beyond orange pekoe
December 16, 2009
As of 2:56 p.m., my Fall 2009 semester is done.
Still waiting for my attention, of course, is the whole Christmas hoo-ha, which will then be followed by the email from students complaining about their grades, a trip to the 'burgh to see a baby* and then by another semester. But right now, I am exhaling.
Which means that I don't have anything all that exciting to report. My show-and-tell skills are at a nadir. Tomorrow will be another day, mind, and I hope to have lots to talk about. But right now, I got nothing. And am almost giddy.
I do have a question, however. Now that the weather has turned downright nippy, I find myself wanting some kind of warm drink in the afternoon, like a nice cup of tea. I'm not a tea drinker, tho, and get a little unnerved by all of the boxes, bags and powders at the grocery and/or health food store. So much so that I tend to just grab Earl Grey so that I'm not forced to think too hard. I mean, I like Mr G but am ready to branch out a bit.
What is a good entry-level tea?
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* and, of course, his parents.
How's bout a Saturday 12/26 meet-up in the 'burgh? I and the good woman will be there as well, and would also like to visit above-referenced baby and parents.
Posted by: matthew | December 16, 2009 at 04:04 PM
Lapsang Souchong. Which tastes exactly like what I imagine burned rubber tires to taste like.
Posted by: matthew | December 16, 2009 at 04:06 PM
hmm. I like me a few different kinds of tea. A good green tea with jasmine is always nice. I also love green tea with toasted rice (genmai cha). A light white tea is good. and anything with extra lavender in it is good (earl grey with lavendar is devine.. but so is lady grey tea)
Adagio teas online is nice b'c they tell you what it tastes like. I like their samplers. you get quite a few teas and not very much so you can pick what you like best later. I loev White Monkey
I also found a really nice thermos that has a tea strainer built in from liquid solutions at EMS.
Yes.. we have alot of tea in my house? why do you ask?
Posted by: anj | December 16, 2009 at 04:46 PM
So sad I won't be in the 'Burgh to see you!
Posted by: PL | December 16, 2009 at 04:58 PM
I'll be in the 'burgh Jan. 5 or 6th through that weekend. I'll miss Matt. Will you be there, PL?
And thanks for the suggestions, Anj. I'll have to check out adagio.
Keep 'em coming.
Posted by: Adrienne | December 16, 2009 at 05:02 PM
I don't drink leaded tea, but I like peppermint tea. I once had chrysanthemum tea at a Chinese restaurant. Tasted great but was exactly the color of urine of a person on medication for a UTI.
Posted by: Anna | December 16, 2009 at 05:29 PM
No 'burgh at all for me this holiday season. The Boyfriend and I both have to work on Dec 23 and also on the 26th, making Christmas virtually impossible. Then The Boyfriend has a show that begin load-in on New Year's Day and makes the first part of January crazy. I guess *I* could go to the 'burgh then, but am not sure I'm willing to deal with Mom solo! (Unless I can get my doc to perscribe extra meds.)
Posted by: PL | December 17, 2009 at 08:38 AM
Adrienne,
I'm not much of a tea drinker either but I seem to have found a way to make it more enjoyable. This may not be exactly what your looking for but during West Virginia winters I seem to drink a good bit of "Mountain Tea".
It's one shot of Grand Marnier and one shot of Amaretto that's then topped off with hot tea.
Perhaps not the best afternnon drink but it certainly warms the soul.
Posted by: Walt | December 17, 2009 at 09:54 AM
I'm another Adagio lover. Their samplers introduced me to their Rooibos vanilla and Rooibos Earl Grey, both of which I like a great deal. I also like the fact that the samplers contain enough of each tea that you can try several cups.
Normally I just need my tea to be strong enough to dissolve the spoon (the perils of growing up in the UK where tea is frequently stewed and sweet and the cure for whatever ails you), so I'm a fan of good basic teas like PG Tips and Twinings Irish Breakfast tea.
I also like Celestial Seasoning's Bengal Spice tea bags, which are lovely and chai-like.
Posted by: Melanie | December 17, 2009 at 10:35 AM
OH! And have you tried Lady Grey? It's like Earl Grey but lighter and with more citrus. It's excellent.
Posted by: Melanie | December 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM
I was instructed to drink tea one year for a throat issue and really don't like the taste. I found that fruit flavored teas do it for me. I like raspberry and strawberry the most. On some days it does just seem like the right thing to drink and I always keep some in the house.
Posted by: Linda Romar | December 17, 2009 at 01:27 PM
Orange roiboos (not caffeinated, if you care)
A good basic black tea is Yorkshire Gold, by Taylors of Harrogate
A nice ginger tea can really hit the spot on a cold day. The one I buy is endorsed by some swami or mahareshi or summat, but I expect they're mostly fine.
Posted by: Wendy | December 17, 2009 at 02:45 PM
Agreed about the Yorkshire Gold.
Posted by: PL | December 17, 2009 at 02:56 PM
I'm a green tea girl myself. Well, green or breast milk but I'm guessing you might want to skip that one. Echinacea tea is ok too. But only ok. Go with green.
Posted by: Diana | December 17, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Thanks for all of the tea advice. I have a list to take with me. Except for the breast milk tea. That ship has sailed.
Walt - I love your idea but fear it might influence my ability to get much done. It might not, however, and I'll have to experiment in order to know for sure.
Posted by: Adrienne | December 18, 2009 at 11:09 AM
I love tea. We have boxes and boxes of many kinds. One that everyone loves is GOOD EARTH (a brand, with its own particular flavor: very spicey/cinnamony -lovely in cold weather! ) - comes in herbal & black-tea-w/-same-flavor, so you can pick whether or not you want the caffeine. Tastes faintly sweet, too!
Don't get the Yorkshire Gold unless you like it very strong w/milk! If you don't want it milky, I love Darjeeling (which can take milk, but doesn't have to).
In the Caffeine-Free Zone:
If you like almond flavor, Celestial Seasoning makes a lovely "Almond Sunset." If you like sharp & citrusy, anything listing Hibiscus as a main flavor will be red & zingy.
Posted by: Ellen Kushner | December 19, 2009 at 09:52 PM