Is there a tea out there without caffeine that tastes like tea?
I’m not interested in peppermint jasmine infused blueberry herbal tea. Also not a huge fan of Earl Grey?
I’d like to have a nice cup of lapsang souchong tea without my BP shooting up.
I’m not a fan of lapsang souchong so I can’t say anything about that particular type specifically, but I like Twinings’ decaf versions of their regular teas. Not sure if they make a lapsang souchong, though.
I don’t know what lapsang souchong taste like either but I can share a good tea I found that is robust without the caffeine. Its by Celestial Seasonings called Roastaroma made with roasted barley, roasted chicory, roasted carob, cinnamon, allspice and chinese star anise. I like it strong so I use 2 bags to one cup. With a little bit of half and half it is surprisingly good without the buzz. I’m making some right now for a night cap.
Use your favorite regular tea. Follow these instructions.
Caffeine washes out of the tea very quickly. But the compounds that give it flavor take longer. By doing a quick steep and then a longer one in fresh water, you get the flavor but not the caffeine. (This is how they decaffeinate tea (or coffee) in the first place – by soaking it in water).
No, they don’t. It’s steamed and then rinsed with a solvent (e.g., ethyl acetate) or soaked in supercritical carbon dioxide.
Steeping in hot water removes some caffeine, but not as much as these decaffeination processes. Cite.
It will also remove some of the flavor.
Find some Tetley decaffeinated. It tastes pretty regular Orange Pekoe bag like
{Checks cupboard} Yup, Tetley decaffeinated is quite nice.
I’ve been ordering my favorite Darjeeling from Upton Tea and stripping caffeine out of it as I brew it per RealityChuck’s instructions. I find steeping for 30 seconds makes a big difference for me. However much caffeine that removes, it’s the difference between smooth sailing and a day of massive blood sugar swings. And the flavor is almost indistinguishable from a regularly brewed cup. That may depend on the tea though. From what I’ve read, Darjeeling is resistant to overbrewing, and of course whole leaf or larger bits will do better than the more broken grades, which have more surface area.
Roobois or red tea is naturally caffeine-free with an aromatic flavor that’s much more like tea than herbal teas. It is quite acidic though and difficult for some people to drink.
Just bought some this week and I’m trying to warm up to it. Maybe it will grow on me. Sounds like Tetley decaf is the next one to try.
Keep the suggestions coming.
Hi Unauthorized Cinnamon,
The caffeine levels really depend on the type of Darjeelings though. You might want to take a look at Darjeeling TeaPedia at www (dot) darjeelingteaexpress (dot) com to read on how to make a good cup of Darjeeling. I understand you are a big fan of Darjeeling from Upton, perhap you would like to explore teas from us - premium retailer based out of Darjeeling and the only one that vacuum packs and ships the teas.
DarjeelingTeaXpress
www (dot) darjeelingteaxpress (dot) com
Just wanted to pop in and say that the Tetley decaffeinated is indeed the best I’ve tried so far. It actually tastes like tea.