Winter Teas: What do you drink when it's cold?

[Naftal]

I had an email from a tea expert who corrected me. It seems Emerald Oolong is a type of Bao Zhong Oolong. Indeed. Bao Zhongs are in fact described as "buttery".

[Katie Meadow]

Yep. I've only had the one from The Jasmine Pearl in Portland. Not to be confused with Jasmine Pearl teas. It is delicious and not priced into the stratosphere. Love to attend a tasting of Taiwan oolongs and get some idea of the range. There is an online purveyor called Eto En that has a creative description for the flavor notes of various oolongs broken down by taste, aroma and mouthfeel. Interesting and amusing.

[Joe Blowe]

I have been drinking ridiculous amounts of genmaicha lately, just reinfusing all day.

 

This Thermos tumbler was one of the best things I've bought to do this.  The first model I picked up was in Beijing, and I'm sure it was loaded with BPA goodness

 

On the spirits tip, I've been drinking Scotch & Sleepytime for years now.  Goes down a bit too easily some nights

[Maedl]

Hot tea with a shot of rum or Jägermeister is a favorite in my region. It warms you up on a cold day amazingly fast. For daily drinking, I usually want coffee, but on occasion I like chai or a non-tea made of almond milk, a spoon of honey, cinnamon, cloves, a bit of hot pepper, nutmeg and a spoonful of turmeric. It is incredibly soothing and good.

[Naftal]

We are off to a great start! Does anyone else have a favorite cold-weather tea?

[egalicontrarian]

On the spirits tip, I've been drinking Scotch & Sleepytime for years now.  Goes down a bit too easily some nights

 

Interesting idea, Joe. I happy to have some Sleepytime in the house. Unfortunately I don't have Scotch, but I do have some bourbon whiskey, as well as some rum. I think I'll start experimenting with some nighttime mixtures!

[Wholemeal Crank]

Hot tea is my favorite tea in cold weather:  dark oolong or green/new style oolong, puerh, green, white or herbal, as long as it's hot.  I probably drink less puerh in the summer, and cold-brewed tea is only a summer thing, but there's no one winter favorite.

[egalicontrarian]

Hot tea is my favorite tea in cold weather:  dark oolong or green/new style oolong, puerh, green, white or herbal, as long as it's hot.  I probably drink less puerh in the summer, and cold-brewed tea is only a summer thing, but there's no one winter favorite.

 

To Wholemeal Crank and anyone else - what does "new style" mean?

[Wholemeal Crank]

By this I mean a light to minimal roast, and usually lighter oxidized and often quite tightly rolled oolong tea that retains a green color, like this

 

Dayu Shan Oolong from Wing Hop Fung by debunix, on Flickr

 

vs a darker roast, and potentially darker oxidized oolong like this

 

Song Zhong Dan Cong by debunix, on Flickr

[egalicontrarian]

By this I mean a light to minimal roast, and usually lighter oxidized and often quite tightly rolled oolong tea that retains a green color ... vs a darker roast, and potentially darker oxidized oolong...

 

Thanks! And nice pictures.

[Naftal]

Hello- Temperatures are in the teens here...I am taking my everyday black tea (Ceylon-Sri Lanka-) and adding a mixture of vodka and honey syrup to the brew.

[Stephan]

My personal favorite is stil camomile tea. Healthy and warm beverage at cold winter nights. Nothing can beat that!

[radtek]

Funny, I'm a tea-guy in winter and a coffee drinker in warmer months.

 

Earl Grey with lemon and sugar or Lipton loose black tea (orange pekoe)...

[Naftal]

Winter is early this year. So, I am drinking my everyday black with a new twist: I added some single malt scotch

[andiesenji]

A malty Assam (Hazelbank FTGFOP), "spiked" with a small amount of Cardamom Cinnamon from RoT.

 

Hearty brew from the Assam, warming spices from the CC, with just a splash of half & half - higher butterfat content brings out the subtle flavors that are missed with plain milk.

[Naftal]

A malty Assam (Hazelbank FTGFOP), "spiked" with a small amount of Cardamom Cinnamon from RoT.

 

Hearty brew from the Assam, warming spices from the CC, with just a splash of half & half - higher butterfat content brings out the subtle flavors that are missed with plain milk.

Interesting comment about the half & half. I did not know about its unique qualities!

Edited November 25, 2015 by Naftal (log)

[andiesenji]

Interesting comment about the half & half. I did not know about its unique qualities!

Several years ago while attending a Sci-Fi Con, I got together with some internet friends, one of whom was Indian. She said to try the tea we were drinking, which was some Nilgiri she had brought, with half & half instead of milk.  She said the milk in India, at least in her region, was usually buffalo milk and it is much richer, higher butterfat content, than cow's milk. 

So we did some side-by-side tastings and it was true that more of the subtle flavors were enhanced with it.  

On her advice I tried it with the Assams and with some of the more robust Ceylon teas and was pleased with all.  

I'm not that keen on most Darjeeling teas so have not tried it with them.

The only other tea, and it is difficult to find here, she recommended with half & half  is one I had to look for as I can never remember the name. She sent me a small tin a couple of years ago, which I have been using sparingly and it is amazing.   It is Kanan Devan Hills Ltd. Munnar black tea and I have not been able to find a vendor here.

[Kerry Beal]

Not sure if this is the exact one you are looking for or if you can tolerate bags - looks like Amazon has one vendor - http://www.amazon.com/Tata-Tea-Kanan-Devan-bags/dp/B00JH84XE0

 

And a a cheaper one (but not free shipping so it may balance out) - http://www.ishopindian.com/tata-tea-kanan-devan-tea-bags-100-tea-bags-pr-25380/

Edited November 26, 2015 by Kerry Beal (log)

[andiesenji]

Not sure if this is the exact one you are looking for or if you can tolerate bags - looks like Amazon has one vendor - http://www.amazon.com/Tata-Tea-Kanan-Devan-bags/dp/B00JH84XE0

 

And a a cheaper one (but not free shipping so it may balance out) - http://www.ishopindian.com/tata-tea-kanan-devan-tea-bags-100-tea-bags-pr-25380/

Thanks for looking but the one I have is full leaf tea, second flush.  Moni says there are no vendors in the U.S. for the high-grown 2nd flush teas from this plantation. 

[Kerry Beal]

Road trip!!!!!!

[lindag]

I don't usually drink tea except for iced tea in summer but recently a friend brought me a vanilla chai latte from the local coffee wagon.

It was SO good.  Now I make my own with my Keurig and chai latte k-cups.  I'm impressed.  And sometimes I add a dram of rum to it and it's even better!!!

Maybe not your idea of what real tea is.

[flava]

I like a lot of hot drinks, but usually I drink rooibos, usually with milk, because it's healthy and unchallenging in flavor and preparation, and it's caffeine free so I can drink it at any time without having to go through a decision process. Or I will drink hot water when I am at a restaurant, but I do this year-round because it's the most comforting temperature. No hate but the american general preference for "ice cold" is silly.

 

I do recommend simmering, not just steeping, rooibos for longer than 10 minutes. Since it can be simmered for hours or re-steeped multiple times, I've come to feel that it's a waste to throw out rooibos after one steep of less than 10 minutes.

Edited December 18, 2015 by flava (log)

[ChocoMom]

Its 5F here; windchill is -15F and the winds are slowing down to 28mph.  So, on this particularly chilly morning American Breakfast Tea...with 50% more caffiene- is needed. I was up all night adding wood to both fireplaces, and the extra hit of "wake me up" is going to be necessary.  Otherwise, Hot Cinnamon Spice (with orange) tea from Harney & Sons, or my favorite Earl Grey are the usual go-to's.

 

If I have to go outside today at all, (which I am hoping to avoid), there's a partial bottle of Viking Blod tucked away.. that does a dandy job warming up the inner being.