How Do You Take Your Tea?

I grew up drinking tea, but only with ice. It’s a Southern tradition, served at both mid-day and evening meals. Southerners are renowned for their “sweet tea,” usually with lemon, the more ice the better.

 

I didn’t begin drinking my tea hot until I was well into my 30s. Now I drink hot tea, many varieties, throughout the day. I rarely drink iced tea anymore, except when I’m served it at someone’s house. Or on a hot summer day.  I still like it --- no sugar, please --- but I prefer drinking water with my meals.

We are told of the many health benefits of tea, especially the green variety. I have had to train myself to “like” it and now drink it at least once a day. I also enjoy many other kinds, including red, white, Chai and many herbal teas.

I am not brand loyal tea with it comes to tea purchases, but I have enjoyed many of the Tazo teas. The Tazo Rest, a herbal infusion consisting or rose petals, valerian root and comfrey, will lull you down into a good night’s sleep. I have to ensure I don’t drink it until I’m actually within 30 minutes of being ready to sleep. It’s that powerful for me.

I enjoy Twinings English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast teas, but I still have to have my coffee to get me going each morning. Earl Grey is a nice afternoon tea.

I began my tea journey with Celestial Seasons teas, mostly herbals, and still enjoy them.  The fruit teas also are nice. And if you’re trying to wean yourself off coffee, you might try their Roastaroma, which, to me at least, has a distinct coffee taste.

I drink peppermint tea for indigestion or upset stomach, fennel tea for good digestion and lemon balm for its calming effect.

Whites and reds are a good substitute for those who don’t like green tea. Tea of Life has a good white tea with pomegranate; and I currently have Bentley’s Red Rooibos, which is a South African tea.

I have recently began drinking Kusmi Detox tea. Good cleansing tea. I highly recommend it.

There are so many choices when it comes to tea. I think you just have to experiment and find what you like. All of it is good for you, even the black tea, that is unless you load it up with sugar!

I like to brew mine in a pot, but because I’m often “in a hurry” and time for only one cup, I just heat the water in a cup in the microwave to boiling and plop the bag in to brew. Not a very elegant way to drink tea, to be sure, but at least I still get my antioxidants.

I can dream of going for afternoon high tea at The Ritz in London and eating crumpets, sponge cake, scones, cucumber sandwiches, blackcurrant jam, fairy cake and all the other traditional tea favorites along with my Earl Gray. But even if I cannot, I’ll still enjoy my tea in a mug several times throughout the day.

Tea was the tipping point of the revolutionary spirit in America that resulted in English tea being dumped in Boston Harbor in 1773, culminating in the War of American Independence. We have been a coffee-drinking country since that time. But more and more, we are discovering the joys of tea drinking.

Are you a tea drinker? Hot or iced? (Is it only in the U.S., especially in the southern states, that we drink iced tea?) What are your favorite teas?