[PontiusPirate]

On the heels of the "Chai/Tea" (two words, yo.) thread.....
What is your favorite tea?
Specific type? (Black, Roobios, Green, etc.)
Specific Flavor?

I have adored Earl Grey since I was about 12....and I don't think that will change...ever.
I'll drink it any way...
Regular. With honey. With lemon. With milk. With all.

Favorite when I'm sick, though?
Hibiscus & Rose hips. Combine with Chevre & Raspberry Vinegarette, and you have a healer better than Windex or Campbell's soup.

[H.M. Murdock]

Genmai Cha is pretty amazing. So is straight mint, though that's technically a tisane and not a tea. Pi lo chun is good for a straight green tea. For black I prefer a straight Darjeeling- nice and smooth, a far cry from the overly bitter character of Earl Grey (sorry). Yerba Mate, while another tisane, is pretty good, and so is rooibos. For oolong teas, I have to go with the classic ti kuan yin- others just tend to be too earthy. For white teas... meh. I'm not that big on white teas.

[dogfood]

Orange Pekoe Tea.
its amazing, has like a soft fruity tea taste. and dosent have a nasty kick when you drink it black

earl gray to me, tastes like soap.

[beanbag]

I love any sort of mint tea, especially when I'm sick. I drink it straight, or with honey if I have a sore throat.

chai is the other contender, and I drink that straight as well. my region (in Iran, not in the US) makes it pretty strong, so it definitely has quite a flavor.

other than that: the yogi peach detox tea is excellent when my stomach is having issues. I was irritated that it was out of stock last time I went shopping, and I had to settle for regular detox. (it's not even half as good!)

[Pauler]

i really like red ginseng and mao jian green tea. i would drink either one straight, or w/ a touch of honey. i would also drink them cold on a hot summer day.

a few years ago, when i was in england, i got a taste of real english earl grey. that was really good...esp in the mornings w/ breakfast.

[Art]

Genmai is good. I think my favorite is probably Oolong. And I love a good chai latte.

[Cam42]

Good Host Iced tea.

[H.M. Murdock]

Fun fact: Orange pekoe is actually green tea.


Okay. I won't be too much of a nerd here.
Does anyone have any good recipes for chai? The only one I have is way too heavy on the cardamom and I can't get it to balance out...

[beanbag]

what do you mean by a "recipe"?

the way we make chai in my family is this: boil your water, and pour some into a small teapot with the dry tea leaves. (we use nested tea pots. you can do it non-nested, but (I may be prejudiced) it tastes best with nested.) put the heat on medium and set the smaller teapot into the mouth of the larger teapot, that contains the water. steep until the tea leaves are floating along the top. pour about half an inch of the tea color into a cup, and then fill the rest with the hot water. your chai should be a dark reddish-amber color. don't make it too dark or it will be bitter; don't make it too light or it will be flavorless.

if you want to add cardamom, I would just add a pinch into each cup right after you pour the tea. I suppose you could add it into the leaves as they're steeping, but all the times I've had chai with cardamom, it's been just kind of floating loose.

hopefully this is of some help to you.

[Nate]

Y'all just haven't had decent Earl Grey.

I really like this lavender Earl Grey made by Rishi.

I also love anything with either vanilla or ginger in it.

[MtlMom]

I don't think I can choose a favorite. I have an entire 3' shelf dedicated to teas. Oolong is wonderful, of course. I'm not a huge fan of Earl Grey, and yes, I've had the good stuff. I'm also not a fan of jasmine pearl tea, which many people adore. My favorite flavored teas are white pear and apricot.

Where do you buy your tea?

[H.M. Murdock]

Sorry, I meant masala chai.

[Rainer.]

Artichoke tea. Mmm...

[TheProdigalModern]

I like whatever kind of tea it is in Moroccan Red. It's a fair-trade tea we sold in the coffee shop I used to work in.

I also like Chamomile tea, which I know is not real tea and makes me a total fagela. So be it.

[musicluv2]

i love Starbucks' Black Iced Tea Lemonade. mmmmmm.