What is your Favorite Tea?

Hi Cherrie,

Welcome to Permies.

I was an Earl Grey tea guy (only Twinings will do) until in university I discovered coffee and the joy of the all-nighter.

But I still make tea when I'm trying to hydrate at home or when I'm roughing it in some campsite (tea doesn't make a mess!) a hot, tasty cuppa is welcome. No milk or sugar -- this is camping tea.

I use the rooibos that my wife loves (I still can't spell it -- I call it rooey, dewey, huey and louie), two bags for 1.5 litres. Or my favourite, a Celestial Seasonings brand called Bengal Spice which I always keep on hand.

Wow..all these trick questions!!!  I recently was given a pouch of tea my cousin brought up for the holidays.The ingredients listed are not quantive but you can get an idea.  Green tea, rose petals, marigold petals, natural passion fruit, mango and grapefruit flavour. I don't have anything that is "favorite"!

Turmeric ginger from Mountain Rose Herbs. I also drink a lot of medicinal teas. In summer, I like fruity Hibiscus tea, iced. And Kombucha. I also like Youpon tea for caffeine,which on have to buy on Amazon.

Ethel Ebanks wrote:Green tea, rose petals, marigold petals, natural passion fruit, mango and grapefruit flavour. I don't have anything that is "favorite"!

Wow, I'm not sure if I should brew that or sprinkle it on my salad. Kidding!

I passionately love tea of all kinds. I buy whatever tea catches my eye (so soo many) and will grow any plant that can be used for tea (so soo many), and have indeed been told, as Tereza above, that I may need "professional help" haha.  Large quantities are consumed daily: hot and iced, herbal, black, green, white, a mind-boggling array of different blends, so I have a really hard time choosing a favorite. I just love tea! But when asked to recommend something interesting, Yogi tea (not the brand) always comes to mind. Gotta like spicy (as in, cinnamon ginger black pepper spicy), but if you do, this will not disappoint. Particularly excellent during the cold months, but also good hot or cold year-round. Not too arduous a process for permie-type folk, but definitely more work than pouring water over a teabag. My recipe below is a good example but ingredients can absolutely be (and usually are) adjusted to taste. Quality of ingredients does make a difference, but don't let that stop you from making it with what you have on hand.

Yogi Tea

2 quarts water (preferably filtered)
20 black peppercorns
15 whole cloves
3 sticks of cinnamon
20 whole cardamon pods (split)
8 fresh ginger slices and (if desired/available) 8 fresh turmeric slices. No need to peel!
1/2 teaspoon of black tea, or one small bag

While the water is heating in a large pot on the stove, count out the spices. Split the cardamom pods by pressing on each one with the flat side of a butter knife. Slice the ginger and/or turmeric.

When the water is at a gentle boil, add the ingredients, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or so. Turn off the fire and allow the pot to cool down. You can sample from the hot tea, if desired.

When ready, strain the tea into its container and discard the used spices. Keep refrigerated for up to a week. Serve hot or cold; milk and/or honey to taste, if desired.

Lemon Verbena leaves dry very easily, keeping their flavour and make a wonderful tea with good colour, best served hot I think.
Cinnamon Basil makes a delicious sweet tea, possibly best as ice tea. Leaves should be left to steep for as long as possible (keep covered).
Rooibos is my favourite bought tea, good hot or cold, with or without milk. It is very satisfying in spite of no caffeine.

I like green tea the best but Chamomile tea is nice.  Sometimes I like tea with Peppermint and I always have some throat coat tea around, it has licorice in it.

Post #2
I neglected to say, oh fellow tea lovers, that I ALWAYS start my day with 2 strong, fresh roasted cups of hot coffee to get my lungs going! (I have asthma & coffee helps!)
Then I make cup after cup of all sorts of teas - black, herbal or homemade which I sip on throughout the day. Helps my allergies & crazy sinuses AND it just tastes great! ☕️

I have two recommendations:

1) Regardless of the type of tea, use loose-leaf; bagged tea typically contains the dregs.

2) If you like green tea, get yourself a glass Chinese style tea tumbler. The idea is you put loose-leaf tea inside the tumbler, fill with hot water, and then you drink through the strainer at the top. Throughout the day, you keep adding hot water. The first cup is strong, and then it gets progressively weaker until by the end of the day you're just drinking water. It has to be green tea, because it retains flavor across seepings, while black tea only lends itself to one seeping.

Today's Tea

Tiesta Tea - Palm Beach Punch

Tiesta Tea - Palm Beach Punch

Amazon

I give this tea 8 out of 10 acorns.

A citrus scented and fruity tasting tea, it is enjoyable with an addition of honey. It is a pleasant tea that is easy to drink with a mixture of pleasant tastes to please the palate. I enjoy it for what it is, what can I say. I know that there are other teas I enjoy more but I wouldn't say no to a cup of this.

I drink different ones throughout the day. Green tea  and black tea are my daily favorites for their antioxidants. But, recently ginger/lemon herb tea.  Also rooibos sometimes. Peppermint tea is good for digestion.  A little almond milk, but no sweetener.

I have received this Blueberry Wild Child blend tea off of a recommendation.

I give this tea 10 out of 10 acorns.

Amazing. I'm really impressed with this tea! A little honey and its golden. Very blueberry-ee but very palatable. I could drink this all day.

Don’t just drink teas for taste and comfort, consider how much nutritional boost you are getting from all those minerals in a soluble form.   So easy to grow gynostemma, chamomile, Echinacea, various mints, leaves of strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, wineberry, not to mention the wild stuff like linden leaves, mulberry, goldenrod, and such.  I opt for home grown as much as possible just because I’m frugal and I like to know how it was grown so it is safe and pesticide free.  

Faye Streiff wrote:Don’t just drink teas for taste and comfort, consider how much nutritional boost you are getting from all those minerals in a soluble form.

I have not considered that prior. That kind of opens a whole new realm now, the rabbit hole deepens. Thank you for giving me that nugget of wisdom. :)

I’m an Irish Black lover! But when it comes to tea I am all in. Earl Grey, Mango Black, Tropical. Whatever!!!  Never go wrong with a good cup of tea!

Anne Miller,
I have merged your topic into this topic. I hope that helps.

I have found myself to be fond of blueberry teas. I am not feeling the best so I brewed up something hot to drink and found this tea to be quite soothing.

Oh, favorite teas... In no particular order, Irish Breakfast, yerba mate, Earl Grey, Chocola-Tea, chamomile, tulsi my own herbal blends, jasmine, and with marsala Chai, it depends on my mood, time of day, & even time of year, but usually Darjeeling, yerba mate, jasmine, or a strong chamomile &/or tulsi, and often with rose petals added. Many of them are also yummy both iced and hot, but the Irish Breakfast & Earl Grey I definitely prefer hot. Sometimes, I'll add honey or stevia, & maybe cream.

Faye Streiff wrote:Don’t just drink teas for taste and comfort, consider how much nutritional boost you are getting from all those minerals in a soluble form.

This is why I like to use a good variety of teas. I definitely don't play favorites - just "preferences"!

First, I find black tea irritates my throat unless I have milk in it. Alas, I'm borderline lactose intolerant, so that restricts my black tea to "out visiting".

Above, someone mentioned they weren't keen on Lemon Balm, which grows like a weed in my ecosystem. I have read it is very good for seniors' brains, so I will share a tip: Grow Apple Mint also, and put leaves of both - fresh or dried - and if you're like me, you won't be as bothered by the smell of the Lemon Balm. If you're not keen on strong mint flavor, Apple Mint also works on its own.

With the weather we've been having, I've been drinking more Licorice Tea. Definitely a "love it or hate it" flavor. It helps open my sinuses, but in large quantities it can raise blood pressure. Mine runs low, so I don't have to worry.

As a gift, my DiL gave me an Indian Green Tea with very aromatic Rose petals added. We've had very rainy weather for the last two months, so the smell of roses when I'm drinking tea is wonderful.

I don't think my tea collection is as large as described above by some, but it's plenty large enough, and there are plenty that I drink just for the liquid, or for health benefits.

I pick seasonal plant materials in my garden for tea. Leaves from bamboo, mint, shiso, mulberry, chrysanthemum blossoms etc can be steeped in hot water fresh or dried.

Licorice tea reminded me of the blend I was drinking when my Mom had a bad cold earlier this month (there was a 50% chance if I brewed a pot she would drink at least a little of it, so I was taking it too): echinacea, slippery elm bark, licorice root, dried nettles, blended flowers (chrysanthemum, calendula, rose petals, jasmine, lavender, dried lemon zest), rosehips, and turkey tails, then sweetened with honey or blackcurrant/ elderberry syrup.  Proportions were whatever I was feeling when putting the tea in the pot; it was kind of a spaghetti-against-the-wall approach to (sneaky) herbal medicine.  I don't know if it helped her, but at least I didn't get sick.