Teas for All Occassions

By Leah

You know you're an addict when you find yourself looking forward to bedtime because it means you're that much closer to getting your morning fix...of tea. Excepting a brief and stomach-churning romance with mocha lattes during my freshman year in college, I'm not a coffee drinker, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a nice hot brew every single morning, especially as the weather turns wintery. And no matter the time of year, it's always nice to have a selection of teas on hand for guests; when I have to send them out into the cold night, I at least know they're leaving with warm hands and a warm belly.

Our stockpile includes a little bit of everything: caf and decaf, black and green and herbal, fruity and spicy, morning teas and afternoon teas and bedtime teas. Here are some of my favorites: Tazo Wild Sweet Orange--A fruity decaf that keeps on giving (meaning I can just leave the teabag in the mug and refill it with hot water throughout the day). P.G. Tips (now in decaf!)--The very best of the black breakfast teas IMO, and cheap as dirt if you know someone in England who will hand-deliver. Stash Lemon Ginger--I drank this sweet but biting decaf blend every morning when I was pregnant. Trader Joe's Ruby Red Chai--A spiced rooibos with the exotic depth of chai, this makes a yummy and pretty autumn dessert tea with a splash of milk and a dash of sugar. Celestial Seasonings Tropical Grapefruit Green Tea--I'm not a huge fan of green tea, but this has enough of the grapefruit zing going on that it tones down the chalkiness of the green tea base. L'Amyx Jasmine Spring Plums--Okay, I know what I said about green tea, but this one available through a local (Oakland, CA) tea bar blooms open like a flower when you pour water on it, and how fancy is that? DIY mint--As basic as it gets, this no-nonsense tea was a big hit as party favors at our housewarming a few years ago. Now tell me: What should I have on hand when you come to visit?

Comments

[samantha jo campen]

I don't drink coffee (Blast! Most mornings I wish I did!) and I only recently TRIED tea because I was at a facy bridal tea party at The Drake and figured why not.

It's not bad. I'll drink it when called upon. But it has to be Earl Grey. Plain. No milk or honey or lemon or whatever fancypants stuff goes in it.

Easy peasy.

[Leah]

I wasn't a tea drinker until I met Simon, and the thing that made the difference for me was actually adding the milk and sugar. Before then, I'd only ever had plain black tea--yeeeeuch. Plus, any excuse to use cute little sugarcube tongs and a cow-shaped creamer, right?

[HollyLynne]

Oh, I LOVE PG Tips!!! And, when I was still having morning sickness, I drank Stash Lemon Ginger every morning too :)

My other favorites are Jasmine Pearls (they do that awesome, flower opening thing, but they're small indivudual pearls, so the effect is more like a little fern forest in your cup), Trader Joe's Mint and good old Earl Grey. My daily standby is TJ's Irish Breakfast (Decaf, lately)

[Abby]

My all time favorite tea is Good Earth Original. It comes in decaf and regular, however it is pretty spicy and naturally sweet, so be prepared for a sometimes intense first sip. Thanks for the great list Leah, I definitely want to check out the Trader Joe Chai, it sounds yummy.

[Shin Ae]

To have with milk and sugar I like Typhoo the best. This is how I like my first morning tea. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it lately.

Later in the day I tend to drink tea with no milk or sugar or anything. Then I will choose a good oolong (generally a more greenish oolong) or something with a little smoke such as Harney's Russian Country blend. I also like Earl Grey a lot or I will sometimes choose a jasmine tea like Dragon Pearl Jasmine.