Teach me about tea

[Mr.Cynic88]

I'm recently developed a taste for tea, but haven't evolved past the type of bagged tea you can buy at any supermarket. I figure this multinational forum would be a good place to go for advice on how to up my tea game.

What makes good tea, and where do I obtain it for a reasonable price? I live in a smaller town, so I would love to get directed to a quality website that can ship all the good materials.

What supplies do I need? I have a tea kettle, but nothing else. I figure I would need one of those metal mesh things on such, but considering I don't even know the name of the product, I would like some advice.

I am super broke, so can't purchase too extravagantly, but I also understand that quality is important to enjoying an experience.

So tell me, what do I need to do to make good tea?

 

[IndomitableSam]

Might I suggest a mint plant? You can grow them in your house in small pots. Then snip off a few branches (or pull off some leaves), wash them, and then rub the leaves between your hands to activate the oils, and put it into a pot of water, let it steep, then pour. Honey works well with it.

You'll also want to buy an infuser - just something you can put loose tea in, the metal mesh thing.

There are a lot of tea stores in malls these days, and they usually can give you a sample of flavours to try, like coffee places.

Some teas shouldn't be used with boiling water - green tea, for example, should just be hot water.

Not that it makes much of a difference to me, but I'm a casual tea drinker, realy. Hardly ever go for anything other than teabags and my mint plant... which I let go to seed, so it's done. My mint was an Apple Mint, and I didn't really enjoy the flavour... next spring I'll try another kind of mint plant, I guess.

As for sugar/honey, whatever... if you want to get really spiffy about it, get different sugars and possibly different honeys to try with the teas. I'd say stick with honey, though, as honey is good for you and has all sorts of medicinal properties. That and it never goes bad. Ever. It can sit in yourcupboard for eyars and be fine, if a little hard. I preer the taste of sugar to honey, but if I'm not feeling well (like now, season's changing so bad allergies), I'll put honey in my tea as kind of a comfort.

 

[skurz]

I really knew I loved tea when I started trying to find delicious things to pair with the drink.

Honey often works well with sweet and/or flowery teas. There are an incredible amount of flavors too! For instance, Australian honey seems to be less sweet and more robust while Korean honey is often very light and sweet.

Different milks can dramatically change black tea varieties. I personally will go to the end of the world to get fat-free half&half! Though I've heard of others using almond milk, soy milk, and just normal skim/%/whole milk.

On the side, pastries and crackers go impossibly well with tea- it's one of my favorite snacks, especially in the morning or whenever it's chilly. Potato-stuffed bread paired with deep, savory Earl Grey is my favorite love story.



Much of my tea collection are tea leaves from other countries, but I still love a cup of bagged tea. I was recently given a set of organic teabags from mightyleaf.com and I started neglecting all my other tealeaves for the bags! I plan on purchasing from them when these run out.

Above all, be careful of burnt tea! This will be one of the biggest causes of tea gone wrong. Each type of tea has a different optimal temperature of water. To play it safe when I'm not sure, I usually let the water sit for a bit after it had started boiling.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I have this, it's called "boule a the". Accents not depicted.

You open the orb, fill it with herbs, close it and dip it into a cup of boiling water. Works like a charm and you get so much more mileage out of your tea leaves as opposed to simply running hot water through a filter/metal mesh. If you don't have it though the metal mesh is fine, maybe the little ball thing speeds things up just a little bit.

They also come in the shape of spoons.

Same deal, you unclasp the big end, fill it with herbs, close it and dip it into boiling water. The only difference is you can stirr with it as well... but only works once or twice tops before the herbs are spent. The boule herbs last longer.

 

[Mr.Cynic88]

I didn't know that the temperature of the water matters. I'll have to find myself a cheat sheet for that, because I want to start sampling new things.

I'll also have to get an infuser, now that I know the name of that device.

 

[Danny Ocean]

I didn't know that the temperature of the water matters. I'll have to find myself a cheat sheet for that, because I want to start sampling new things.

I'll also have to get an infuser, now that I know the name of that device.

"English Breakfast Tea"

AKA Normal Tea

Requires milk.

If you are mixing it in the cup, put the water in the cup first.

If you are pouring it from a pot, put the milk in the cup first.

The water must be boiling hot or you'll get this weird foamy scum stuff.

 

[Mr.Cynic88]

Is there a tea that's best for drinking straight up? I like the idea of just tea leaves and water.

 

[loc978]

Ever since I bought one of these

[http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/96bb/]
I've never gone back to a pot or bags (though I do boil the water in an electric water heater... a teapot and range could fill that role). As for the tea leaves themselves, if there's an asian market in or near your town, I recommend searching it for loose-leaf tea. If not... err... damn.

My favorite teas are generally rooibos red teas in the evening, black teas in the morning (there's one from Thailand that I get locally that is awesome).

The brits around will tell you different, but I've always despised milk and sugar in tea... and coffee, for that matter. Water and leaves (or grounds) is my specialty.

 

[Cabisco]

Discussing important things while having tea will make everything seem more offical and your ideas will be much better than the average non-tea drinking individual. This is how the British Empire came about, and De-caf was its downfall.

 

[captainballsack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQoqNBR9TLo

All you need to know.

 

[Lil_Rimmy]

Do you hear that?
Is it the sound of...
*drumroll*
DAYSTAR?!?

...

Now I have to hope Daystar comes in with some hilarious and long wordy/picy explanation of tea. Or I'll look like an idiot.

 

[blackrave]

You know, the tea do not need tea leaves.
Crazy, isn't it?
My grandma makes some insane herb tea (good "insane", that is)
My theory is that she go to nearest meadow and simply mows part of it, collects the plants, and dries them

Anyway, few teas you really should try.
(I'm assuming by "type of bagged tea you can buy at any supermarket" you meant yellow tea)
Red tea, black tea, mint tea and chamomile tea. That is very beginning.
Milk and sugar is optional (I prefer my tea without milk and with little sugar)
Honey goes well with some herb teas (once again matter of taste)
Loose leaves are generally better than bags

There are ton of various tea types, so try as much as you can, before picking the favorites

P.S. Sorry, Lil_Rimmy I'm not Daystar, I hope I didn't crush your self esteem, or something.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Tea is a diuretic, which means you'll pee a bit more than usual if you drink it regularly and it also detracts from it's hydration, but not really that much. Black tea is super bitter, but IMO tastes better sweetened than green tea does. Green tea is a bit better for you, but doesn't take additives as well. All tea is caffeinated, which means if you drink it regularly like I do and then for whatever reason stop suddenly, you'll suffer a minor withdrawal, usually just a slight headache for me.

My personal favorite is Pure Leaf sweetened black tea, but when I try to cut calories I pretty much only drink diet peach Snapple. I don't brew my own tea (I'm too lazy for that), so I can't make any recommendations there. Arizona tea is.. ok. Their mango/tea mix is fantastic, but the sweet tea is too much, and the green tea is bleckkkkkkk. The 1/2 black and 1/2 white tea is alright.

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

As far as tea that you can drink straight up, Twining's Irish Breakfast blend is my personal favorite. It has a good flavor when you drink it black, but if you're like me, you'll want to add a bit of almond milk and maybe some honey. Real milk tends to take something away, in my opinion.

I don't have a teapot, though I really should invest in one. I just heat the water up in a pan and put the bag into a mug, to be poured over. Does anyone know if there's a better way?

 

[Blow_Pop]

My best advice? Don't follow the way the stupid chick in 50 shades of grey with how she makes her tea. At that point it's not tea is coloured water with a possible hint of flavour.

...yes I unfortunately read the books. Yes I am doing a youtube series in which I dissect chapter by chapter. And yes at the moment it is on indefinite hold until I stop melting.


For the record the way she makes her tea is (specifically) she takes a Twinings tea bag(I believe it's English Breakfast but I could be wrong and imposing my favourite tea upon her) and barely dips it in the hot water before taking it out. I promise that is the wrong way to make tea.


And as far as green tea if you want to try it in a bag first and have it be relatively inexpensive, if you can find this one

Spoiler

I find it to be really good with some sugar(I really hate the taste of honey and won't use it unless I have to for something)but not too much. Like a teaspoon of it at most. I tend to drink a lot of it end of Sept-all of October to keep from losing my voice working Haunt and it works wonders for it.

 

[Hoplon]

Ever since I bought one of these

[http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/96bb/]
I've never gone back to a pot or bags (though I do boil the water in an electric water heater... a teapot and range could fill that role). As for the tea leaves themselves, if there's an asian market in or near your town, I recommend searching it for loose-leaf tea. If not... err... damn.

My favorite teas are generally rooibos red teas in the evening, black teas in the morning (there's one from Thailand that I get locally that is awesome).

The brits around will tell you different, but I've always despised milk and sugar in tea... and coffee, for that matter. Water and leaves (or grounds) is my specialty.

What foul sorcery is this?

One never boils water in a teapot, one boils water in kettle.

Aromatic teas such as earl gray or green tea are not good with milk or sugar. lemon or perhaps a little honey can be pleasant.

More general purpose blended black teas like English breakfast tend to be very strong and need modifiers, what you use is up to you, but it's very common in England to use milk and sugar in strong tea, often brewed that way deliberately.

Having gotten delicate in my old age I tend to drink Lady grey with a little honey.

 

[Jessta]

what I know about Tea after drinking it for a couple of years in cliff note versions

Black tea is a nice alternative to coffee, let it sit for 2-5 minutes normally
Green tea has less caffeine than black tea, don't let it sit for more than a minute or it goes sour
Red tea or Rooibos is to black tea what sports drinks are to energy drinks in that it has no caffeine but due to some sort of witchcraft it still gives you energy
Cardamon, cinnamon and/or vanilla are good additions to red/black tea
salt is a significantly worse addition to tea
organic brown cane sugar is far superior to the white stuff you normally get in little packets
filling the cup 2/3 with water and 1/3 with half and half is delicious in black/red tea but fattening
Don't use milk with green teas
Earl grey tea is black tea with a certain type of flavoring added and it's awesome
Assume all 'herbal teas' are green tea unless stated otherwise.
Honey makes a good alternative to sugar
Tea bags are good 2-3 times.
Assam black loose leaf tea is pretty good.
Tea eggs are what most supermarkets refer to egg shaped strainers you fill with loose tea leaves and dip in your teapot/kettle.

 

[BlackStar42]

I didn't know that the temperature of the water matters. I'll have to find myself a cheat sheet for that, because I want to start sampling new things.

I'll also have to get an infuser, now that I know the name of that device.

For black tea, the water has to be boiling. Not just hot, boiling. For green tea, it needs to be about 70 degrees Celsius.

Personally, I like Yorkshire Gold. You don't need anything but teabags, a kettle, a spoon and some milk (and optionally sugar).

 

[Angie7F]

I like puar and oolong.
In japan tea is all over the place so I really have no recommendations.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

First things first, any tea you can't put milk in isn't tea, so purge any such thoughts from your mind immediately.

If you're using the convenient bag method, which most British people do (we had an Empire once you know), never, I repeat, never put the milk in first.

[HEADING=1]Never[/HEADING]

Herbal? Fuck that nonsense, that isn't tea, those are weeds that vegans decided to charge mugs for, you ain't a mug are you? I didn't think so.


I drink 80 cups a day, I haven't slept in 80 years.

You know what tea likes? Tea likes rap.

Do you hear that?
Is it the sound of...
*drumroll*
DAYSTAR?!?

...

Now I have to hope Daystar comes in with some hilarious and long wordy/picy explanation of tea. Or I'll look like an idiot.

Happy now?