Hot Tea & A Pipe. A Good Match?

[futureman]

Not for me, sadly. Perhaps it is due to the astringent nature of the tea I like (e.g., Earl Grey), but hot tea usually leave my mouth very dry, and smoking only exacerbates matters.
Has anyone had this same experience with this combination? And if so, have you found a way to remedy it? Interestingly, I find that coffee is a much better match for the pipe, but I would like to find some other beverage pairing when enjoying a causal, everyday smoke.

 

[pruss]

Have you considered adding a touch of honey to your tea? This would minimize the astringency of the tea, and the sugars and antiseptic quality of the honey would help soothe your tongue. Adding fats to your tea (like milk or cream) would soften the impact of the astringency too, but wouldn't be as therapeutic.
You could also opt for a tea with less tannin. I really enjoy a white tea like Pai Mu Tun (Bai Mu Dan), or Silver Needle, as well as green teas like Longjing (Dragon Well) or Gyukuru. They are all fresh, slightly sweet, and aromatic, and because they haven't been oxidized (or if so not for long) they don't have the same levels of astringency.
Full disclosure... I also really like drinking a big Dr. Pepper with a pipe. It all just depends on mood.
-- Pat

 

[fitzy]

I really enjoy Earl Grey with my pipes. I've never noticed any problems.

 

[rmason]

I really enjoy Earl Grey with my pipes. I've never noticed any problems.

Same

~Ron

 

[flyguy]

I think sweetened tea, hot or cold, is a great match for pipe tobacco.

 

[erichbaumer]

I like any strong U.K. style black tea with a pipe. The only specific ones I'm familiar with are English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast by Twinings, but I always have them on hand. I'd say about every other time I drink one of those is while smoking.

 

[bluesmk]

Pat,

Other than my morning coffee, I too enjoy lighter green teas all day long with my pipe Tomo Sench/Sencha Matcha,

brewed by the pot and iced....unsweetened, good stuff.

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes

 

[pruss]

@bluesmk Dan, pleased to meet you. Senchas and matchas are lovely teas. My go-to tea right now is an Oolong called Ti Kuan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy). It is an outstanding example of Oolongs and a delicious accompaniment to Virginia/VaPer/VaBur tobaccos. I haven't been able to keep it around long enough to chill so haven't yet tried it iced.
-- Pat

 

[futureman]

Pruss,
I like your suggestions. Since I'm not wild about either honey or cream in my tea, I may try something with less tannin. One drink I do like with my pipes (which some might find odd) is diet tonic water (love the stuff) with a splash of cranberry juice. It brings out the sweetness of Virginia leaf quite nicely. Still, I like the idea of pipe & hot tea, so I'll keep trying.

 

[bluesmk]

and you Pat! Yes I've had that Oolong, very nice! I have two tetsubin and have a ritual down pat where I fill and brew each 2x, I have enough for a hot cup and fill a small jug for the fridge

Best

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes

 

[pruss]

@futureman I'm not sure where you're located, but with places like Teavana and David's Teas opening all over, I'd highly recommend a trip in to a specialty tea shop. Those folks generally know what they're talking about, and can usually talk flavours. If you mentioned what you don't like about the tea you're drinking, and what flavours you are experiencing in your tobacco, they can probably help you. I have recently been enjoying a 1/2 black 1/2 green Earl Grey which is light on the bergamot and has a hint of caramel and vanilla added. Sounds crazy, I know, but it is delicious, and creamy, and aromatic, without tasting artificial and pukey floral. The green tea helps bring down the astringency.
@bluesmk I like that idea. I sometimes do something similar, where I'll brew and enjoy my first pot, then add water over the leaves for a second steep and take the pot straight to the fridge. I've done that with white teas and find that chilling the tea really brings out the peach character in the flavour and aroma. It also, as a consequence I imagine of water in contact with leaf for hours, dials up the astringency.
-- Pat

 

[futureman]

The Earl Grey I have now is a specialty blend that has a *lot* of bergamot. I may try adding some honey and see how it goes this time around. I like the idea of orange essence and honey. I'll give it a whirl and report back.

 

[pruss]

Bergamot can be REALLY bitter in high quantities and might be adding to the sharp/bitter/astringent qualities you don't like in that tea. I think you'll be pleased with how a little honey (or other sugar if you'd rather go granulated/cane/maple-syrup/agave) can lift and at the same time ease flavours. Start with a small volume of sweetener and add incrementally until you get to, but not past, the level you like.
Let us know how you make out!
-- Pat

 

[flakyjakey]

@flyguy. Yes, and in my case a crucial part of my anti-tongue bite armoury!! I think it may be because tea is heavy in anti-oxidants and the tobacco smoke stream that hits the tongue is like an Oxidant Exocet lol

 

[mso489]

I like my tea, black or green, straight. Bergamot is nice now and then but not with a pipe. I don't need

it searing hot; in fact, I prefer to let it cool down enough so it is "just hot." Don't like sweeteners of any

kind in hot or cold tea. In England, I'll add a little cream, just because it is offered so universally, but

ordinarily, I drink it black (or green), plain. That's what goes with a pipe, in terms of tea, for me. I do

drink coffee with a pipe, but I like milk in it, and it coats my mouth and mutes the tobacco flavor.

 

[bullbriar]

When its cold, I always have tea. I like mint tea the best for some reason. Right now I'm having my pipe with some locally-made hard cider. Plain gallon, not that fruity yuppie crap sold in wine bottles!

 

[buzkirk]

A Puerh tea matches very well with my Dan,Sweet Vanilla Honeydew.
Tom

 

[misterlowercase]

A cuppa good Earl Grey and St. Bruno seem made to go together!
Since we're talking about tea, here's a very good read by PM's very own Romeowood...
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/drink-accompaniments/tea/a-brief-history-of-two-leaves-tea-tobacco/
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/drink-accompaniments/tea/two-leaves-in-the-age-of-discovery/

 

[easygoer]

I love the Darjeeling teas for a change of pace. The weather conditions in Darjeeling are highly variable, which produces teas with different character at different times of the year. Unlike teas grown in more tropical conditions. The like to use honey also.

 

[latbomber]

Black tea with a splash of milk is my fav drink to go with a pipe, compliments the latakia.