Tea & Pipes

[johncorosz]

Tea & Pipes
I notice often that the tobacco crowd will comment in a great many posts about what alcoholic beverage they are drinking with their smoke. Well I am here to start the topic of TEA choices with tobacco. I find myself often pairing the tea I buy with various tobaccos I smoke.
WHY? Well, are you yourself a tea drinker? Have you tried many varieties of tea?
I notice that tea pairs well with a good smoke and here's why. It's hot...so you may have a cold or a dry throat and the smoke is not helping at all. But most times you just want to drink a warm liquid and it's not coffee at the moment. Yes, coffee also is great to pair with a good pipe but often the coffee can overpower your smoke. If your an English baccy smoker or hard flak smoker I can see tea making a bad match in most cases.
For me, here is the quick breakdown for tea and baccy pairing.
Sweet nutty aromatics - "Throat Coat" by Traditional Medicinal

Fruity Aromatics - "Red Zinger" by Celestial Seasonings

Sweet Cavendish without additional flavors - "Numi Organic Tea Aged Earl Grey" by NUMI Tea

Early Morning Flakes (heavy nic content) - COFFEE (had to put it in there) but if it's a tea I choose simple green tea and honey to offset the stronger tobacco taste but they pair wonderfully!

Tobbaco that bites the tongue (it happens) - almost any mint tea with lime ice cubes (try it for fresh take on what to do with bad tobacco)

 

[gageploungin]

Petersons Irish flake + Earl Grey is my favorite combo

 

[wnghanglow]

Although I have liked almost every tea I have drank, at home I usually just have green tea or earl grey, both of which I think complement any smoke.

 

[topd]

I'm not a big tea drinker, but when I do it's Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire.

 

[johncorosz]

I thought I would add another great pair I discovered one lazy morning.
Black Noir Chai Tea by Stash Tea Co. w/ a brimming bowl of Sweet Kilarney mixed with Sunset Breeze by Peterson's

 

[hunter]

I mostly drink Earl Grey and English Breakfast, haven't smoked with tea yet but it is on the agenda.

 

[shawn622]

I drink regular ole Lipton iced tea. Home brewed of course. I drink it when I'm not drinking Coffee. I usually am drinking either or. I enjoy a dark bean Ethiopian Coffee, espresso ground for the fullest flavor. It Goes really well with a good Vaper in the morning!!! My espresso machine broke or I'd drink a lot of espresso.

 

[pipeinhand]

Just 2 in my house, Constant Comment by Bigalow and PG Tips. BTW a great cold weather drink is Constant Comment and a shot of Southern Comfort. YUUUUuuum

 

[sparroa]

I like Earl Grey and Assam tea the best...
One is citrusy, the other is malty, both are great.
Let's not forget a tea for you latakia lovers out there...
Lapsang Souchong!
It is cured over a fire and has a strong campfire taste to prove it; I am personally a big fan!
In the past I have usually bought the Taylors of Harrogate bags but there is plenty of loose leaf out there.
If anyone is curious but doesn't know where to get it, I think you can find some on Amazon.

 

[bentmike]

Twining's of London Irish Breakfast.

Raspberry Zinger/ Lemon Zinger mix

Tazo Organic Chai
Usually only traditional black teas with a pipe for me.

 

[sixmp]

I can only drink Decaf these days but when i could enjoy a real cup of tea it was always.
Yunnan Gold.

 

[johncorosz]

Well thank you for all the great new teas worthy of note. This gives me some ideas of new teas to try from Amazon and other online sellers. I was at a local book store that also specializes in providing loose leaf teas and I was just amazed at the variety, smells and PRICES! But someday I plan to make a trip there as well and try something new.

 

[cigrmaster]

I drink Luzianne de caf iced tea from about 2 pm until I go to bed. I used to buy some nice loose teas but found the caffeine was keeping me up. I think tea goes great with my flakes. Tea has always been my choice of drinks when smoking a pipe. When I first got into loose teas, I was amazed at the prices on some of this stuff, you can spend some serious coin per ounce on tea.

 

[msandoval858]

If you smoke latakia, you can't not like Lapsang!
I actually got in to drinking pu erh teas a few years ago and really enjoy them. I have a cabinet full of different blends, mostly Menghai and Xiaguan. Like tobacco, these raw teas age really well and develop some interesting flavors that start to come out after a few infustions.
It's a whole other kind of TAD

 

[puffin]

I like a brewed Ginger "Tea" with virginia and vapers (works with a good ginger beer as well).
I also enjoy Earl Grey and Green but have rarely, if ever, enjoy in the accompaniment of a nice bowl.

 

[kris]

Trust Americans to "overthink" a cup of tea! Tetley's, of course!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84bZZrd8I4Y

 

[sparroa]

Tetley is what 95% of people drink around here, but I don't care for it.
mssandoval, I never had any of the pricey pu'erh teas but the one I did try was wonderfully complex - autumnal is the best word for it...
Honestly, lapsang souchong is smokier than all but the strongest balkans so it might help people with a latakia fix in a nonsmoking environment. lol
The thing about tea is that I prefer to buy small amounts for optimal freshness so I don't really pay a lot for it. Still, you are all very correct that the prices are high - but I think it is definitely worth the extra!
All the same, if someone is happy with Tetley and PG Tips, then the more power to you. I won't hold it against anyone for just smoking PA or 1Q either!
*PS Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey is like my "aromatic" tea of choice! Check it out if you like a blast of citrus - definitely not for purists.

 

[photoman13]

There is a place here in Knoxville in the mall called Teavana that has some of the most amazing tea blends. I never really liked any kind of tea either than green tea until I went there. I think it is because they use fresh ingredients and real tea pots. I need to get one of those!

 

[johncorosz]

I know what you mean photoman13! I used to buy any old tea until about 3 years ago I stopped at this bookstore and smelled so much good stuff in there. I asked and the lady behind the counter said it was bulk tea in jars and I could smell them and try a cup since I was buying a book. I tried a bermont tea that was stinky in a good way and very intense in the taste department. Then came the time to buy. She told me the price and is was high but the worst part was that I needed a 20 dollar mesh strainer thing, special tea brush and porcelain lined pot for the water as she said "to preserve the taste". Since then I have experimented with tea I find on amazon.com and elsewhere. Numi makes some great tea that is at down to earth prices but still expensive compared to many at the local grocery store.

 

[photoman13]

Numi is that online?