45 replies to this topic

[tryska]

hey there....i was thinking about bagged teas last night. (my life isn't particularly stressful)

i typically don't buy loose tea, and i use my tea strainer for tisanes, and not traditional tea.


in any case...what are your favorites? what tea bags do you keep around on a regular basis?

i typically have lipton on hand. of course i like my tea, like my coffee, strong as it possibly can be, and usually i need 2 lipton bags per cup to do that.

I've tried twinings - 2 bags per cup as well. One brand i really like is Messner (did i spell that right?) those are one-bag brews - i'm not sure why they are stronger, or brew darker, but i like them. they hold up to cream well too.

I haven't tried any traditional brews form them, but i noticed this with a cherry flavored black tea, and with a grapefruit flavored green tea (to die for, i must add).

how about you?

what are your bagged tea experiences?

[rickster]

I like the Taylor's of Harrogate line, in particular their Yorkshire Gold for everday drinking. I think the teas come bagged and unbagged. The bags make 2 cups and the Yorkshire Gold is on the strong side.

[sherribabee]

I'm a big fan of The Republic of Tea (yes, brought to you by the very folks who gave us Banana Repbulic) vanilla almond flavor. Yum.

[phaelon56]

I'm a relative newbie to tea but have found the loose tea I've purchased in tins to be distinctly better than the bagged tea, e.g. I bought some Twinings Early Grey in bags and also in a tin. The loose tea had a richer and fresher taste. I'm uncertain as to whether this is an inherent bag vs. loose issue, if it's related to the amount of tea in my tea ball vs the amount in the bag or if if it's just that the tin has fresher tea than the bags.

[tryska]

I'm a big fan of The Republic of Tea (yes, brought to you by the very folks who gave us Banana Repbulic) vanilla almond flavor. Yum.

i've never tried their bagged teas, but i always get the mango flavored bottled tea. it's good stuff.

matter of fact i will be having soem with lunch today.

i find if i buy loose tea, it will wind up sitting for a year or more. (hmm..much like my lipton tea bags).

rickster - can you get the Taylor's of Harrogate line int he US?

[tobism]

There's a pretty good drink out here (Bethesda, Maryland) called Honest Tea. It's marketed as an alternative to Snapple; a cold, refreshing drink that's healthy and not sweet. When you try it, it'll be a shock to the system first because you'll be looking for the initial sweetness, but after the second or third sip, it grows on you and is actually quite good. Cold tea, with interesting flavors, low sugar, served in bottles. I like the word play with the name, too.

[tryska]

i think i've had honest tea before. it was quite good for bottled.

[Crystal]

I'm a big fan of The Republic of Tea (yes, brought to you by the very folks who gave us Banana Repbulic) vanilla almond flavor. Yum.

I'm a big fan of the Republic as well. I have one of their bottled iced teas every time I eat at my favorite restaurant (I don't drink wine).


Crystal

[rickster]

rickster - can you get the Taylor's of Harrogate line int he US?

Yup. I get mine at Whole Foods. I've also seen it in some gourmet food stores (I live in CT).

I agree that Honest Tea is a very good product. I like that it is virtually unsweetened.

[tryska]

hmm - i'll have to check whole foods for the brand then - that's typically where i get the Messner's.

[sherribabee]

I like Honest Tea as well.

There's a delicious bottled green tea that I've had a few times, but I can't remember the name off the top of my head. I'll have to check next time I'm at the store. Totally unsweetened and a nice earthy flavor.

Does anyone dislike sweetened tea as much as I do? I don't think I'd survive in the south, do they ever serve unsweetened tea down there?

[Batgrrrl]

Get used to using loose-leaf, and you'll find it hard to go back to bags. I use bagged tea in some instances--Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime or Tension Tamer, for example, but for everything else it's got to be loose leaf. phaelon56 is right--there's an amazing difference! I converted over after getting a lecture from my Scottish uncle, for whom tea was not a beverage but a ritual--he always said bagged tea was basically the sweepings left in the bottom of the barrel after all the good stuff was sold as loose. And all you need is a good tea ball or spoon for a mug, or a good basket filter for your teapot. Or, you can do what I do and just throw the leaves in the pot and not care if you get a few in your cup!

But tea purists will tell you emphatically that the leaves should not be left in the water, so the tea ball/spoon/basket is best.

Murchie's is an excellent source for good tea: here's their website

http://www.murchies....rhomeDec27.html

They have many varieties of loose leaf tea, and also sell their tea in bags, which is far superior to the brands we're mostly familiar with, like Lipton's, Tetley, or Rose.

Cheers,
Batgrrrl

[tryska]

I don't think I'd survive in the south, do they ever serve unsweetened tea down there?

sometimes - usually if you ask for tea, at least in georgia - you say you want "sweet tea" or "unsweet tea" - a lot of places have unsweet tea on hand. unless it's a really tiny mom and pop operation - then all you get is sweet tea.

[sherribabee]

tryska, does your avatar have any particular meaning?

[tryska]

seems i had the name of my favorite tea wrong - it's messmer - http://www.messmer.d...r_e/home_e.html

[tryska]

tryska, does your avatar have any particular meaning?

haha sherri - it's the number 13 in some wierd windows font. i had fun with ms paint yesterday.


i did an anime self-portrait too:



but it didn't look so good shrunk down and converted to jpeg. (it was a slow day yesterday). but i liked the background so i played around with it a little.

[edemuth]

I use both loose and bagged teas. I'm a chai collector, and I love Yogi Tea's chai tea (Classic India Spice Tea Latte) and Green Tea Energy. They would definitely meet your strength requirements, tryska; I get at least two strong cups per teabag. Click for free samples! I also like Uncle Lee's organic chais a lot. Whole Foods and natural food stores carry both brands.

[tryska]

yay free samples! i'll have to try out the yogi tea - I hope they don't send herbal samples tho - i've got more herbs than i can shake a stick at right now.

[tejon]

I tend to keep bagged tea for iced tea - somehow easier that way. Loose tea is so much better, even for herbal teas. I make my own herbal blends as well and really prefer them to bagged herbals.

[phaelon56]

I was a bit amazed when I worked for a spell at a South Carolina based company. I was down there for training and when we went to lunch, 13 of the 15 people at the table got sweet tea and quaffed it the way I drink water with a meal.

I like my iced tea sweetened but the sweet tea I find in the South tends to be to sweet and adding sugar to already chilled iced tea is typically an exercise in futility (it never really dissolves). I wish more places would follow the lead of Gramercy Tavern restaurant in NYC. Order iced tea and you'l receive it unsweetened but they bring a small shot glass of simple syrup that you can add according to your desired level of sweetness. Nice touch. Then again.... you pay for the privilege.

[tanabutler]

My morning tea is usually Earl Grey: either Bigelow or Trader Joe's, as both have ample oil of bergamot.

I hate Twinings Earl Grey: its flavor is too thin and reedy. Twinings English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast are sufficient, though.

I am fond of G. H. Ford teaballs, most especially the Russian Caravan, which is the best of its kind I've ever had.

Republic of Tea once made a Passionfruit Peppermint blend that was sublime. They've discontinued it and I am not happy about that. We presently have tins of their bagged Blackberry Sage (my husband's favorite), Ginger Peach and Mango Ceylon. Their "Earl Greyer" is excellent, as well.

I've tried and enjoyed Taylor's of Harrogate Earl Grey, and thought it fine.

I disagree with this woman's ratings.

[jpr54_]

it is very easy to make your own bagged teas-
purchase loose tea and place appropriate amount of loose tea in t-sac and then brew-
t-sac s are available in many stores and online websites

[jat]

Close friends of mine own the Santa Barbara Roasting Company, I like
the passionfruit or mango tea in the summertime. Right now for bagged tea,
I drink alot of BIJA Healing Teas, Certified Organic Double Ginger. Tastes like
home brew. Their web is www.florahealth.com or I'll send you a bag

[spaghetttti]

I just received a gift basket with some very interesting teas. The large bags contain "Shake and Drink" teas. We're supposed to place a tea bag into a bottle of 12 oz. water. Shake for 2 mins. . .

The package states " You will have enormous fun and a bottle of freshly brewed tea to go." (that's hilarious)

Ok, here goes... will report back.

[spaghetttti]

btw we are beginning to appreciate teas of the world, and have set up this space especially to relax while having a cuppa.


heheh a peek into our home, any suggestions on how to decorate? tea motifs on the wall?

[Pan]

How Zen.

[Mabelline]

I too like Yogi teas.At the moment I've been drinking their Egyptian licorice tea, and one they call Detox, which has good flavor. For a readily availabletea I like Stash Earl Grey. Good and strong. But the majority of mine is from a neighborhood co-op that's got a very good variety of loose teas,and sell enough to be very fresh. While this topic is going, does anyone else like the flavor of black peppercorns in their chai? I've had chai mixes with and without, and I like black pepper in it.

[Schielke]

The Republic of Tea products are very good. They have a great White Tea that has a very subtle headiness to it. I love it, but it is 15 bucks for a tin of the stuff.

I recently got some toasted rice green tea bags from Leaves Pure Teas that is pretty nice.

Ben

[tanabutler]

Oooh, I had some of that gorgeous White Tea last year at the Fancy Foods Convention in San Francisco. What a bouquet!

[hillvalley]

There's a pretty good drink out here (Bethesda, Maryland) called Honest Tea.  It's marketed as an alternative to Snapple; a cold, refreshing drink that's healthy and not sweet.  When you try it, it'll be a shock to the system first because you'll be looking for the initial sweetness, but after the second or third sip, it grows on you and is actually quite good.  Cold tea, with interesting flavors, low sugar, served in bottles.  I like the word play with the name, too.

I am completely addicted to the stuff, especially the peppermint. Every once in a while our local grocery chain (Giant) has a two for one deal and I stock up. In the past few months they have started selling their tea bags at Whole Foods. At last year's Race for the Cure in DC they had more than they knew what to do with (it poured during the whole race) so they offered my Grandmother, who is a survivor, a whole case. They would have given us more, but we couldn't carry it.


I drink most of my tea at work so I have to use the bags. Lately it has been Honest Tea's peppermint.

Does anyone know the shelf life of bags and loose tea. Does one last longer than the other?