Several months have passed since I did a post asking about favorite teas. It’s time for tea review. I am not an affiliate of any of the companies mentioned, so I received no compensation for my tea reviews.
I have very specific taste when it comes to tea. I drink it straight, without sugar or sweetener, and one of my criteria is being able to enjoy it on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. As always, your mileage may vary.
Best everyday black tea
Chocolate by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 2 Body: 2 Aroma: 4 Buy: here.
I absolutely love this tea. I am a sucker for chocolate flavors and this tea has just enough of the right aroma and taste. This is my go-to morning tea. It’s robust enough to help me wake up but gentle on my stomach without creamer or milk.
Alternative: He Family Laoshan Black from Verdant Tea. Both teas have the China black base. The sample batch of the HFLB had strong chocolate aroma, but when I ordered in bulk, the taste and scent wasn’t nearly as pronounced, so I now prefer Harney & Sons.
Paris by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 2 Body: 2 Aroma: 4 Buy: here.
This is an exquisite tea, with hints of vanilla, caramel, and just a little Bergamot. As the Chocolate, it is gentle on the stomach but still packs the flavor and caffeine punch.
It might be just me, but I find that when I drink Paris several days in a row, I end up tasting Bergamot less. It might be just me, but I enjoy varying it with Chocolate or other tea flavors.
Best Green Tea
Dragon Pearl Jasmine by Harney and Sons
Briskness: 1 Body: 2 Aroma: 5 Buy: here.
This is a remarkable tea. In fact, I’m drinking my second cup as I’m writing this. It’s a complicated taste, delicate and subtle rather than rich, but never bitter as long as it’s brewed at the right temperature, which is for the green tea happens to be 175º. It’s pricier than some other options, but having brewed it many times now, I have yet to screw it up. The jasmine is less pronounced, but I have a fix for that coming up.
Best White Tea
Yunnan White Jasmine
Flavors: floral, fruity, slightly spicy. Buy: here.
If you want jasmine tea, this is the one. It has a definite jasmine aroma; you can’t miss it. It’s a very flavorful tea, surprisingly so for white tea, and I’ve been ordering it for month and had very consistent flavor throughout. It tastes almost creamy, as much as tea can taste creamy on its own. Highly recommended.
And there you have it. There are other categories that I wanted to cover, like herbal and iced, but I have to go work. Happy tea drinking and let me know your favorites in the comments.
Good choices! (although I OD’ed on Earl Grey when younger and am a bit turned off on bergamot.) Harney and Taylors of Harrowgate both have excellent tea selections. I’m partial to their Irish and English breakfast teas, and especially the Taylors’ Scottish Breakfast. I like them without milk or sugar first thing in the morning; they may be a bit too astringent for your taste, though.
I did the same! Now I greatly dislike the smell and the taste of bergamot. Oh well, there are plenty more teas on the trees!
I like Harney and Sons white Christmas tea, lovely vanilla flavors
My brother would drink Earl Grey very strong. It looked like coffee when it finished steeping. The smell reminds me of Froot Loops. For those who don’t know, Froot Loops is a sweet cereal.
As a Turkish, only tea drinkable is this: https://productimages.hepsiburada.net/s/25/500/10108396503090.jpg
Redder the better, hotter the better. And you just need to şuupt when you are taking a sip. Also, that teaspoon should stab your nose. No pain no gain…
I visited Turkey (Kusadasi and Selcuk) over a decade ago and absolutely loved the tea there. Everyone was so hospitable and friendly as well! The tea reminds me of a lighter version of hot apple cider. 🙂
I think you might be referring to the lovely apple tea (elma cay) which is enjoyable and given to you in pretty much every shop if you’re a tourist and they want to sell you stuff!
On the other hand since my long ago visits to Istanbul my brother has now married a Turkish Cypriot with a very Turkish family. Their evryday tea is strong, not fruity and golden and nothing like the delicious apple blend and don’t even mention the Turkish coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker but it’s rude not to on certain occasions and I swear it’s worse than a tequila shot!
I realised now I see my sentence above that it sounded iffy – they do offer to be polite too, and indeed are very courteous, it’s just also very common for shops and stalls to serve it to customers as part of the whole sales experience. Or it was when I visited but the last time I went was a good 12-15 years ago.
I think you are right, the apple tea is what I enjoyed while there!
I’m *still* mad that my double boiler teapot’s upper handle got broken. (Yeah, yeah, I should get another. But practically, I mostly drink matcha? Or homemade chai.)
Adagio has a really nice Irish Breakfast. I am also a fan of their Golden Monkey.
Paris is one of my favorites. I need to try Chocolate next!
Harney & Sons Victorian London Fog is my ultimate favorite, hands down 🙂
Their dragon pearl jasmine is a favorite of mine too. Nice faves!
I forgot Victorian London Fog – I agree, really awesome tea.
I havent had a bad Harney & Sons tea yet. My favorite is Earl Grey Supreme.
Harney & Sons Cinnamon Sunset is the best, strongest cinnamon tea I’ve ever had, no sweetener needed! Amazing.
Awesome tea!
Ooh, thank you. I am always looking for a good cinnamon tea. (I really like their Christmas tea, but I have to make a special trip to a specific grocery store to by H&S.)
Their Hot Cinnamon Spice is an absolute favorite of mine!
My mom brought me jasmine tea back from China last year and it was so good I almost cried when I finished the bag. I’ll have to order this one and see how it compares! She also brought back a black lychee that was amazing that I need to try and replace as well.
I’ve been drinking David’s Saigon Chai a ton recently – you can still taste the black tea base through all the other yummy cinnamon/ginger/cardamom etc. Also still can’t quit Mighty Leaf’s Orange Blossom (black with vanilla/orange/jasmine).
Like you, I drink my tea plain. I also love Hartney & Sons, and completely agree with you about their Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea. So delicious!
Although I love almost all teas, in general, I prefer green and white to red and black. I really dislike Earl Grey, however, and it’s likely the bergamot.
Love the Harney Teas I will have to try the Chocolate
Thank you! I love jasmine tea, will give the last tea a try.
Hooray! I’ve been waiting for this post! It was thanks to your previous post on tea that I placed an order with Verdant. It changed my life. The Yunnan white jasmine is a favorite in my household. I gifted some to my mother and now she will not drink another tea.
We’re pretty simple: Twinings Orange Pekoe for caffeine, and Twinings Decaf Chai for no-caffeine. We also can do a half-caff version with one of each. But we needed to get a red teapot for the chai tea, otherwise all tea will taste of chai spices.
Love Jasmine, buy most of my teas from David’s Tea
Butterfly Jasmine is my green tea go-to, black tea go to Earl Grey or Cream of Earl Grey and herbal LOVE organic cold 911 especially when feeling stuffy
Such a fun company and lots of good tea, I have a basket full of their tins. Earl Greyer is a favorite, though.
http://www.republicoftea.com
I am very boring and have Tazo Earl Grey every day. I liked the Harney&sons but not as much as the Tazo.
Tazo Zen tea is super delicious
Murchies Tea (Canadian Company over 125 years old)
Stormwatcher, Golden Jubilee, Editor’s Blend, and Decaf Ceylon.
Seriously amazing teas, I prefer strong black and complex flavours without the weird additions that other companies like to play with (why sprinkles? Gummy bears? Yuck.)
My favorite black is Upton Tea Company’s No. 1 Tippy Orthodox GFOP Darjeeling. It’s a nice, all around tea with a smooth finish…
My favorite green is … I don’t like green, it all tastes like grass to me, but my son claims Upton’s Organic Gunpowder is wonderful.
My favorite all around just have some because tea is Upton’s Tie Gran Yin Oolong Special grade.
I like Upton’s Christmas Special Blend Black Tea, too, which has cinnamon and orange and cloves and cardamon and rose… It’s very nice… like dessert in a cup.
If you want something unique, I recommend trying a Yunnan sticky rice pu-erh tea (Nuo Mi Xiang). It actually does taste like Chinese sticky rice.
I also quite like drinking Japanese hōjicha every once in a while. It’s a roasted tea and very earthy in flavour, but tastes different from Chinese pu-erh.
On a trip to Japan a few years ago, the best tea I had there was from this place: https://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/english/
That sounds like fun – I’ve appreciated puers, but haven’t yet fallen in love with one?
(Big hojicha fan, though I haven’t been having it recently.)
Pu’ers are tricky. The best I have is from China when I visited the Western areas. You have to get A grade aged for a while from the right mountains etc. etc. Hard to find anywhere else because it has become so popular in China. I am still gently working my way through my brick which I have had since 2007. Strictly for special occasions when I need a beautiful tea that I can pot several times. It is possibly the smoothest richest tea I’ve ever had – and I am truly a terrible tea snob.
My personal favorite is Stash’s White Christmas, which is a mix of white and green teas with ginger and peppermint. I like really strong black teas, which usually aren’t great on an empty stomach. One of the great things about it getting cooler is I can drink tea all day without feeling hot. That makes my sinuses happy.
Love Stash’s White Christmas but was unable to find it last year at local retailer. I also like their Christmas Eve and Double Earl Grey
I ordered mine off their website last year.
I have to agree with you. I have the chocolate, and Paris. I also have chocolate mint, vanilla (black tea), and Holiday and have enjoyed them all. I am rarely drink green teas so have not tried the either of the ones you have listed.
Love the chocolate mint!
We have a tea house here in Boulder County, Colorado that was deconstructed in India and put back together in Boulder. Their Blue Moon tea is my absolute favorite, with blueberry and vanilla notes in a black tea. https://boulderteaco.com/collections/black-teas
Republic of Tea Hi-Caf Breakfast black – SOOOOO good first thing in the morning and I’m always forgetting and leaving the tea bag in and it takes a long time to turn bitter so win there too! I also love Numi’s Mate Lemon. Also good EcoTeas Yerba Mate and Ecoteas Organic Tulsi which I mix together.
I like the Republic of Teas’ I’m partial to fruity flavors, love the Cherry Garcia and Peach Ginger Black teas iced.
African Solstice by Tea Forte. I know it’s a rooibos, not a true tea, but it tastes fantastic.
I didn’t realize rooibos is not considered a true tea! Numi rooibos is my favorite in the mornings!
New England breakfast & Scottish morn from Harney
It’s definitely a situational/associative thing but I love chrysanthemum tea because it reminds me of good times at dim sum with family and friends (I’m Asian). When we go for dim sum it’s MINIMUM an hour spent catching up. If you order jasmine tea it’s too strong by the end of dim sum but chrysanthemum tea is still delicious.
I have an Aunt who swears by Peppermint tea, says it’s the only one you can’t screw up and is available in many different places, in many different countries. I’ll have to give her this tip.
I only drink herbal tea. My current favourite is Dorset Tea’s Cool Chamomile.
Me too! I’m sensitive to caffeine so it’s a bit of a loss only having herbals but I still love the scent, heat, and ritual of it.
Same here! Would love to hear herbal tea recommendations! I also enjoy rooibos.
While I don’t know if it’s actually true or not, they say that if you don’t steep the tea as long, the caffeine content is lower. For the Yunnan White Jasmine, I only steep for 15 seconds on the first brew (I use the Eastern method, unless it’s herbal), but everyone’s tastes are different. You can get sample sizes of most of Verdant’s teas, if you wanted to try something out. If not, I completely understand! There are things I love that I have to avoid too. ????
My favorite teas are from Republic of Tea – blackberry is my favorite Saturday day – Earl Greyer is my favorite daily tea
I loved Harney chocolate .
I like Republic of tea, mango Ceylon and ginger peach.
Hate earl gray, it’s the Bergamot.
Not really fond of green tea. Hate chamomile.
In winter I like Chai. I think because it’s more robust or complex.
I also add honey to my tea in the winter or if I have a cold , otherwise just plain. I can’t stand adding milk , just no.
I don’t really drink caffeine much these days so I can’t enjoy the Chocolate recommendation. These days I go for Stash’s Christmas in Paris (chocolate and mint). https://www.stashtea.com/products/christmas-in-paris-herbal-tea
I love this tea from the Canadian company Davids Tea, Nepal Black is smooth and malty and just perfect for drinking with pecan shortbread cookies. But my old job in the bay area had a great black chai and rooibos chai, Julies coffee and tea garden is a small company but great products.
I blend the 3 of them, first two in the pic. 15 spoons each in a jar and add the third one about 4 or 5 spoons and the end product is the last one on the pic 🙂 i like my tea a little bit of strong
It seems i couldnt add a picture ????♀️
*is suspicious of anyone who drinks unsweetened tea*
I like the idea of tea, but unless it’s mostly milk and sugar, the taste makes me gag. And that includes peppermint tea, which I would really like to like, because I love the taste of mint. I munch fresh mint leaves all summer (multiple varieties). But brew it into tea, and it becomes nasty soggy leaf water, blech. And it has the cruel habit of still smelling delicious, just to lure me into tasting it once in a while.
Have you tried Bigelow Perfectly Mint tea? It has a black tea base and a nice mint flavor.
Love this tea!
I steep mint leaves to add to my homemade lemonade. I get the scent and enough of the mint to taste it in the final product. Might be something to try.
I love Harney & Sons teas and I have a variety at home. I adore Paris and thoroughly enjoy the black currant and vanilla varieties. Chocolate really intrigues me and I think I may try that one next.
One of my favorite white teas is called Plum White from the Savoy Tea Company out of Fayetteville Arkansas. It is easy on the stomach (I have IBS) and I love the sweet flavor it has even without sugar. It is our favorite “dessert” tea. My kids and I like it for an afternoon treat. I also really like their ceylon single estate.
Hi there, I love tea! I always enjoy hearing about different tea companies. Have you tried Murchies from Victoria BC Canada? They have a wonderful selection, not to mention a lovely tea room and shop. Being English and the granddaughter of a Yorkshire lady, I have a soft spot for Taylors, from Harrogate.
No vote for white peony? I love love white peony!
I’ve been curious about the “Chocolate” tea from Harney and Sons. Their “Paris” blend is one of my favorites. A friend sent it to me for Christmas one year and I was immediately hooked.
Thank you so much for doing this. I love tea, but sometimes branching out from the norm can be a bit intimidating. I’ve been wanting to try a green tea. I will consider ur suggestion.
I’ve never heard. Harney and Sons. I’ve used Virtuous Teas online for at least 10 years. My old standby of English Breakfast is always a pleaser. I also get their scented Earl Grey. It’s the only tea I drink wo milk.
I know chamomile is not a real tea, but do hv any recommendations regarding? Thx.
I am also a Harney & Sons tea drinker. Cranberry Autumn is my fall and winter tea. Just bought Ciron Green and it’s growing on me. My favorite chai is Steven Smith Teamaker Masala Chai Blend No. 33. Thanks for sharing your teas with us. Look forward to your herbal choices.
A favorite tea. so hard. Right now it’s Twinings Orange and Cinnamon Tea (Black Tea) that a friend brought back from Italy. But I had Earl grey with double bergamot for a couple of days now and I cannot taste the bergamot anymore :-(, so it is not only you Ilona.
I love Harney & Sons Earl Grey tea. The main thing I like about this tea is that it does not have a bitter taste. Very smooth and mellow.
Being from eastern NC, my only exposure to tea in my youth was Lipton, served cold and with enough sugar to enable you to feel your tooth enamel decaying. Now, I like hot tea on occasion but usually in colder weather. So, since I am a hot tea heathen, I order enough of all the Stash holiday tea flavors to last for 4 or 5 months and I’m good. I do have to have a little sweetener, so I add some stevia, but no cream.
My husband loves Harney and Sons! He prefers their Pumpkin Spice tea. I am not a pumpkin spice anything person though – yuck. I prefer Twinings Lady Grey myself. I have not tried different tea makers though to see if they make a better one. It took years of my trying his different teas to even find a tea I like so I have stuck to that brand – apparently I’m picky when it comes to tea and beer. I like them both to have some citrus in it we have determined. We make big pots of the lady grey in the fall and winter since that is the only time I want a hot beverage. I love that tea! If anyone knows of a better Lady Grey I should try though please let me know!
if you sign up with Republic of tea, they send you a catalog and a new tea each month. that’s a nice way of trying their teas, and not having to buy an entire package of them.
I have tried several, but Twinning’s Lady Grey is my favorite so far of the LGs that I have tried. Would love to hear other’s recommendations on LG flavors, though.
I REALY miss Twinning’s Scottish Nog! They carried it seasonally for a while, then discontinued it. If anyone has suggestions on where to find that lovely brew, or its twin from another company, my entire family (including many extended cousins and older relatives) will Bless you! I got them all hooked on it as “the drink” for family gatherings for Christmas, and now its gone… we’ve even written Twinning’s letters / emails… no luck.
I love Harney teas! My favorite is chocolate mint – it’s great when I have an upset stomach.
I also love Harney Royal Wedding tea, and mango.
But my go-to for a good black tea is Scottish Blend – have not found any breakfast tea to beat that. Caveat – I haven’t tasted all of Harney’s teas yet.
For Earl Grey, I was disappointed by Harney’s Earl Grey Supreme, so I’m sticking to my favorite Bigelow.
I’m a big fan of the Hot Cinnamon Spice. Just ordered some Chocolate too, thanks for the recommendation!
For a half a dozen years, we hosted soccer coaches (ages 18 to 24) for a week or 2 each summer from the UK. No one living in our house drinks coffee (we have a french press for the guests to bring their own coffee), but I do have a variety of teas and herbal tisanes. I always tried to check with the coaches about their food restrictions and if they have a caffeine habit in whatever form that took. One of the Irish coaches said yes to tea and then looked at me blankly when I offered him different options. Like completely no idea what foreign language I was speaking. I chalked it up to not paying attention to details because of his age. I checked with an Irish ex-pat colleague and she said it was not a case of cluelessness. Apparently there is one type of tea (I equated it to being similar to Lipton in the US) and maybe if you are in a hoity-toity area there might be a second option, but the idea of loose tea or varieties would have been very strange. So for once, the American knew more about tea than someone from the UK. LOL.
I am currently drinking a cup of Afternoon Blend from Salty-Savory-Sweet (local and internet spice and tea shop). I typically rotate through a bunch of options based on mood. The picture includes most of the current rotation.
It is true! For the majority of Brits asking what sort of tea do you want is asking whether you want it strong enough to stain furniture (my father) or so weak that you’ve just waved the teabag at it and it’s little more than milk and water (my sister). Then you ask if they want sugar and how many (my grandmother has four or five depending on the size of spoon). Tea drinking is a staple of life not a thought process. My family ask for a cup of ‘proper tea and not that ‘foofy’ stuff you like’. I despair sometimes!
Ah, the ‘foofy’ stuff.My poor Mum was unpopular with her Irish in laws and thought she would be extra nice when they came to visit and had a wonderful selection of teas ready for them. They were properly disgusted by the hoity- toity teas. When I was left to stay for the day with my father’s aunt and rest of the clan I was “the Protestant’s daughter”. My father’s aunt thought she would banish me to the kitchen for my tea while my cousins had theirs in the “parlor”. Normally I was a pretty good kid, but I threw my cup on the floor and declared that if I couldn’t have tea with the rest of them, I’d have none at all. I expected to die. The aunt laughed, had someone else clean it up, gave me a pat on the head and said, “No, you’re one of ours.”From then on I could have burned the house down and she would have forgiven me. Now, many decades later, with my morning (black) tea, I salute my aunts who taught me not to be anyone’s doormat. Still, I drink the ‘foofy’, if Harneys north Frisian can be called that. Their chocolate is a great fall back when dieting to assuage chocolate cravings.
British tea. Often called builder’s tea (British builders and tradespersons are traditionally powered by tea, although coffee is becoming more common) It’s black tea, it comes in bags, brewed in a mug, with milk, sugar if you must. Brands don’t matter much (although we may have a favourite).
It’s not what non British people expect at all. There are of course a lot of fancy teas and herbal infusions, but say “tea” to a Brit and that’s not what we expect at all
My sister loves cinnamon rooibos chai from David’s tea. strong cinnamon tea
My friend at work goes home to China every year or so and brings me back red tea. No brand. It comes in a plastic bag inside a clay pot. I always say I’m drinking grandma’s ashes because it looks like an urn. Very yummy though. Wonder how he gets it through customs…
Ooooooo, I LOVE Jasmine green tea…I may have to ask for the Dragon Pearl one for Christmas. I would love to hear your recommended herbals, too!
My favorite Jasmine Green so far is from the Bar Harbor Tea Company. It’s a little local tea shop, so even better!
I have been thinking about getting that Paris tea! Thank you for the helpful review!
Does anyone have a recommendation for a device to get the water exactly the right temperature? Ilona mentions one needing 175 degrees exactly, but right now I simply boil water and then pour it over the tea. Maybe it’s time I level up my tea game.
I use my instant read thermometer (what I use in cooking) to check the temperature of the water, if I’m not using boiling water. After a few times, you’ll probably get a feel for how long you need to let it rest after boiling or when to take it off based from the sound of the bubbles before it reaches boiling. Checking the temperature of things in the kitchen though is never a bad thing.
I’m sure there’s lots of fancy electric kettles that could do it for you, but I don’t have a specific recommendation for one. Hope someone else does though! ????
Thank you both! 🙂
I use a water kettle that has tea type-specific buttons to heat the water at the exact temperature for each. I tested this one with a thermometer and it’s fairly accurate.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JN2TK4Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I love the Tropical Fruit Cold Brew tea by Celestial. I realize it makes me a “heathen” but I prefer iced tea and require decaffeinated due to medical reasons. You taste pineapple, orange, cherry, and hibiscus really strongly in this mix and it is by far my favorite. Although from the box it also contains rooibos, rose hips, and roasted hickory. ????
Oh, and I don’t like sweet tea so I don’t add sugar. But the flavor is so good no sugar is needed.
Thank you! I am a self confessed tea snob living in the coffee obessed PNW????
I really like black tea and my current favorite is Pumpkin Spice Latte. Makes it feel like Fall!
I have also enjoyed the subscription box from Tea Runners. You can choose a different box each month and choose monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly shipments. Great way to try a small amount, 1 oz, of different teas.
I tend to like ‘builders tea’ – normal English breakfast types as my go to BUT my first drink of the day and for when I need something more refreshing I love spicy yogi teas https://www.yogitea.com/en/products/ I have tried 5 blends so far classic, licorice, choco, turmeric and rose, delicious ????
Egyptian Licorice!!! Yum! LOL Didn’t know they had a chocolate?
I am reading this post righf after reading the last chapter of the manga “The Duchess’ 50 Tea Recipes” and it is confusing.
I am completly colour-blind to anything others “see” in the tea so I dont like if that much. However, I enjoy listening to people talk about it, for me it is the unknown.
I’m a tea addict and absolutely love Japanese green teas. They are so many subtle flavors coming from them, it’s like tasting wine.
I love Matcha Love: Japanese Matcha, Apple & Ginger. It’s so refreshing without being very ginger forward. It’s got a lovely inviting fragrance and tastes perfect without any sweetener. I highly recommend it for morning or an afternoon pick-me-up.
What company is this from? I love Matcha too! Thank you for the rec!
We are sort of peasants, I guess. For black tea, P.G. Tips. We found out about it from British friends. It has, to my taste, a little note of citrus.
For herbal teas, depends what it’s for. Peppermint is my default, or a mix of peppermint and ginger. If I’m too tired to think about it, Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer.
My old herbal standby was Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger, but it’s hard to find now, and the currently available Zingers like Wild Berry and Lemon don’t really measure up to good old Red. It was so beautiful steeping in a glass mug, too.
I’m hooked on Yogi Egyptian Licorice. No sweeteners needed. There are some loose teas I’ve obtained from NOLA that are spicy but I can’t remember the names!
I LOVE Yunnan White Jasmine! ???? I also really like Tieguanyin Oolong (Spring) and Wuyi Gongfu Black (Spring). I started a kind of tea journal so I could keep track of what I had tried, what I liked, and what I didn’t (I knew that I’d never remember all those names). It’s also been really fun getting the Tea of the Month from Verdant and exploring the different varieties. ????
By the way, I think I have a tea problem. They’re taking over the cupboard. ????♀️????
Oh, and my favorite herbal is Peppermint. I haven’t found a specific brand that I prefer over others, but I like it when I have a headache or need to settle my stomach.
Culinary Teas Black Currant Decaf in a Turkish tea glass…… having it right now.
My favorite tea is Diet Dr Pepper. In fact, that is my favorite coffee, too.
I detest tea and coffee. Blech.
I drink Lipton tea with no sugar. I cold brew my tea. It doesn’t have as much caffeine as hot brew tea.
I hate sweet tea. I tried it once and spit it out. ????
Argh leaf soup, so not a fan
Anything from Jeju Island is awesome. You can get the Osulloc brand on Amazon.
They have a really good sampler pack, but it sells out. I keep it in my wish list and then buy when it pops up.
My favorite tea is from the Aubrey Rose tea room, its called buccaneer. It a black tea with a chocolaty coconut flavor. But my go to tea atm is Twinnings LadyGrey which is also a black tea with a note of orange flavor.
I’ve found my digestion is better if I have milk in my tea. So my favorites are the really nice homemade Chai at my favorite Indian restaurant and the roasted tea flavors of Hoji Cha or (last but not least) a good, strong, Oolong. Unfortunately, since I’m no longer in Japan, I haven’t found good sources for the last two.
Harney Hot Cinnamon!!!!
Davidson’s Organic Orange Spice tea. It’s a blended black tea. I got it in a stress-relieving gift basket and fell totally in love. I haven’t been able to find it in stores, so I’m going to order it online.
https://www.davidsonstea.com/Orange_Spice_Loose_Leaf.aspx
I feel like my eyes have been opened… I had no real idea that there was more to tea drinking beyond the strongest cup of English Breakfast (any brand is fine) that I could get my hands on…. so all those ‘frou frou’ teas are actually serving a purpose!?
I’m going to have to take the blinkers off and start brewing some specialty teas.
Thanks for the kick in the butt!
Yours sincerely,
A humbled generic tea drinker
This is awesome! Thank you for sharing. I drink herbal and fruit teas so if and when you get time I would truly appreciate your thoughts on those. I need to get some of these for my tea obsessed friend. I’ll win all the brownie points this Christmas! Lol
Love Harney and sons..a favorite is African autumn.wondered about Paris..will have to try. I think the prices reflect the quality but the Starbucks in Barnes and noble has specials sometimes (bogo at Christmas last year, but occasionally bog1/2 off) which is nice for trying new favors.stash lemon ginger also good esp when sick
I love omija beauty berry by Rishi. It’s sweet and sour and salty and bitter all at the same time. I can drink it anytime, no matter how sick I am. My MIL buys me this herbal every time Rishi has a sale. It’s a running joke that it’s my unbirthday present from her, spaced out throughout the year. They also have a good valerian herbal that helps me sleep and makes the cats high.
https://www.rishi-tea.com/product/organic-omija-beauty-berry-caffeine-free-herbal-tea/caffeine-free-botanical-tea
While I love Chocolate, their Organic Assam is my favorite across the board. Sadly, I can’t get a big bag right now, when I ran out, because they are out of stock. ???? CTC Assam is ok, but not as wonderful, but in a down year for Assam, compromise is all!
I tend to wander in flavors so I will have to give your suggestions a try. I am partial to Rishi and Lahaha which I found at central market. If you want something green tea based but a little different, I’d like to suggest Genmaicha, which is green tea with roasted sticky rice https://www.rishi-tea.com/product/genmaicha-organic-japanese-green-tea-blend/loose-leaf-tea.
Lately my treat has been tea with butterfly pea flowers, which is supposed to help some with stress, if you believe the hype. It brews a beautiful blue color. https://www.rishi-tea.com/product/blue-jasmine-green-tea-botanical-blend/loose-leaf-tea If you add lemon the tea turns violet purplish. It has a pleasant flavor without being overpowering to the jasmine.
I raise my cup of hibiscus I’m drinking right now to you and wish the best health and tea drinking pleasure.
Harney & Sons is a favorite! I love Paris, Boston (blend of black tea, cranberry, and almond flavors flavored black tea) and Capri (a flavored black tea that combines dried figs and tart lemon reminiscent of the Isola di Capri in Italy, with a hint of vanilla).
I don’t think of trying anything new. I drink Assam and don’t ever think of changing. But I must say this postin and the comments that flowed have made me want to experiment.
I would love to hear your herbal when you have time as I can’t do caffeine. Happy writing to you!!
Thank you so much for these recommendations. I’m definitely checking out the Paris tea!
One of my favorites is called French Breakfast Tea by Mariage Fréres. A lovely black tea with a slight chocolate accent and soft tannins that are not too acidic on your stomach in the morning.
Kusmi tea has a Russian Morning N.24 (or Thé du Matin N.24) black tea with hints of chocolate.
Fortnum and Mason have a royal blend that is similar. Slightly softer than other black teas and easy on the stomach.
I just ordered a tin of the Paris tea you recommended. Thank you.
Happy tea drinking!!
Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll be ordering the chocolate, and probably a few others to try. I would like to know, do you prefer the sachets or loose tea?
Mt first cup of tea.
When I was three my dad told me we were going to have tea together. My first cup of tea, prepared with love. He ceremoniously took out his tea pot and two little cups and set about making us tea. It was a very pretty set, white with a Chinese design in green and purple. This was quite the event for my three year old self, my dad was making tea just for me. I was in awe that I was going to do something so grown up. So the tea is ready and he pours each of us a cup. We sit down and wait until it cools down enough to drink. I pickup my teacup and take my first sip… of Oolong tea. Turns out that I don’t like Oolong tea, but my dad had made it especially for me, so I was very proud to drink it.
Up until my mid-teens, at home we drank tea with milk and sugar or lemon and sugar. People around us didn’t drink tea, so we didn’t have a base for comparison. We made friends with a Russian family and had “naked” tea for the first time, without any sugar and lemon or milk. It took some getting used to.
Today I can drink “naked” tea unashamed, when my stomach permits me. I still don’t like Oolong, and I am not fond of green tea either. I like teas that have a fruity taste. I adore teas that have flavors reminiscent of almonds, caramel, chocolate or vanilla. I love English Breakfast and Earl Grey with milk and sugar. Up to date I haven’t found a rooibos tea I haven’t liked.
What was your tea experience like?
My current favorite tea is Cha Gorreana which is a black tea from the island of
San Miguel, in the Azores. It’s grown in a plantation that’s been there since 1820.
It is pretty robust but still has floral notes.
I’m a Jasmine Downey Pearl gal and mostly bought from Peet’s for several years. Then they started fiddling with their supplier when they bought Mighty Leaf. It is still mostly good for the price & accessibility but sometimes tins purchased in spring are from the prior year and less fragrant.
My current supplier is TeaVivre.com and they have 2020 harvest Jasmine Snail which has a nice 4/5 strength aroma https://www.teavivre.com/yu-luo-jasmine-green-tea.html which ships from the US warehouse. Their Superfine Jasmine Pearls is strongly scented 4.5/5 and ships from China via China Post which takes about 2 weeks to get to me in CA https://www.teavivre.com/superfine-jasmine-dragon-pearl.html
I’m going to go with candlelight white by Plum Deluxe. (Or is it champagne white? Gah… I’m not near my tea stash.) anyway, it’s a champagne inspired white tea, complicated with a hint of sweet and best served without any fixings.
I love white teas a lot.
What about decaf tea?
H&S decaf teas are just as good as their caffeinated ones
Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post. I will have to try the jasmine tea you recommended as that particular one I have not tried yet. I have a sibling who prefers jasmine tea.
I prefer black tea from Charleston SC. It was originally imported in 1700s and has been grown there since before the Civil War. It has a different taste from black Teas available in grocery stores. Difficult to find as limited production. Kind of like pancake syrup from real sugar canes. Difficult. So I will try your helpful recommendations and see if I like as much.
Thank you.
I was forced to give up caffeine due to a medical problem and for the longest time I have been miserable. I love both coffee and tea and most of the decafs I have tried have been less than stellar. I found a local tea shop that makes their own blends. They make a lovely lavender earl grey for me that is quite lovely. For when I travel I enjoy the Stash brand and particularly enjoy the hazelnut chocolate and their early grey. Both are decaffeinated and lovely.
I’m a huge fan Harney and Sons. For chilly days when you want a hot tea with a little spice hot cinnamon spice is amazing. The aroma is warming yet exciting. Florence is amazing with a touch of cream as it seems to bring out the nuttiness in then tea.
I like Tea Forte teas especially their cherry blend.
Back to your other post, it is lovely your so loved everyone wants you to come live near them. Drink coffee myself but love green tea.
My favorite will always be the Golden Dragon yellow tea that I used to get from Teavana.
Tealyra’s Huaug Cha yellow tea is a passable alternative.
I love red teas (rooibos), especially with a dash of cream. I loved black chai teas as well, and Morning Thunder by Celestial Seasons (it’s a black tea that has a bit of yerba mate in it). I also like English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, and Earl Grey. I recently tried Lady Grey and I love it. I also love Earl Grey with Lavender…. yummy! I mainly buy Twinning, Bigelow, and Celestial Seasons because I can afford them on sale.
I used to add a bit of honey to my black tea, but now I only add a bit of cream or milk.
I like black and red teas brewed strong, but green tea, fruit flavored, and herbals brewed light. I don’t like yerba mate straight by itself.
You should at least get a couple of freebies from the company for those reviews Lol. I’ve never tried them but will be ordering now. I love an Earl Grey but in the evening I always drink Rooibos or otherwise called Redbush, it is delicious and caffeine free so doesn’t disturb my sleep. Coming from the UK I found your article on moving house shocking as I didn’t realise things were so bad there. We are very lucky here to have free health care but we, like yourselves have a very dangerous right wing Govt that would love to privatise it. Keep well.
I simply go with the chai, tea that’s made of actual tea leaves aka Camellia sinensis grown in east Asia. We have song for it- ek kali do pattiyan… ( one bud and two leaves)… Those tea bags that pass of tea are just “dust” of tea leaves.. Left overs..
Any Tea can be augmented with spices like ginger, or a pinch of corundum, or ground cinnamon etc. As long as you do not follow that stupid WebMed recipe they tweeted recently, and overload it with spices.. I would rather eat pineapple pizaa. …. If you must follow that webmed recipe, you can replace tea bags with rice and get a nice plate of “pulav”. Or even biryani instead.
We throw in other leaves or herbs in boiling water, sometimes but that’s Karha (i.e.also spelled as kadha now a days) .. or some Ayurvedic mix for health.
BTW I wanted to thank you for recommendation of Will Wight’s Cradle series . It follows the manga/manhwa/manhua stories that I liked.. the Breaker series combined with Naruto etc…
And I should have read and to edited out most of that rambling stupid comment I just made.. .. realized that a second after posting it and no delete button..
In the last six months I have moved from drinking T2’s Canberra Breakfast (which has oatmeal and is like drinking an Anzac Biscuit) to their La Fudgy. I was given the sampler box around Easter and was hooked. It’s black tea flavoured with maple syrup and caramel and utterly comforting. I had to buy a tea pot for the library where I work so I could drink it at work as well as at home.
I love white jasmine tea also, it’s very nice, light and perfumed ????
You love chocolate favors and I love caramel ones, for the moment the ones that satisfies me most is the one from Thé Damman ????
My favourite brand (but they are a more expensive) is Marriage Frère, very very good quality and the flavours … ????
I love drinking new tea maybe I’ll search and buy your recommendations???? I think I can also find Harney and Sons in France (hopefully ????????)
I have a green tea every morning to help detox my system, then good old English breakfast tea with soya milk through the day. Not every ones choice, but works for me x
I’ve been drinking plain ol’ grocery store tea which sounds so boring when compared to all the suggested flavors! Can’t wait to explore the tea world out there!