What is your favourite tea?

[Raphael]

Indian Chai Tea

Chinese Ohlong, Jasmine and other drak red tea.

Bubble Tea

Hong Kong Style Milk Tea

[funlvnman]

This time of year I also like black tea seasoned with ginger and peppermint.

[Howard Clark]

I drink a variety of Chinese and Japanese green teas, primarily (all day every day). Though I do like a good cup of hearty black tea now and again. Coffee in the morning some days.

Lapsang Suchong occasionally, sometimes adulterated with whisky, though usually just accompanying the whisky, and not combined.

[tulloch]

Loose blacks from Java or Vietnam. Upton Tea Importers carries them (As well as a staggering array of every other kind you can imagine).

I was lucky to find uptontea.com here in Massachusetts. I get a box of different teas from them several times a year and drink it all day long. I like Assam teas - ctc, ftgop. Also a China black gunpowder and pu urh. There is a nice black Kenya ftgop. Tetley English Blend in the round bags finally is in the markets here. Closest thing to Canadian Tetley. Great flavorful stuff. I do recomment Upton highly.

Because of huge intakes and heartburn I have begun de-caffinating it myself using the procedure in their catalog.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and please do stop round for a cuppa.

[Old Hippie]

Maybe there's a cup out there somewhere in the depths of the kettle we need to find and enjoy too.

When I was in China in 2007 I went to a tea shop during a weekend in Beijing and bought some "8-year" black tea. Theoretically aged 8 years. I tried some in the shop and really liked it. It's strong and dark and rather un-tea-like but it makes a nice change, kind of like the taste difference between basmati rice and white rice. They had some pressed balls of "40-year" tea that I was interested to try but it was WAY out of my price range. The shop owner told me that it was considered very medicinal, and never exported out of China.

The Empress house tea is quite nice, especially brewed strong as I like it. Penny starts to vibrate if she drinks too much of it, however. She tends to stay with green gunpowder tea. We have a good tea shop here, so if there's anything you're looking for give me a shout.

I tend to like tea that approximates how I like my coffee -- robust. If I'm going to be in the bush for long, I'll take tea as it's lighter and I can get more "mileage" out of it. Tea and bannock by the fire -- it may get better than that but not often.

:ootd:

[kiltedwolfman]

I like your thinking Hippie about tea and bannock by the fire. Just might have to do that this weekend now that the thought is in my head.
I was raised to think that a good tea hasn't steeped enough if you can still see the spoon, so I prefer the darker leaf blends. Hmmm I think I'll go brew a heavy cup of Earl Grey right now.

[JimB]

For anyone who drinks a lot of green tea...do ya notice any, um, interesting, good, side effects?

Wait a minute....you're not going to say this and drop it!
Are you saying what I think you're saying?

Well, in the meantime it's Tetley's British Blend or if I'm splurging then Barry's Irish tea.

[cormacmacguardhe]

Grew up drinking Red Rose, and Lapsang. Right now I am drinking Scottish Breakfast or a tea called Russian Caravan, it has a smoky flavor. I do like my tea with just some sugar and rather strong. This is how my grandmother and grandfather drank it. My father liked his tea brewed by passing the tea bag quickly over the cup.

[kunie]

Normally I drink green teas, most often with a little lemon in it. premixed or added fresh. Or mint or rooibos. when I have the time I'll make a pot of good tea like gunpowder, lapsang, assam. loose tea of course. When I have guests I have a nice glass pot for a special Jasmine blossom. It starts as a ball and opens like a flower when the water is poured on.
My newest find is Maté a south american tea really invigorating, it is said it has been used by shamans to contact the spirit world.

[Michael Flemming]

Earl Grey from the Grace Tea Company, Boston.

If there is a better one out there, someone please tell me about it.