Tea and Herbal Infusions

[Nycteris]

(Herbal tea is not technically tea)

So any tea snobs?

I am not enough of a tea snob; I buy mass market. But I tend to like Republic of Tea.
I especially like loose tea.

My favorite tea (at the moment) is either "Russian Caravan" or, when I can't get that, "Lapsang Souchong" because it's one of the teas that make up "Russian Caravan" so it's pretty close. It is a very strong, smoky tea. I don't like milk or sugar in it.

I also like green tea, but I can't really tell them apart - though I have some hojicha which tastes quite different since it is smoked (much like the lapsang souchong).

[blob]

Having cut back on the caffeine, I drink a lot of tea these days.  I enjoy a good ol' cup of Lipton, but I'm partial to Stash brand for their Earl Grey and Chai.  Twinings makes a decent Earl Grey and Bigelow makes crap.

[Nycteris]

Yes, I like Stash Chai. I also like uh.. I think it's Numi - their Chai is very peppery.

[Chris Miller]

I've cut caffeine from my life as well, and I'm in the process of discovering tea as a more than just a substitute for coffee.

My favorites currently are from Adagio, specifically the Genmai Cha and the Decaf Spiced Green teas. Black teas tend to be too heavy and acidic for my taste.

Now, back in The Day, when I was a young neopagan hippie in college, I drank a lot of herbal tea that I made myself from visiting herb shops. My favorite was a spearmint/rose hips blend I came up with which I still make today, when I remember to get the ingredients.

[Nycteris]

I'd like to try that!

I grow some herbs - I just never get around to actually harvesting them.

[Natalie Metzger]

Yeah, I think I'm officially a tea snob. A spoiled tea snob, I think.

My absolute favorite teas are from Le Palis des Thé - specifically their Fleur De Geisha and Thé des Alizes. I blame my mom and uncle for getting me gifts of these teas on numerous occasions as I'm not sure how I'm going to restock after I run out. I don't think I can bring myself to do an international order for tea, no matter how good it is.

Tazo, Stash, Good Earth, and Twinings bagged teas are okay - and usually what I have on a daily basis. Although, Stash loose leaf is much much better than their bagged. I'm lucky enough to live close to their outlet store where their loose selection is available. The best bagged tea I've had is Zhena's Gypsy Tea. The fireside chai is awesome (especially with some milk and honey). Plus, it's caffeine free so I can enjoy some chai at bedtime.

Teavana is also quite nice, although ridiculously expensive.

I had almost given up on Adagio as the teas I had previously ordered were lacking in flavor and a bit stale. However, the last order I did restored my confidence in them. The decaf spiced green (thanks Chris!) and the dewy cherry are really good.