# Do you like tea? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424 "2016-08-20T18:03:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/101 "2016-08-23T01:07:38Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Uh-oh! Now I’m in trouble! STR 15; INT 11; DEX 6. (WIS 3; I’m an SDMB addict!) > > Spin-off question: is it okay to run used tea leaves through the garbage disposal, or do they harden into concrete and block up the grinder and the pipes? I wouldn’t put them down the drain. Just toss them in the trash or in the yard. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/102 "2016-08-23T01:34:28Z")
I love sweet iced tea, and I’m perfectly happy when the sweetness comes from sucralose. Crystal Lite makes a good instant sweet tea that tastes almost identical to the kind I brew, although brewed is a bit stronger. I don’t really care for lemon or other fruity teas. I don’t like hot tea. If I want hot I want coffee or cocoa. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/103 "2016-08-23T01:55:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Well, I just gave you the recipe. You could make a version of it tonight! 😃 > > Just get yourself some full fat milk, loose Indian tea, and sugar. But how do I get the cow stink and buttery undertone? Should I add a little rich butter and manure? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/104 "2016-08-23T02:41:12Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > I drink entirely too much tea. > > In the U.S. I think one of the issues is that most people are given quality coffee but crappy tea. The quality of a Starbucks coffee is orders of magnitude better than a Salada tea bag (which is swill on par with instant coffee). If more people were introduced to quality, loose-leaf tea there would be a lot more tea drinkers. The coffee at Starbucks isn’t great—Let’s call it a 5/10. But the tea is worse, like a 3/10. You can actually make better tea with those Tazo tea bags they sell there, but the baristas aren’t taught how to do it. > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > But how do I get the cow stink and buttery undertone? Should I add a little rich butter and manure? Well, you can work up to that. Start with just whole milk. Try adding heavy cream or butter and see if that helps. You know you’re getting close when the milk starts forming a skin on top when you cook it. Experiment a bit. In the meantime, try to find a farmer’s market and make friends with a dairy farmer to see if you can get a line on illegal unpasteurized milk. Also, start checking around your specialty groceries to see if anyone can find buffalo milk—that’s water buffalo, not American bison. By the way, in Nepal and Tibet, they make it with Yak’s milk. That’s even more pungent. Once you get advanced, you can start trying to add a bit of grass juice, bovine urine, and cow patties. But wait a bit on that. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/105 "2016-08-23T02:53:53Z")
I read about buttered tea in George Orwell’s _Burma Days_. Never felt like trying it until I read your mouth-watering descriptions. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/106 "2016-08-23T03:10:20Z")
I like the current trend of tea and lemonade together in a bottle … but when I was a kid I was only allowed 2 glasses of soda a day (which I had at dinner) koolaid made with sweet and low (blech but I drank it …) or grandmas sweet tea which was made with a jewel store brand of tea Mostly I drank the tea … (heh i remember the jewel-t guy who would come and try to sell a bunch of stuff most of the time all he sold was about a case of tea each month)) Then I couldn’t physically drink tea with out revolusion for a while … But now I can drink twinnings irish …or british breakfast tea … and bigelow makes an apple cinnamon and they make an spiced orange flavored tea all with my keruig 2.0 Now for ice tea its just plain old lipton in a mr coffee ice tea maker … we like a little tea with out sugar some might say I am glad mcd’s came out with their tea if only because it finally made burger king get a better brand of tea than the pisswater they called tea (china mist … blurfage) they still only brew it right once a week or so tho ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/107 "2016-08-23T03:19:29Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I read about buttered tea in George Orwell’s _Burma Days_. Never felt like trying it until I read your mouth-watering descriptions. I never imagined that this would be the effect … ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/108 "2016-08-23T09:50:29Z")
Yes, although I drink tea much less often than I used to. The thing is, until 10 years ago, I wouldn’t touch coffee at all (loved the smell, didn’t like the taste). Then, my first daughter was born and I discovered its marvellous properties. I switched to coffee exclusively pretty much overnight. However, I’ve been to Turkey several times in the past few years and they have some really good tea there, served in smart-looking little [glasses](https://www.theistanbulinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/turkish-tea-glass-2.jpg). Strong stuff but tasty and with lots of unusual flavours available. That’s my go-to drink after supper when I’m there. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/109 "2016-08-23T23:31:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > A recommendation to my fellow tea drinkers: get an [Adagio IngenuiTea cup](http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html). It works great. You can make loose tea in it without getting any leaves in your mug. You can pop it in the microwave if you want. Microwave?!? You Philistine! 😛 Personally I use a [mug infuser](https://boards.straightdope.com/http://uptontea.com/store/item.asp?itemID=AS31&from=searchResults.asp&searchString=infuser&searchOptionMatchAll=1&searchOptionCategory=1&searchOptionItemName=1&searchOptionItemDescription=1&searchOptionDocuments=0&searchOptionLimitCategory=&searchOptionPriceRange=0&sType=new&begin=0). Fits any mug and it couldn’t be simpler. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/110 "2016-08-24T00:13:39Z")
I love tea and coffee. I start my day with a 16 ounce mug of coffee and then have teas the rest of the day. I may have about 20-30 different teas at home, from bagged Celestial Seasonings to local farmer’s market stuff to loose canisters of deliciousness from David’s. I cold brew iced tea on the counter all summer. Drinking hot spiced mango black tea from Trader Joe’s at work right now. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/111 "2016-08-24T00:47:56Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Microwave?!? You Philistine! 😛 > > Personally I use a [mug infuser](https://boards.straightdope.com/http://uptontea.com/store/item.asp?itemID=AS31&from=searchResults.asp&searchString=infuser&searchOptionMatchAll=1&searchOptionCategory=1&searchOptionItemName=1&searchOptionItemDescription=1&searchOptionDocuments=0&searchOptionLimitCategory=&searchOptionPriceRange=0&sType=new&begin=0). Fits any mug and it couldn’t be simpler. Link didn’t work? Anyway, same question: how is this really any better than a ball infuser? **NAF1138** notes that his/her tea-leaves expand beyond the capacity of the ball, but that never happens to me, with any of the teas I’ve ever tried. **NAF1138** mentioned this happening with a green tea, but I drink green tea with jasmine, and it doesn’t swell up to overflow the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/112 "2016-08-24T01:55:30Z")
Well, partly it’s a matter of not over-stuffing the tea ball in the first place… ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/113 "2016-08-24T02:01:07Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I love tea and coffee. I start my day with a 16 ounce mug of coffee and then have teas the rest of the day. I may have about 20-30 different teas at home, from bagged Celestial Seasonings to local farmer’s market stuff to loose canisters of deliciousness from David’s. I cold brew iced tea on the counter all summer. Drinking hot spiced mango black tea from Trader Joe’s at work right now. There’s a David’s Tea in my neighborhood, about a five block walk away. I’ve never bought anything there because, shit, it’s all DAVID’S tea, and I don’t know David from Adam. Got any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/114 "2016-08-24T02:21:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, partly it’s a matter of not over-stuffing the tea ball in the first place… Grin! I half-fill the ball, and the tea usually expands 100%, to fill the ball. No more than that. (I’m also a dreadful cheap-skate, and re-use that tea at least once. Sometimes, it tastes a little better for having been steeped once already. Less bitter.) ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/115 "2016-08-24T02:39:55Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > There’s a David’s Tea in my neighborhood, about a five block walk away. I’ve never bought anything there because, shit, it’s all DAVID’S tea, and I don’t know David from Adam. > > Got any recommendations? I haven’t met a David I didn’t like, including my dad! Anyway, stop in - there’s a lot of selling going on, some are put off by it, but they’ll pull down all the canisters you want and give recommendations and you can smell all of them. There’s a chocolate chili chai that I adore, and the banana nut bread one. But there are so many, plus seasonal stuff, plus what gets rotated in and out. They’ll start with you telling them what you tend to like, black, green, white, rooibos, and then fruity or spicy or whatnot, and they’ll start pulling down cans for you to peruse. It’s a fun trip, though I usually don’t escape without dropping 40-50 bucks, including a hot beverage to sip while shopping. And there is usually a sample or two brewing. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/116 "2016-08-24T02:49:31Z")
Thank you! As a person who enjoys Daves, I know you’ll like this: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF1chLj1fro) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/117 "2016-08-24T04:30:31Z")
While I’m asking for opinions…does anyone have a strong pro-or-con opinion on electric tea/coffee mug warmers? Mr. Coffee has a model for under $10. A 17 Watt heating coil, that keeps a mug at just about the right heat. Good idea or bad idea? (That model doesn’t have an auto-off switch, but one guy, in one of the reviews, has it hooked up to a motion-detector switch. I guess a timer would also work. Even if I left it on 24/7, that’s less than $1.50 a month…) ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/118 "2016-08-24T10:54:52Z")
I love hot black tea all year around or cold green tea in summer. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/119 "2016-08-24T11:49:58Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I’m British. So I _depend_ on “British penicillin”. The kettle’s rarely off… Yes, I think it’s fair to say that we Brits are partial to a cup of tea. So much so that our national electricity supply system (the National Grid) is geared up to provide extra power in response to regular and predictable events which cause hundreds of thousands of kettles to be simultaneously deployed for tea brewing purposes, such as at the [end of a popular soap opera](http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/film-and-tv/put-the-kettle-on-800-megawatt-power-904547), or the [middle of a national sporting event](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5059904.stm). ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424/120 "2016-08-24T11:54:14Z")
Oh, BTW, I like tea. White with two please (that’s black tea - Twining’s English Breakfast before 10am, PG Tips after - with a splash of milk and two teaspoons of sugar). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-tea/763424.md?page=7)