Coffee & Tea For Me

[hoosierpipeguy]

Coffee in the morning and brewed tea the rest of the day are my drinks of choice these days. Lots of water while playing golf. I'd likely make the Tea Purists do a double face palm with my choices but it's a lot healthier than the sugar laced stuff I used to consume.

I started with David's Tea a few years ago but recently have discovered Full Leaf Tea and Adagio. Similar quality at a much lower price. I drink a variety of Earl Grey blends for breakfast, when not drinking coffee, and also after dinner. Mixing in some Yunnan teas as well. My bigger thing though are the herbal ice teas. I keep two quart pitchers cold brewing in the fridge all the time. Discovering these taste better from totally cold brewing vs not water, then to the fridge, was a big deal for me. I drink a variety of fruit flavors and peppermint. All light and refreshing and compliment the pipe quite well. And quite cost effective, $.50 to $.75 per quart pitcher.

I never thought I'd like something like Earl Grey but have grown to really enjoy this blend. It's slowly replacing coffee "gasp". I just got in some Cacao which is supposedly another coffee substitute that's kind of like hot chocolate. I know, I've lost my mind.

How about other avid tea drinkers shouting out with your preferences and supply sources as well as your own tricks of the trade. I'm an absolute novice and would like to learn. I see some black and green teas that are quite expensive to exorbitantly pricey but I figure my palate isn't ready to appreciate those yet. Are they worth it? I also see people getting fairly precise with water temperature. I heart a cup of water in the microwave for 2 min 10 seconds. How important is this? How do you regulate water temp so precisely?

 

[edger]

I'm a Punjana black tea devotee. I get it from Teadog online.
My tastes are fairly proletarian and my heart demands that my tea be blended in Belfast.
I like black tea with a splash of milk and quite strong. There is an aroma that good tea must have for me to enjoy it, much like the "perfume" from a good bowl of tobacco.
I brew it with reverse osmosis water for 5 minutes, no more no less.
Enjoy your tea journey!

 

[peregrinus]

Darjeeling-
I mostly drink single plantation Darjeeling teas. I buy it it directly online from a broker in the Darjeeling district in India where it is grown in the hills before the Himalayan mountains. This perhaps sounds a bit extreme, but with the internet it’s rather easy to have it land on my doorstep in the PNW.

The tea comes loose in bulk and various amounts and has slightly differing characteristics depending on the plantation it originated from and the seasonal harvest. These variances are analogous to different vineyards and years in wines and particular harvests and regional characteristics with tobaccos.

Darjeeling generally has a delicate muscatel flavor but it can also have delicate vegetal, mossy, fruity, and citrus flavors. Though Darjeeling is an Indian-grown tea, the leaves or bushes themselves are actually primarily Chinese varieties. Like good coffees it is the terrain and climate that work a magic on the plants. It's generally lighter and less astringent than most black tea, but more layered and complex than most greens.

There are more accessible varieties or bagged and loose Darjeeling available at your local grocery from Twinning, Stash and others if you want to give it a spin. While these are not bad they are blended for consistency and so might be comparable to blended scotch or OTC tobaccos… good sometimes but normally not outstanding, however these are a great way to experience Darjeeling and see if the flavor profiles are appealing to you.

 

[mso489]

I love tea -- black or green, hot or iced -- but I can't drink it. I've learned over stubborn decades, for me, it causes kidney stones. Coffee yes, but alas, I have to do decaf these days, though I much prefer caffeinated. I thought I was past that tea problem, but another reminder on the stones, and I had to quit. Tea has a wonderful mood-lifting effect.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I'm a complete amateur. Bigelow Constant Comment in a big box the wife gets with other teas she likes. I drink iced tea from April - end of October almost exclusively except for water and the occasional adult beverage (and lots of milk).

So just the cheap tea that has a bit of an orange taste with either honey or natural brown sugar cubes. Usually in the evenings during winter as a low cal substitute for hot chocolate, which I drink a lot of in the winter.

When I was a kid my mom would mix up that Tang, instant tea and cinnamon stuff and have a big container of it handy that we would consume by the mugful after being out on the ice or in the snow.

 

[cshubhra]

Interestingly I am sipping a cup of Namring Estate First Flush Darjeeling as I type this.

All my life I had always enjoyed an occasional cup of Darjeeling or Earl Grey, but thanks to an enabler here in this forum a few months ago, I am seriously into tasting teas right now.

As always, a cup of Darjeeling still remains my favorite, and I now drink single estate first flush most of the time. There are four tea plucking seasons in Darjeeling and the First Flush is the most nuanced and mellow. It is picked during spring.

I have also discovered Lapsang Souchong which is a smoked tea. Very delicious and reminds me of Latakia

My first attempts to discover Oolong was not that great. The Rou Gui Oolong has an excellent finish, but sometimes taste too vegetal. I still drink it because I love the finish, and plan to discover more varieties of dark oolongs.

Tisanes are not really teas but herbs prepared like teas. I drink a Chamomile tisane most evenings, and plan to discover more of these

I keep tea bags of Earl Grey and other black teas handy for a quick brew during work or when I am feeling lazy.

I don’t like green teas

 

[eslavs]

I too enjoy tea but am a simpleton when it comes to tea selection and tasting. I enjoy mainly black teas, and have found that the selection available from Harney & Sons to fit my needs perfectly. I'm a fan of just about everything of theirs that I've tried - Darjeeling, English breakfast, Earl Grey....my wife loves their chamomile.

As for coffee, we enjoy brewing Starbucks roasts at home but I've been open to checking out other brands.

 

[elnoblecigarro]

I drink mostly white tea but I like other varieties too (not a big fan of green tea though). Recently I've been drinking lots of Silver Needle tea. I love this stuff. When I drink this it's never less than two cups, same with yellow tea.

I only drink loose leaf tea. Bagged teas are usually quite bad quality and ground to dust (not to mention many bags release micro-plastics into the tea).

I do think good teas are well worth the money. I'm not an expert but I drink what I like.

I experiment with the water temp. For example internet recommends 80 celsius for silver needle tea, but I prefer it brewed in 100 celsius. Tasted it both ways. Depends on tea really. Some white teas do better in 80 celsius. Some teas can get bitter in too hot water, especially green teas. I have a glass kettle and I only check the water temperature visually by observing the bubbles (I used meat thermometer to check what 80 celsius looks like in kettle). Brewing time is also important. Longer brew time increases bitterness. Have to find a sweet spot.

 

[Grangerous]

Lapsang or Russian Caravan (contains Lapsang). Smoked black teas. Lapsang Souchong.

I have friends from Taiwan who provide me with High Mountain tea from the middle region. It’s the best green tea you’ll find. Look for teas grown in Taichung.

As for the smoked teas, enjoy them plain or with milk and sugar. The smoked pine really comes through and is a great compliment to a pipe.

There’s a history behind why or how the teas became smoked is interestingly simple. —-The caravans of tea would be exposed to the nightly camofires along the trade route. When the teas arrived in Russia with a smoky taste they became prized.

 

[magicpiper]

I’ve been venturing into whole leaf teas over the last year as well. I drink a lot of black teas from Yunan Provence. My efforts have been sophomoric at best but I quite enjoy it. I ran across a few Pu’erh teas that were excellent but have had a few that taste like a pile of steaming fish guts. My Asian Mother-in-Law always insists on green jasmine tea before, during, and after a meal. I have yet to venture into the realm of herbal teas but could see myself enjoying something with mint.
Where do you get most of your teas?

 

[scloyd]

How do you regulate water temp so precisely?

This is what I use. A Bonavita tea kettle.


As for tea drinking. I drink 2-3 cups of green tea every morning. Lately, I've been on a Japanese Genmaicha: Green tea with roasted rice. I like the flavor the roasted rice gives.


My favorite place to buy tea online is Harney & Sons...always free shipping. We have local tea shop the next town over that also purchase from.

When we are camping in the trailer I like to drink Lapsang Sousong in the morning by a fire.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I used to roast my own coffee beans weekly, but stopped four years ago, when I moved from a house to an apartment. Now that we've got a house, I'm looking to get back into it. As far as tea, lately, I've been enjoying one made by Tetley, called Duchess Balmoral. I take it with half and half with no sugar, and its flavour reminds me of the milk left over from a kid's sweetened breakfast cereal from when I was little. It's on the mild side, but interesting none the less.

 

[romaso]

I start with one cup of Maxwell House coffee in the morning. Remember carburetors? And that starter spray you'd use on cold mornings after unscrewing the air filter lid and holding open the choke? That's the first cup of coffee for me.

But the rest of the day we drink Yorkshire tea, the loose leaf, the regular red label, though sometimes the gold label, which is lighter.

And then peppermint at night, from bulk cut leaves we get by the pound. It's good iced too.

Used to drink Bai Hao Oolongs and things, but now just the Yorkshire tea.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I’ve been venturing into whole leaf teas over the last year as well. I drink a lot of black teas from Yunan Provence. My efforts have been sophomoric at best but I quite enjoy it. I ran across a few Pu’erh teas that were excellent but have had a few that taste like a pile of steaming fish guts. My Asian Mother-in-Law always insists on green jasmine tea before, during, and after a meal. I have yet to venture into the realm of herbal teas but could see myself enjoying something with mint.
Where do you get most of your teas?

Full Leaf Tea and Adagio online.

 

[WVOldFart]

I love my coffee in the morning, but I enjoy tea also. My tea of choice is Earl Grey, but I have fond memories of Oolong Tea and Jasmine Tea, because those are the teas we had when I received my two black belts in Kung Fu. Every time I drink them I think of those special moments.

 

[badbriar]

I prefer nice Chinese and Taiwanese Oolong and black teas. These are low in astringencies and smoother than most Indian or African teas. Also really like a good Lapsang Souchong. Smoky teas go well with English pipe bends!
Try Harney's teas. Good site with very reasonable prices and selections. No tax and no shipping costs.
I just ordered several more loose leaf tins. Take a look at their Queen Catherine black tea blend. Includes yunan & Keemum teas - good stuff and reasonable!
Enjoy.

 

[romaso]

when I received my two black belts in Kung Fu

Wing Chun by chance? I have a friend who's trying to teach me some, very subtle stuff.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Technically not tea, as it’s made from a holly plant, I drink Yerba all day unless I’m smoking. I enjoy it hot and bitter in with a mate and bombilla, or cold brewed with citrus as terere

Others my wife and I enjoy after dinner are rooibos in a chai style, or a piña colada type made from frozen apple, pineapple and toasted coconut

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Technically not tea, as it’s made from a holly plant, I drink Yerba all day unless I’m smoking. I enjoy it hot and bitter in with a mate and bombilla, or cold brewed with citrus as terere

Others my wife and I enjoy after dinner are rooibos in a chai style, or a piña colada type made from frozen apple, pineapple and toasted coconut

I have a lot of those fruity herbal teas. Maybe they're technically not teas but I drink them all day cold. No sugar, very light but tastier than plain water.

 

[Ahi Ka]

I have a lot of those fruity herbal teas. Maybe they're technically not teas but I drink them all day cold. No sugar, very light but tastier than plain water.

These are hands down the best fruit based teas I have come across. The pouch note comes through in the flavour.

Webster's Tea | Buy Loose Leaf Tea Online

Buy the best loose leaf tea in NZ at Webster's Tea. Explore our premium, organic tea and infusions. Black tea, Green tea, Herbal tea, and Rooibos tea. Enjoy!

websterstea.co.nz

also has anyone else been tempted to brew a pot using ratrays exotic passion/orange?