My friends all know I’m a tea drinker. When it comes down to it, I’m really just a tea snob.
After all: life’s too short to drink bad tea.
So, let’s talk tea. You probably already know it’s good for you. It’s a great option for anyone who can’t drink coffee or wants to reduce caffeine intake. A cup of black tea has only about 25% of the caffeine of a cup of coffee; green teas usually have even less caffeine.
To start with, let’s get some terminology straightened out. Tea is made from the leaves of the camelia sinesis plant. Whether it’s black, oolong, green, or white is based on how long it is processed and/or oxidized. Herbal “teas” aren’t truly teas; they are tisanes. These would include any sort of herbal blend, and many of these are naturally caffeine free.
Part of my tea-snobbishness means I almost always drink loose-leaf tea. It’s usually higher quality, with typical bagged teas being the tiny bits left over. The exception is pyramid bags (like Harney and Sons), which offer good quality in a more convenient package — but they do cost more per cup than loose leaf.
How to brew loose-leaf tea:
You’ll need a method of heating water, a mug or pot to brew it in, and an infuser to hold your tea leaves so you don’t have them floating in your cup. {I’m in love with my electric kettle, similar to this one
Use one teaspoon of dry tea leaves per cup — or more, depending on the tea and your preferences. Place the leaves in your infuser, put the infuser in your mug or teapot, and pour hot water over the leaves. Water temperature is important! For black tea and herbals, it should be boiling (212 degrees); for green or white tea it must be hot but NOT boiling (usually about 180 degrees).
Let steep about 3 minutes. Again, this varies according to the type of tea. Herbals often need 10-15 minutes. Black teas 3-5 minutes. Read the suggestions on your package of tea. Do not oversteep because most teas will be adversely affected if you do.
Remove the infuser and set aside; your tea is ready to enjoy! Most teas can hold up to two rounds of steeping, sometimes more, so it’s more economical than it may seem at first.
Tea recommendations:
The varieties are endless, and with loose-leaf tea, you can even make your own blends!
If you’re a coffee drinker trying to make the switch, or simply like a more robust beverage, try black tea, pu-erh (an aged variety), or mate (something like this one).
Any of the teas above will hold up well to milk/cream or a bit of sugar or honey, if that’s your thing. I’d never had milk in my tea until our trip to Africa, and since then, it’s the only way I like my black tea. I recommend adding the least amount of sweetener possible for any tea, partly because I feel it masks the true flavor, and partly because it takes away from some of the health benefits of tea.
For a basic green, best with nothing at all added, I enjoy simple teas like genmai, sencha, or sleeping dragon.
Many people enjoy floral blends like this jasmine one. Personally, I can’t handle anything floral or fragrant; it feels like drinking perfume. But I’m also one of those people who can’t wear perfume or scented lotions and gets an instant headache if I’m around people who do, so I’m in the minority.
Oolongs are a happy medium between green and black teas. I love them.
Try:
- jade oolong or tung ting
- or any of these flavored oolongs.
And then there are the herbals. These seem relatively easy to find in local stores, but I also like the selections on David’s. If you are pregnant or nursing, or have any sort of health condition, make sure you research ingredients in herbal blends to make sure they are not contraindicated for you. Example: if you have ragweed allergies, you may want to avoid chamomile; it can also sometimes aggravate asthma.
More tea goodness:
I even have a Pinterest board dedicated it:
Are you a tea drinker? What’s your favorite variety, or your favorite place to buy/order?
I love my tea!! I’ll have to check out your pin board. 🙂
I love that you also have a bamboo whisk in your tea cupboard for “Matcha”! I thought I was the only “gaijin” (Japanese for “foreigner”) that had that. Wish we lived much closer together so that we could get together for some tea!
I am often accused of being “not really English” because I don’t drink tea very often – but when I do, I have a very nice white tea and elderflower blend (the elderflower is very subtle), or I like English breakfast tea. Black tea is always with milk, never with sugar. I forced myself to acquire a taste for peppermint “tea” (I like the word tisane, never used it though) for its health benefits but I agree with you about most herbal teas, too flowery and not enough taste. I find it fascinating how tea traditions differ so much from country to country, and yet almost every country has some form of tea.
Great post! I’ve never been a big tea drinker (except your standard southern sweet tea), but my son loves a variety of teas. You mentioned the chamomile – serving my son chamomile tea is how I discovered he was allergic to ragweed. :-/
I hope you find some fun stuff on my tea pin board!
Funny you noticed my whisk. And yes, it would be lovely if we were close enough to chat over tea!
I think maybe I’m “too English” for my home in the South; after all, I’m only suppose to like sweet iced tea! 😉 And yes, black tea with milk, but I never sweeten it.
Weirdly odd about the ragweed-chamomile connection, isn’t it?
Well this is where I let my geek naturalist self show: Chamomile and ragweed are in the same family – Asteraceae.
I enjoy herbal teas. They are so relaxing to me. I used to buy from Bulk Herb Store all the time and get a variety of their loose leaf teas and enjoyed them all. But lately I’ve been enjoying the Organic India Tea brand that has Tulsi (holy basil) in it. It is said that holy basil is the “Queen of Herbs” in India and is very good for you. I heard about it from Dr. Mercola online. I can’t vouch for the benefits but I have truly enjoyed each flavor I’ve tried. I have enjoyed their Green tea, jasmine, honey chamomile and red chai masala- but they offer many flavors. You can get them at Whole Foods or online too. I also asked my local supermarket that had a natural section if they’d consider supplying those and they were happy to do that.
Oh can I add one more comment about my favorite way to drink the Red Chai Masala tea was to add a little NuStevia and Coconut milk to it. 🙂
I’m a tea snob, too! And I appreciate your listing places to buy tea, but my absolute favorite is Murchies Tea. http://www.murchies.com/store/
The company is from Vancouver, I believe. A Canadian friend of mine told me about them. What a great resource – thanks for your post.
Oooo, I’ll have to check them out. Thank you!
I do have one with holy basil, but it has a bunch of other herbs, too, and while it’s very good, I think it makes it hard for me to sleep if I drink it too near bedtime!
I’m sorry that the holy basil tea wasn’t a good match for you Jamie. I’m so glad there are many varieties of teas and companies to choose from since we all have different tastes. I’m glad you wrote this post because I’ve learned some new resources to look into. Thanks Jamie!
I also became a “tea snob” the first time I tried loose leaf tea. Before that I couldn’t imagine why you would want to pay more for it. Bought some through a fundraiser, and promptly became a Steeped Tea consultant just so I could get it cheaper! I’m having so much fun trying new flavours. 🙂
Grocery store bagged tea just isn’t the same, is it!? I haven’t heard of the company you mentioned so I’ll check it out.
It sure isn’t! Steeped Tea is a direct sales company that is new to the States (since 2012). They originated in Canada (where I’m from). Their teas are really yummy!