comfort TEAS?
Posted by owalkerjillo on Sep 16, 2007 · Member since Oct 2006 · 428 posts
To me fall/winter means soup, and TEA. goodness I drink a lot of tea. What are people's favorites? (either flavors/brands?)
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I don't have favorite brands; I usually buy whole leaf either from the bulk section of Wild Oats or at a coffee/tea shop; I don't know the brands involved. I love Assam, Earl Grey, and anything white. I dislike almost all flavored teas (EG being the exception)... to me, the flavors just distract, and are never as satisfying as the taste of the tea itself. Black no sugar, for the same reason.
I used to live in Lexington, KY... I just moved to Evanston, IL, and now I have TEA SHOPS to deal with! Oh man, it's a nice change. The only one I've tried so far has FAR better Earl Grey AND better white tea than I've ever had before in my life... seriously.
Another vote for chai. If I weren't exremely hot right now, I'd so go for a cup.
Oooh, my favorite is Constant Comment (the decaf kind) with a splash of plain soymilk in it. The orange flavor and spiciness is just so comforting.
I also like Republic of Tea's peach-ginger blend. And there's one my mother in law always has that's super-gingery. I don't know what brand it is, but it's very good on a cold day.
At breakfast I like a cup of peppermint herbal tea--again, with a splash of plain soymilk--it feels like a nice clean fresh start to the day.
Chamomile :) Every day.
And Peppermint is good too after a big meal or just whenever.
I like most common herbal teas really.
I used to drink a lot of Earl grey but now mainly stick to Madura tea which is basically a low-caffiene, low-tannin Australian tea.
How many cups of tea do people have per day? Is 5 a lot? Sometimes my partner drinks even more than that ::)
Lemon Ginger is among my favorite. I also like making Black Mango iced tea. I buy my tea loose from a tea shop in Berkeley called Far Leaves (http://www.farleaves.com/)
Great little shop with wonderful teas. They have an EXCELLENT rare jasmine brocade tea. Best jasmine tea I've ever tasted in my life!
Jasmine, chamomile and green tea with roasted rice are my favorites.
I usually stock up on lots of organic favorites... Apple cinnamon, chamomile, peppermint, rose petals, chai tea... But I love, love, love Aveda's Organic Comforting Tea! :D I have actually only ever seen it in loose form, but I just went to their website to post the link, and I see it comes in bags now, too! :) I like loose teas, but bags are so much more convenient if I want to stash some at work to keep on-hand!
http://www.aveda.com/templates/products2/mpp.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY10701
(And $24 might seem expensive for the loose tea, but I have had my bottle FOREVER & use it often, and it's still about half-full. It lasts me a long time, so it's worth it! ;))
I LOVE tea!!! sooo comforting. I have at least a cup a day.
I don't know what my favourite kind would be... it's way too hard to decide. today I had a really good mango green tea.
Oh, do I love tea! Before I left the states I discovered this really great brand of Earl Grey (they also make this cool white-rose-jasmine pearl blend called Meditative mind) called "The Tea Spot". I've found them at some Whole Foods stores. I also like Rishi's organic white rose, which I only ever found at the Whole Foods mother store (the one in Austin). I also like PG tips, especially as a comfort tea with a lot of cream and sugar. However, the very best tea I've ever had is Longjing (also called Lung Ching or Dragonwell). It's the very essence of green tea with the pefect blend of grassiness and mellow sweetness. I just recently took a mini-break to Hangzhou where they grow it and came back with an embarrassingly large quantity of the stuff. Strictly for comfort though, I'd go with either Earl Grey or iced chai with a lot of sugar and soymilk (I also like the tapioca teas in chai sometimes). Hmm, this has been a bit rambling.
Genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice)
I mainly love herbal tees. Yogi Cocoa Spice, Yogi Licorice, Yogi Egyptain Licorice Mint,Traditional Medicinals Ginger, and Mebmer's Fennel and Mint. Always with a splash of soy and piping hot- sooo comforting! :)
Black tea with rose petals
Constant Comment Decaf
PG Tips
and the greatest tea ever: Barry's Irish Tea! I've only ever had their Decaf but it is delicious!! You can get it online from Eire.
I tend to buy lots of Yogi Tea and Celestial Seasoning's Tea, because that's what we have at Big Lots - $1.50 for a box!! I love chai. and anything fruity. I have a nice vanilla hazelnut.. my newly discovered favorite is Black Licorish tea - but not many are a fan of that one ::)
I have a drawer full of tea - I'm addicted to the variety.
I find the most comforting thing about tea is not what kind but the ritual of preparing and drinking it. Back in the day (in the early 70s) when I drank pekoe tea (that's the only kind I knew about for the most part), I bought a tray and a teapot and matching handle-less cups. I would make the tea in the teapot, put it all on the tray, take it to my bed, and drink my tea while I read in bed. I just loved doing that. Somehow it was not just comforting but made me feel special.
I find the most comforting thing about tea is not what kind but the ritual of preparing and drinking it. Back in the day (in the early 70s) when I drank pekoe tea (that's the only kind I knew about for the most part), I bought a tray and a teapot and matching handle-less cups. I would make the tea in the teapot, put it all on the tray, take it to my bed, and drink my tea while I read in bed. I just loved doing that. Somehow it was not just comforting but made me feel special.
that sounds wonderful, bookmama!
I know what you mean. There's something about the whole ritual of warming the pot and drinking the stuff from a proper cup that elevates it to so much more than just a drink. Personally, I'm really fond of Earl Gray and although I used to hate it I now love lemon and ginger. Rooibus tea is also pretty nice.
I remember being taught to make tea at the age of 3. Mom put a Pyrex coffee pot on the stove to teach me about boiling water: "The water must be boiled, and freshly boiled!" I was fascinated by the bubbles and by the change of colour when the teabags were dropped in (Lipton in those days!). We had a ritual called "tea and books"--Mom would take our cups of tea (mine with so much sugar in it, it stayed in the bottom) to the parent's big bed, with children's books, and we would lie there and read...at first she read aloud, and then she would fall asleep and I would sit and page through the books. I learned to read at about age 3 and a half and I'm sure this is why.
Bliss was when it rained. Tea, books and rain--magic.
Bliss was when it rained. Tea, books and rain--magic.
YES! So much of what makes drinking tea so special is the ritual of preparing it! I love waiting for the pot to boil, taking it off the stove, and pouring it into my waiting mug. So much better than throwing a cup of water in the microwave (though I will do that on occasion if I'm in a rush & want to take my tea with me). :) And rainy days were definitely meant for tea!
I usually stock up on lots of organic favorites... Apple cinnamon, chamomile, peppermint, rose petals, chai tea... But I love, love, love Aveda's Organic Comforting Tea! :D I have actually only ever seen it in loose form, but I just went to their website to post the link, and I see it comes in bags now, too! :) I like loose teas, but bags are so much more convenient if I want to stash some at work to keep on-hand!
http://www.aveda.com/templates/products2/mpp.tmpl?ngextredir=1&CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY10701
(And $24 might seem expensive for the loose tea, but I have had my bottle FOREVER & use it often, and it's still about half-full. It lasts me a long time, so it's worth it! ;))
JessaCita - Yes! I assumed this whole thread would be about the awesomeness that is Aveda's Comforting Tea. I regularly buy it as a thank you for people I love. It has just a hint of licorice, yummy minty flavors, and whole lot of cozy.
Bookmama, Yabbit, et all - I agree about steeping it with boiling water from a pot - my tea kettle has the most obnoxious whistle, but I love it. 'Cause it means I'm going to feel cozy just to watch the tea steep.
I love licorice tea, especially if I have a tummyache, ginger tea (sometimes with agave) especially if I have cold and sometimes if I have overstuffed myself at dinner.
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