Who likes tea? I like tea.

[silent thunder]

I used to like my coffee exceptionally strong and very dark, with whole milk and sugar.  And my tea was steeped for a good 10 minutes to get it nice and strong.

 

When I convinced my wife to stop buying and using milk, I tried to use almond milk, or soy and that... was... terrible.  So I began to drink them straight.

 

Found I had to alter my brewing methods.  Switched to light roast coffee and no longer let it set in the press... it gets pressed straight away.  And for tea, after the initial rinse of the leaves (helps reduce bitterness) I basicall strain the water through the tea quickly, no long steep times any more and have come to discover I far prefer black coffee and unadulterated teas (most of them). 

 

There's a whole landscape of lovely subtle flavors (particularly in coffees) that used to be covered over by the strength and bitterness of my brewing methods.

 

edit to add:  there was a vast improvement in flavors when I began distilling all our water as well.  The taste is so dependent on the properties of one's water.

Edited June 9, 2020 by silent thunder

[Rara]

On 08/06/2020 at 4:49 PM, CCD said:

You're right that I've only tried bagged, but I've tried a variety, including green tea. Basically all of the assorted Bigelow tea packets at work I've given a try at least once. I have the same problem with coffee all tasting terrible, but everyone just tells me to add tons of cream & sugar until I stop hating it, which I really feel defeats the point.

 

Yes, I started on something similar. In England, we have Twinings, and also Clipper. I would try out different flavours like "Green tea and cranberry" which now, I will never go back to them. They did help me stop the habit of drinking normal tea with milk and two sugars though!

 

So some suggestions. If you don't even like tea, you can find "fruit teas" which is basically dried fruit which you can put in an infuser. Sometimes these are mixed with black or green teas as well. In other words, "tea" has become a broad term for "hot drink that isn't coffee".

 

If you have a Chinese supermarket near you, you will large loose leaf teas as well. These are their usual commercial ones, not quite as good as the high grade stuff but honestly, you don't need that. You might even find them online. No teapot or infuser necessary for these either, as I just throw a pinch into my cup and the leaves fall to the bottom. They can be rebrewed 2 or 3 times too.

 

As I write this, I am trying to upload some photos of mine but it is not working. Hopefully I can find a way.

 

 

[Rara]

On 08/06/2020 at 6:07 PM, SirPalomides said:

I think the Western way of drinking tea with milk and sugar has its own merits, but yes, the tea they are working with is not high quality and is not meant to be enjoyed that way. I like how Russians add jam to their tea.

 

Of course, Indian Chai. Funnily, drunk like a shot in tiny cups because of the sugar content.

 

Down it, then go walk another few miles in the heat!

[C T]

Anyone tried butter tea? Traditional Himalayan drink. 

Just wondering about the taste. I've not tried. 

Butter coffee is nice though. 

[SirPalomides]

Butter tea and kumis are two weird central Asian drinks that I am eager to try.

[silent thunder]

Would eagerly try butter tea.  Never heard of kumis, but I'd give that a shot as well.

[cheya]

Bulletproof coffee (with butter whipped into it) is really good. I've had butter in my tea when I'm out of milk, and it's just a grease slick.  So, next time, I'm gonna whip the butter into the tea just like I do with coffee. I know that's not the Tibetan way, but I wasn't impressed with my version of their version.