:

Jun 8, 2011 10:30:03 GMT -5 Dodger Thirteen said:

Mmm...Chai....

English breakfast.
Three-plus tablespoons of sugar.
Dash of milk.


I was raised on sweet teas, so any other way seems wrong. I'm slowly trying to wean myself off sugary tea, though.

I am going to assume there's a difference between US 'tablespoons' and UK 'tablespoons' because three+ tablespoons of tea here would be like, half the cup...

It's called a dessert spoon where you are, I believe. But seriously, I put a shit-ton of sugar in my tea. My mother puts so much sugar in her tea that it will lighten the colour of it.

[embonpoint]

Jun 9, 2011 15:59:35 GMT -5 Dodger Thirteen said:

It's called a dessert spoon where you are, I believe. But seriously, I put a shit-ton of sugar in my tea. My mother puts so much sugar in her tea that it will lighten the colour of it.

Um, well, a dessert spoon here is still pretty huge (to me, at least). We would usually use teaspoons for sugar, and generally level teaspoons. But I guess if sugar is lightening the tea... Wow x)


My little sister has started adding cinnamon to her tea (with milk, and three sugars); she cannot get enough of the stuff. I've yet to try it; I can't bear the thought of disliking it and wasting the tea!

[Dobby]

Irish breakfast tea. With nothing added, of course. I also enjoy constant comment tea, English breakfast tea, and Symphony tea.

There's a wonderful tea shop in New York City that I highly recommend to all Armadillos. It's called Alice's Tea Cup (www.alicesteacup.com/) The theme is based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the tea is amazing. The tea menu is about 30 pages long. (Yes, it is heaven). The scones are also delicious. It makes me want to live in New York so I can go there to write.

[Eternal Lobster]

I am not picky about what kinda of tea I drink. I like it with milk or a little honey and lemon. I can't STAND sweet iced tea! I hated traveling down south because that is basically all they drink. It makes me so sick, it is like drinking syrup. I don't even understand why it is necessary. You want sweet? Go drink soda. Can you guys and gals even taste the tea with that much sugar? I feel like it would just taste like sugar water to me.

[Annie Ozone]

Sweet tea! The house wine of the south! It is delicious, and coke is disgusting. Seriously, with the carbonation plus the taste, it is like drinking gasoline.

Seriously, though, unsweet iced tea is where it's at. I've got a ton of local full-leaf rooibos that I make as sun tea and it is the best. Also, I make hot tea--Earl Gray (no local, so Caykur it is!) and chammomile (Traditional Medicinal) for waking up and going to sleep respectively, especially during the work week.

Question: I love hibiscus tea, but I've only been able to find the weak tea bag kind around here. Any recommendations for online stores?

[cyanea]

Seconding the "sweet tea is gross". It's like drinking syrup to me.

I <3 carbonation.

[afontofnothing]

PG Tips English Breakfast.
One tablespoon of sugar, and the amount of milk depends on how hot it is. But generally, I like my tea quite milky (I hope someone got that reference).

There's this amazing tea place in Santa Monica that has all of this British tea stuff. It's fantastic. But for other teas, I always go to Peet's or Coffee Bean.

[glitterbug12]

Tea is wonderful!
One of my favourites is mint green tea (just Tetley, nothing special) because it's so refreshing and delicious, but I was raised on milky English Breakfast tea and I'll drink pretty much anything. I usually drink my tea with just a little bit of milk and sugar, which I'm halfheartedly trying to wean myself off of.

Ooh, and I love tea lattes.

[Dobby]

I had Irish breakfast tea and fresh, warm soda bread today. Possibly the best food in the world.