# Any tea drinkers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503 "2015-12-27T21:43:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/61 "2016-01-05T02:06:55Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > I got the kid, but want to point out that green tea comes in all shapes and sizes. I’m a no-fuss kind of guy who couldn’t care less about the tea ritual / wankery / whathaveyou. Still, I’ve learned that small things make a difference here, and developed my own preferences. > > I only drink green tea, as my stomach can’t take black tea or coffee, and I like the suggested health benefits of green tea. I’ve come to favor pure unflavored green tea leaves steeped in freshly heated (not boiled! Around 80 C) water for several minutes, no less, no more. I drink around 1 liter of green tea per day - it has gradually become an important part of my day (caffeine at work here, but not only that). > > To me, there’s a huge difference between bags of, say Twinings Pure Green Tea and the loose leaf green teas by Clipper, Pukka and other companies. The difference is not just the packaging, as it is evident the bagged tea is ground much smaller, is more “hay-like” in appearance, and is, I strongly suspect, made from inferior raw materials. Wouldn’t care about that, if the teabag tea didn’t taste weak, flat and “dry” in comparison. The taste has no character and it doesn’t build in the mouth as it does with the loose leaf tea. Between those, there are stark differences in taste. I have my favorites, and switch between them for variety. No need for added flavoring, sweeteners etc. > > Using an electric kettle, I can heat up a half-liter of water in mere seconds - when the first small bubbles start to gather at the bottom and then rise, the water’s ready to pour. This is the fastest way to make green tea, as well. Using boiled water, or steeping for longer than around 4 minutes, makes for a low-quality drink, IME. I suspect I’ve never had good green tea prepared properly. I’ve only had it at “Pacific Rim” restaurants and it always tastes like hot water filtered through more hot water. I then pour sugar in it until someone in the kitchen either cries or swears an oath against my entire family lineage. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/62 "2016-01-05T02:33:56Z")
Naah - green tea just isn’t good. I tried to learn to like it, knowing how good it is supposed to be for all things that ail you, but had to dose it up with so much honey or agave nectar that I’m certain I cancelled out all the health benefits. So I stick to my black (or beautiful rose reddish Assam) tea. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/63 "2016-01-05T02:44:34Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I suspect I’ve never had good green tea prepared properly. I’ve only had it at “Pacific Rim” restaurants and it always tastes like hot water filtered through more hot water. I then pour sugar in it until someone in the kitchen either cries or swears an oath against my entire family lineage. FWIW, 90% of the “tea” I’ve had in restaurants in China is more or less hot water. Proper tea houses serve tea, and you can get fancy teas at specialty stores, but the stuff that’s served at restaurants automatically with meals is typically very weak or just straight up hot water (which is how water is most commonly served). ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/64 "2016-01-05T02:46:46Z")
Twining’s Irish Breakfast is my favourite. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/65 "2016-01-05T02:54:02Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > FWIW, 90% of the “tea” I’ve had in restaurants in China is more or less hot water. Proper tea houses serve tea, and you can get fancy teas at specialty stores, but the stuff that’s served at restaurants automatically with meals is typically very weak or just straight up hot water (which is how water is most commonly served). Reminds me of the first time my younger son took a date to a Chinese restaurant. They ordered tea and were served a pot to share. It was one of those little hole in the wall places with very low lights. They couldn’t figure out why it was was so weak and pale and had no taste. They were drinking hot water! The waiter forgot to serve them any tea bags, so they thought the tea was already made inside the pot. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/66 "2016-01-05T16:04:07Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > My wife and I are big fans of [David’s Tea](https://www.davidstea.com/), a Canadian company making inroads here in the Northeast US. Their collection of teas is large, with classics, variations on classics, and fun concoctions (e.g. birthday cake, gingerbread cookie). Unlike most tea shops, which tend toward recreating a cramped and stuffy 1783 British shop feel, their stores are bright and cheery, their tea bins are color coded so you know if you’re getting green or herbal or black, etc., and the staff is super friendly and helpful. > > They also do a tea advent calendar every year, which is a fun way of trying new flavors. DavidsTea is stripper heels in a cup. Sure it’s fun, but I need something that I can use all day long. I’ve been in countless tea shops and teahouses and only [Murchies](https://www.murchies.com/store/) tried to be dark and British, but that’s their vibe since they’re decades old. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/67 "2016-01-05T16:17:32Z")
There’s no fundamental difference in quality between bags and loose tea. What difference there is, is because the sort of customer who doesn’t mind bad tea will generally not want to bother with the added fuss of loose-leaf, and so you won’t often find poor-quality loose-leaf. But you can get the same effect just by learning which brands are good. The main benefit of loose over bags, at any given quality point, is that loose is cheaper per serving. Price isn’t really a big deal for tea, though: Even if you splurge on the really good stuff, it’s usually going to be only a quarter a serving or so, hardly expensive as beverages go. So you might as well get the good stuff. Personally, I like either black tea, or tisanes. I’ll drink almost any sort of tisane, in almost any weird combination of flavors, but if I’m drinking black tea, I just want tea: No bergamon, no smoke, no orange rind, no spices. The only thing I’ll add is a single spoonful of either sugar or honey. Out of black teas commonly available in the US, the best I’ve found is Stash English Breakfast. Twinnings is nearly as good, and is sometimes a bit easier to find. Lipton, meanwhile, is my absolute bare minimum tolerable quality (as in, I’ll drink it if I’m at someone’s house and it’s what they offer me), but it’s not the worst on the market. The absolute worst I’ve had is something called United Food Service, which I’m convinced must be made from oak leaves, because there’s no way you could get that much tannin and that little tea flavor from Camilia sinensis. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/68 "2016-01-05T16:44:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There’s no fundamental difference in quality between bags and loose tea. What difference there is, is because the sort of customer who doesn’t mind bad tea will generally not want to bother with the added fuss of loose-leaf, and so you won’t often find poor-quality loose-leaf. But you can get the same effect just by learning which brands are good. There’s a fundamental difference in quality, but not in the way you think. A tea harvest gets rated and separated by quality. The quality is defined foremost by how broken up the leaves are. A broken leaf will become more bitter more quickly in hot water than an unbroken leaf. A powdered leaf will get bitter even faster. So the top quality teas are whole leaf teas and everything that gets accidentally powdered during the process gets shuffled off to get stuck in the lowest end tea bags. You can get higher quality tea bags with only somewhat broken leaves, but none of them will be as good as whole leaf. That’s why with the best teas you can’t even get them in tea bags, because the sellers don’t want to have any leaves broken by the bagging process and ruining the flavor. And of course the whole fermenting and drying process can be botched or done poorly and result in tea leaves that are destined for bag tea from the get-go. I prefer Harney & Sons as my seller and my favorites are Keemun Hao Ya, Keemun Mao Feng, and blended teas such as Russian styles with Lapsang Suchong (I don’t like straight Lapsang Suchong but a nice blend with yunnans and keemuns makes a wonderful tea). I’ll cycle through everything else but I’ve never been able to enjoy green tea or ceylon tea. I also have a soft spot for dessert teas, so I always keep around a Blackcurrant blend. I agree that tisanes should not be lumped in with all the other tea. I imagine stuff like that in the supermarket being marketed as “real tea” is part of the reason why many Americans are so ignorant of what a good cup consists of. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/69 "2016-01-05T17:35:50Z")
I like Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast, any of them with a generous helping of sugar. Quite the sweet tooth have I. But behold, Orange Pekoe and Lapsang Souchong are an abomination in my sight. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/70 "2016-01-05T18:06:17Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Orange Pekoe and Lapsang Souchong are an abomination in my sight. Orange Pekoe is a grading term that refers to the size of the the tea leaf, it has nothing to do with the kind or quality of the tea (and certainly not orange flavor or anything like that) - [link](http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/information/INFOgrading.asp). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/71 "2016-01-05T18:11:59Z")
I have seen and tasted Orange Pekoe sold under that name, and I don’t like it. [http://www.twiningsusa.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=F05324](http://www.twiningsusa.com/templates/product.aspx?ProductGuid=F05324) [http://www.tetley.ca/en/our-teas/products?id=16](http://www.tetley.ca/en/our-teas/products?id=16) > **[Bromley Exotic Orange Pekoe Decaffeinated Tea - 24/Box](https://www.webstaurantstore.com/bromley-exotic-orange-pekoe-decaffeinated-tea-box/110BRX100178.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA8K20BRDetNv3p6DNhXwSJADSwa3tblbkZxMAs0g4vHmG5jT0AUuOIYpbRLV480gNj8717hoCvlfw_wcB)** > > Bromley is the first tea company in America to offer a decaffeinated tea, so by serving Bromley, your patrons are sure to receive a perfected recipe of quality decaf tea. Even if your patrons do not want caffeine, they'll be able to enjoy fresh,... ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/72 "2016-01-05T21:04:03Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > I use – and recommend – a “[snap mesh tea ball infuser](http://www.amazon.com/HIC-Snap-Mesh-Ball-Infuser/dp/B000I1ZZ24/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1451261155&sr=8-3&keywords=tea+ball+spoon).” I also keep a little shot-glass on my desk, to put the ball infuser into so it doesn’t drip on my desk-top. I love this idea. How much guff do you get about the shot-glass? “Oh, it’s for tea, honestly!” :rolleyes: (Could be a good cover though.) So many good teas are available only in loose, but I’ve not figured out how to handle the messier aspects at my work desk. I’ll be adopting this method soon! > [@Magiver](#): > > And here’s my major complaint. I’ll go into a grocery store with a huge section of tea on display (not to be confused with a huge selection) and see 5 different brands of Earl Grey along with 50 foo foo teas made from out-of-date potpourri. Og forbid they carry one complete line of teas that real tea drinkers would want. Just pick a brand and put their entire selection on the shelf. It doesn’t take up that much space. This. A thousand times this. Especially outside of an urban area devoid of British ex-pats. I’ve relatively recently come over to tea as my primary drink. It means that my soda consumption has gone way down, my coffee consumption is near zero, and my overall attitude is greatly improved. Not much can be wrong in the world if there is a good cup of tea at hand. Two drawers at work are given over to my tea selections. Twinnings is my usual brand, though their Orange Pekoe has become impossible to find. Stash flavored teas (peach & orange) are great, but available only by mail order as far as I can tell in my neck of the woods. Barry’s tea is great “regular tea” in a bag, but I wish it had the string & tab. I like it strong, slightly sweetened sugar and a bit of honey, black without cream. makes me want another cup, but at 16:00 is out of the question. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/73 "2016-01-05T22:37:12Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > I love this idea. How much guff do you get about the shot-glass? “Oh, it’s for tea, honestly!” :rolleyes: (Could be a good cover though.) Even more fun: the shot glass is an “Explorer’s Club” glass from Disneyworld! > [@](#): > > So many good teas are available only in loose, but I’ve not figured out how to handle the messier aspects at my work desk. I’ll be adopting this method soon! I hope it works as well for you as it has for me! > [@](#): > > . . . Twinnings is my usual brand, though their Orange Pekoe has become impossible to find. I’ve had good luck with “[Coffee Bean Direct](http://www.coffeebeandirect.com).” Prices are low, and I’m happy with the quality. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/74 "2016-01-06T01:14:05Z")
For tea bags, I love Yorkshire Gold or Taylors of Harrogate (Scottish Breakfast Tea is my favorite, but I also enjoy their flavored teas). I have Twinings on hand right now for a loose-leaf tea (Earl Grey). On the foo-foo-new-age-wtf side, Celestial Seasonings Sugar Plum is nice to have around the holidays. I also have some cacao mint black tea from Teavana that’s very nice. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/75 "2016-01-06T01:36:18Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I like Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast, any of them with a generous helping of sugar. Quite the sweet tooth have I. > > But behold, Orange Pekoe and Lapsang Souchong are an abomination in my sight. If you don’t like Lapsang Souchong tea you’re really going to hate gunpowder tea. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/76 "2016-01-06T20:30:43Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If you don’t like Lapsang Souchong tea you’re really going to hate gunpowder tea. I don’t find them similar at all. Lapsang Souchong is a smokey black tea. Gunpowder is a green tea, and not smoke-infused. (At least, I don’t think it is. It certainly doesn’t taste of smoke in the way Lapsang Souchong does.) ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/77 "2016-01-07T02:19:00Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I don’t find them similar at all. Lapsang Souchong is a smokey black tea. Gunpowder is a green tea, and not smoke-infused. (At least, I don’t think it is. It certainly doesn’t taste of smoke in the way Lapsang Souchong does.) I guess different people have different experiences. Here are descriptions of it on the net: [The leaves of this green tea](http://theteaspot.com/gunpowder-green-tea.html) are rolled into the shape of little pinhead pellets resembling gunpowder, hence its name. Gunpowder green tea tastes bold & lightly smoky, also lending to its name. [From WIKI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder_tea): The origin of the English term may come from the tea’s similarity in appearance to actual gunpowder: greyish, dark pellets of irregular shape used as explosive propellant for early guns. The name may also have arisen from the fact that the grey-green leaf is tightly rolled into a tiny pellet and “explodes” into a long leaf upon being steeped in hot water. Another explanation is that the tea can also have a smoky flavor. [This tea](http://www.theteatable.com/product/22211.html) produces a nice dark infusion and a pleasantly aromatic, slightly smoky, full-bodied taste. One of the things to avoid is steeping it in too hot of water. It gets bitter quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/78 "2016-01-07T02:36:19Z")
I’ve had both and they are hardly similar. I’ve never noticed a smoky taste to gunpowder whereas LS is overpowering to me. Gunpowder is a style of green tea, though, and it’s possible that some variations have a smoky flavor. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/79 "2016-01-07T04:12:51Z")
I’m working on finding a good herbal tea that’s both caffeine free and chamomile free. I’d like to find something that isn’t too much work, and that has at least some bitterness to it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503/80 "2016-01-07T04:16:08Z")
> [@butler1850](#): > > So many good teas are available only in loose, but I’ve not figured out how to handle the messier aspects at my work desk. [This](http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html) is what I recommend. I have one of these and it works great. You can make a cup of loose tea anywhere with no mess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-tea-drinkers/741503.md?page=5)