Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumEnglish Teas brands and an American woman trying them, a review.
I have over the last 4 months been trying out different brands, all in bags, all bought in the US Midwest at Krogers or Whole Foods.
I have tried PG tips, pyramid shaped bag, a bit astringent even with 1 teaspoon sugar. Nice color.
I have tried British Builder, sachet type bag, short brew~2min, nice and strong. 1 teaspoon sugar Nice deep color
I have had 2 cups of Yorkshire Gold this morning and I now have a new favorite. Sachet type tea bag, 4 min brew time is a bit strong for me, 2 min brew and 1/2 teaspoon sugar is a wonderful culpa for me. Dark color.
So, I am now a tea snob. Tea is a small pleasure in gloomy times
Any advice on the next ones to try?
secondwind
(16,903 posts)irisblue
(32,974 posts)Irish_Dem
(47,057 posts)I like tea that tastes like the tea my Irish grandmother drank.
When I was young, she made tea for me with lots of milk and sugar.
It was like ambrosia. And the tea had a unique taste like Barrys and Yorkshire Gold.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)Have you tried something from Harney & Sons (Target) or Twinings (grocery stores)?
For another type of tasting, you could try one type of tea, such as English Breakfast, Scottish Tea Time, Darjeeling, Assam, etc., from several brands or you could do a tea flight of 4 or 5 varieties from one brand.
I'm not a tea snob but a friend is and I used to assist her during her tea classes.
You might like this list [link:https://www.shortlist.com/lists/best-tea-brands-tea-bags-and-loose-leaf-blends-powering-great-british-brews-400689|
Clash City Rocker
(3,396 posts)My favorite teas are mainly Chai and Assam. Its hard to find a good Assam here in the states, but in my travels to London, I really enjoyed them. Every flight home from Heathrow includes stopping at the Harrods shop to stock up on tea.
I like strong teas. Your tastes may be different.
LunaSea
(2,894 posts)irisblue
(32,974 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)custom blends. I start with a good basic tea for the base and then add other teas with herbal, floral and fruit varieties that sound interesting. So many possibilities.
Black tea with hibiscus petals. This is my favorite.
Green tea with ginger and lemon.
Black tea with plum, cranberry, or fennel.
Reader Rabbit
(2,624 posts)Im not sure where you can get it besides Cost plus World Market, though.
bottomofthehill
(8,329 posts)When brewing a pot for company, Barrys and and Lyons Irish teas are my go toos. I also like Bewleys, but it is my second tier Irish.
Dream Girl
(5,111 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,252 posts)I also like English breakfast or Irish breakfast
For Iced tea, nothing will do but Luzianne
Squinch
(50,949 posts)Thanks for the reviews! Have you ever tried Harney? It's a USA brand, but it's nice.
Mme. Defarge
(8,028 posts)until I gave him an assortment of loose teas from this place: https://thejasminepearl.com/
This small local company was featured in TeaTime https://www.teatimemagazine.com/heather-agosta-chuck-bauman-deeply-love-tea/
Very easy to order by mail.
gblady
(3,541 posts)Current favorites are Steven Smith, a teamaker in Portland, Oregon, #47 Bungalow and #18 British Brunch. Another yummy one is Murrough's Welsh Brew. I like Barry's decaf when I want the flavor without the kick.
Kashkakat v.2.0
(1,752 posts)A strong dark cup of PG is just about right for me. With milk, taste miraculousy changes from paint stripper to comforting, creamy bliss.
irisblue
(32,974 posts)My mom loves 'a drop' of milk in her tea.
Warpy
(111,256 posts)New England provided a reliable supply of Red Rose (Canadian), but NM doesn't. It's all Lipton or Luzianne here, no thanks.
I had friends who sent me care packages of PG Tips from the UK, but we can get it here now and there's always Amazon. I'm not surprised you find it a bit astringent, it's meant to stand up to milk. I'm not fond of the teabags for that reason, but I love the loose tea. My second is Builder, I like a strong wake me up tea.
You might try some of the Chinese teas, as well. My own favorite is jasmine, but it's meant to be sipped slowly while you send your brain on a short vacation. Pu-Erh is tasty and can settle your innards after a heavy meal. They get 3 cups out of a pinch of loose leaves; the first has the tannin and is a little astringent, the second has the best flavor, the third is just brown water to my taste.
yellowdogintexas
(22,252 posts)We used to joke that it would walk across town.
Triple strength with lots of sugar then poured over ice while still a bit warm. Lemon if available
Her coffee was equally strong we used to joke that when you poured it, you had to have scissors handy to make it stop coming out. My sister swears Granny used to add a teaspoon of instant to her cup but I do not remember that.
Warpy
(111,256 posts)and I offered her some tea. I knew she was a coffee hound, so I didn't make a full pot, just a couple of cups of Tetley, a little turbinado sugar in it. She couldn't believe she was drinking tea, she said it was the first she'd ever liked.
Tetley was good stuff.