Tea Drinkers

[josh pelican]

Does anyone here like to drink tea? As much as I love coffee, I ....ing LOVE tea. Black tea, green tea, white tea, orange tea, pu'rea, oolong, rooibos, maté, etc.

I prefer loose tea because your options are virtually unlimited. Today I went into David's Tea because I was feeling a tea crave. As soon as I step in, I am greeted lovely and handed a freshly made sample of Long Life Oolong. This tea had a yellow color and a strong fruit scent. It contains peach and apricot pieces, almond slices, orange peel, and safflower petals. The taste wasn't as strong as the smell, but it was still delicious.

I wasn't sure what I wanted because I like all teas. I told one girl that I felt like something spicy. She brought several containers to the counter and allowed me to smell them. I decided to have a cup of Organic North African Mint with a dash of cane sugar. I should have added a bit of agave, but it was still beautiful to taste. It is a green tea that is a little spicy and a little minty. It contains organic, fair-trade green tea, peppermint, organic cardamom, ginger, licorice root, fennel clove, and black pepper.

I also bought some tea called Through the Grapevine. This would taste amazing with some agave. It's a white tea that has a wonderful grape flavor to it. It's a mixture of Bai Mu Dan and Cui Min teas. It has mallow blossoms, cornflowers, rose petals, rosehip, and black currant. It tastes pretty damn good.

I was going to buy a gourd to drink yerba maté but they didn't have any bombilla straws. They are going to call some other stores and see if they have any. If not, I'll order some.

For those who are unaware, you drink yerba out of a hollowed gourd:


You can put it in a diffuser like loose tea, but this is how it's done:


I think I'm getting a diffuser for Christmas and I'm ....ing stoked. I'm hoping to get a gourd and a bombilla, too. David's Tea hasn't even been in Halifax for a year and I don't know any other places that sell loose tea or maté. If any of you live near one of them, I highly recommend going in. The girls at this particular location were extremely knowledgeable and not too bad on the eyes . One girl seemed to eye me a few times and smile. She had a vertical labret and loads of tattoos. If I was single, I would have called in sick and just sat in the store all day. Well, maybe not. That's just a tad creepy.

I hope more of you manly folk will admit to drinking tea. Max? I can picture you being a tea drinker. Don't be afraid to admit it, guys!

[GuitaristOfHell]

Does Snapple tea count?

[josh pelican]

I will allow discussion of all forms of tea.

I love Nestea Vitao Green Tea. It's your basic green tea with Fuji apple in it. So damn good.

[MaxOfMetal]

I love the stuff. I tend to favor Green and Oolongs, but I'll have the occasional Black tea or herbal such as Mate or Rooibos. Some of my favorites are Monkey Picked Oolong (Ti Quan Yin), Gyokuro Imperial (Japanese Green), JDPP (Jasmine flavored Green), and Don Cong (Taiwanese Oolong).

I've tried a Mate Gourd before, and it was......interesting. Honestly, I'd rather just throw it in a cast iron teapot, or use a tea ball.

[GuitaristOfHell]

Awesome, I generally like japanese green tea, that or just regular tee with some lemon

[Customisbetter]

I have a ton of it but i rarely drink it. Im more of a mountain dew and juice kinda guy.

Also I suspect Pete will enjoy this thread.

[signalgrey]

darjeeling with a dash of honey and milk is awesome

or earl grey....hot

[josh pelican]

Originally Posted by MaxOfMetal

I love the stuff. I tend to favor Green and Oolongs, but I'll have the occasional Black tea or herbal such as Mate or Rooibos. Some of my favorites are Monkey Picked Oolong (Ti Quan Yin), Gyokuro Imperial (Japanese Green), JDPP (Jasmine flavored Green), and Don Cong (Taiwanese Oolong).

I've tried a Mate Gourd before, and it was......interesting. Honestly, I'd rather just throw it in a cast iron teapot, or use a tea ball.

Man, I want to try the Monkey Picked Oolong so bad. Isn't that sold on ThinkGeek?

I'm told it's easier/better to drink maté in a diffuser, but I'm really interested in trying it out. I also have some tea bag filters, which are just tea bags that you open, put some loose tea/mate/whatever into, and drop it in your cup! Nifty little buggers! I will probably end up drinking most of the maté this way.

[leandroab]

The only tea I drink is BLACK tea. When I'm having the shits (diarrhea).

Oh, I'm lying. I occasionally drink Maté tea, during meals.

[Scar Symmetry]

Tea is the shit. Breakfast tea, Camomile Tea, Green Tea with Orange, it's all good.

[Meatbucket]

I hate coffee. HATE. Tea is just about all I drink, whether it's Arizona Green Tea or an elaborate selection of loose leaf, I love it.

...Except Chai. .... that.

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by josh pelican

Man, I want to try the Monkey Picked Oolong so bad. Isn't that sold on ThinkGeek?

I'm told it's easier/better to drink maté in a diffuser, but I'm really interested in trying it out. I also have some tea bag filters, which are just tea bags that you open, put some loose tea/mate/whatever into, and drop it in your cup! Nifty little buggers! I will probably end up drinking most of the maté this way.

Trust me man, get rid of those tea bags. They're the absolute worst thing for tea, even the really expensive "silk" ones. It sucks up all the flavor and nutrients from the tea! Get yourself an old school tea ball. It's basically a stainless steel tea bag that's reusable and won't .... with your tea. Better yet, get yourself a cast iron tea pot. It'll cost you about $100, but it really makes the best tea.

For Mate, I usually let it steep extra long, like a good five or so minutes, sometimes more. Mate is pretty resilient so it won't burn too easily.

Originally Posted by leandroab

The only tea I drink is BLACK tea. When I'm having the shits (diarrhea).

Oh, I'm lying. I occasionally drink Maté tea, during meals.

Try drinking some Black tea during meals, then Oolong after. Try some decaffeinated Mate before bed. I do that and my stomach loves me for it.

[techcoreriffman]

I. ....ing. LOVE. Tea! Especially Oolong. Oolong is the best thing that has ever happened.

Actually, we have some White Lion Oolong Pomegranate. I'm gonna go make some

[Meatbucket]

Originally Posted by techcoreriffman

I. ....ing. LOVE. Tea! Especially Oolong. Oolong is the best thing that has ever happened.

Actually, we have some White Lion Oolong Pomegranate. I'm gonna go make some

Plus effing 1.

[Origin]

Green, 4-12 cups a day. I feel like a tank all day, every day. No sugar or milk of any or that bullshit. Blargh.

I like a lot of other fruity/popular ones but green is my mainstay.

[bostjan]

Princess Noori loose Ceylon Tea is the best tea I've ever tasted.

I'm also a big fan of Rooibos, Orange Pekoe, and Green Teas.


This is not it, exactly, but it is the closest picture I could find.

[PeteyG]

Originally Posted by Customisbetter

also I suspect Pete will enjoy this thread.

You're damn RIGHT I will!

Tea rules my life, hard. I do enjoy some of the rarer teas and the fruity sorts, but to be honest my drinking habits revolve around English Breakfast and Earl Grey teas.

[Sepultorture]

i visit the tea shop daily to try new teas

but so far Twinnings Earl Grey is still my favorite of them all, with a touch of honey

[RaceCar]

Stash Black Chai tea is MONEY IN THE BANK i drink it almost daily at work. Also in Argentina they drink Mate which is like heavily caffeinated tea, tastes like dirt but i LOVE it and it has loads of caffeine!

[MaxOfMetal]

Originally Posted by RaceCar

Stash Black Chai tea is MONEY IN THE BANK i drink it almost daily at work. Also in Argentina they drink Mate which is like heavily caffeinated tea, tastes like dirt but i LOVE it and it has loads of caffeine!

Mix an herbal such as a flavored Rooibos with the Mate, they typically go very well together. Yeah, pure Mate Yerba tastes really "earthy" and bitter. Mixing it with a flavored Black tea is pretty good too and you'll retain more caffeine.

[Meatbucket]

Been diggin' on some tradition Japanese Jasmine green tea with that natural honey stuff with comb still in the jar. Not only does it give your taste buds an orgasm, it soothes the throat for singing and screaming.

[josh pelican]

I started my day with a roasted mate with a bit of cane sugar. I let it steep for a good 5-10 minutes, like you would, Max. At lunch I had a Matcha Matsu. I put some agave nectar in it, but you couldn't taste it really.

Originally Posted by MaxOfMetal

Trust me man, get rid of those tea bags. They're the absolute worst thing for tea, even the really expensive "silk" ones. It sucks up all the flavor and nutrients from the tea! Get yourself an old school tea ball. It's basically a stainless steel tea bag that's reusable and won't .... with your tea. Better yet, get yourself a cast iron tea pot. It'll cost you about $100, but it really makes the best tea.

For Mate, I usually let it steep extra long, like a good five or so minutes, sometimes more. Mate is pretty resilient so it won't burn too easily.

..... Well, I got 18 left so I may as well use 'em for up. That will last my 5-7 days then I'll pick up a tea ball. I'll probably keep it in my bookbag so I can use it everywhere.

I asked my girlfriend for a Bodum YoYo Personal Diffuser for Christmas. Some of the Assam tea sets look pretty nice, too... but I don't usually make that much tea at a time.

[Customisbetter]

Damn even I have a tea ball. Get on the ball yo!

[techcoreriffman]

This morning, I woke up and made some Chai tea. I'm not sure which kind, my uncle gave it to me for my birthday. It was mildly bitter. And not very earthy. I put some honey in it, after letting it steep for 5 minutes. Breakfast of champions.

[bostjan]

I have a tea ball, but I prefer to just scoop a spoonfull of leaves into the cup for a stronger flavour.