Wednesday, January 25, 2012

tea-se me, please

here's the thing.

i don't much like hot tea.

i try. oh goodness knows, i try.

i have a cute little grandma who carries her own tea bags in her purse, ordering a cup of hot water at restaurants. i have a sweet, calm friend who wraps her hands around a warm mug of fruit-flavored tea during bible study. and then there's my peppy work friend who loves lemon zinger in the mornings.

i haven't honestly given it a fair shake, i don't think. i've had a little green tea, a little black tea, and this morning, when i felt a little sore throat washing over me (dang north carolina weather! hot/cold/hot/cold), i made a big cup of raspberry pomegranate tea.

i was born and raised in the south, and can drink anyone under the table with sweet tea. i want this ardor to carry over into the hot tea realm.

so please, please. share your tea experiences. your recommendations. they're calling for highs in the sixties today and cold rain showers by this weekend. i don't think this sickness is going away anytime soon.

25 comments:

Unknown said...

As someone who constantly has a cough/sore throat (cursed winter allergies!) I swear by earl grey with milk (as a substitute for coffee in the mornings) and peppermint tea with honey. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they have this amazing Cherry Vanilla black tea. So good! My family are both tea and coffee drinkers so we always had a great variety growing up.

mary kate said...

you should try mandarin orange spice tea from celestial seasonings. it is amazing! hope you feel better soon!

Anonymous said...

Since you're a fan of sweet tea, have you tried adding a bit of honey to your hot tea? It will contribute that sweetness that you like without compromising the whole healthy part too much.

larisaa said...

I can't believe you don't like tea!!! Let me help. =] my favorite favorite favorite tea is tazo passion. You can get it at the grocery store or Walmart or Starbucks. And it's good hot or cold. It's sweet and fruity and not too tea-y I think. I also really like world markets selection of tea. They always have free samples and that way you can try before you buy! I hope you find something yummy to get you through this chilly rainy weekend!

Unknown said...

I'm kind of plain when it comes to my tea. I loved regular green tea with honey (that's the name), but my husband loves more of the sweeter fruity teas. Celestial Seasonings makings Madagascar Red and Raspberry Zinger that he likes a lot.
I learned a while ago that a great cure for a sore throat, and cold is hot water with lemon and honey. Seriously a lifesaver.

beka said...

hot green tea with a good spoon of honey --don't brew it too much-- is the way i take my tea. not too sweet [i've never had sweet tea, yes, i know that's crazy;)] but green tea can get bitter, so that's why i don't brew it too much.
otherwise, adding a bit of honey to any cup of tea is the way i take mine.
other than one winter a year or so ago, i don't drink tea that much.
i should/wish i could desire it more often.
mostly, though, i drink water or coffee.
lol. just the way i am.

hope you feel better soon, love! sore throats are probably the worst on my list of illnesses. :P

beka said...

i just realized i used the word "brew" instead of "steep". brew is for coffee, steep is for tea. lol.

jeanette from everton terrace said...

I don't drink tea or coffee. My mother is from England and also has her stash of teabags in her purse at all times. I like the fruity teas plain, once in a while. This winter I enjoyed an apple cinnamon a few times. For hot drinks I like apple cider or hot chocolate :)

Discovery Street said...

I'm not much of a tea drinker either...but now that i'm pregnant, i've made the switch from coffee (for now). I really like chai tea with milk and sugar, but if your sick I have the cure. Fresh ginger...slice it up, boil it for about 10 minutes and add honey to your cup...I swear fresh ginger tea is a miracle cure.

Katie said...

I love reading these comments! I'm not a tea person at all, but I so want to be. Will have to try these out :)

Christi said...

Rishi brand blueberry rooibos is amazing. And Tazo's wild sweet orange is one of my and Jarrett's current favorites.

And ginger tea really IS a miracle cure. It even works on helping my migraines when I'm trying to avoid medication.

Blondie's Journal said...

I like tea, but mostly after I have had too much coffee! lol! I like herbal fruity teas the best...or just plain Lipton tea with cream.

My sister always gave me tea with lemon and honey and a generous shot of whiskey. It soothes the pain and makes you sleep. :-)

XO,
Jane

Kira said...

I am not helpful because I am exactly the same way. I will drink an entire pitcher of iced sweet tea, but I only want hot tea when I am sick. Unless it is an Oregon Chai Latte or course :)

erika said...

Ohh, I love tea. :) I can't drink it without sugar though! My favorites are Twinings Irish Breakfast tea (very strong, and good with a little milk sometimes), Good Earth Jasmine green tea, Twinings Four Red Fruits tea (very sweet), Stash lemon and ginger tea (the ginger is pretty strong, but I like it), Twinings Lady Gray tea (subtle)- you should see my cabinet full of tea! :) I like most of what I try, but my favorite brand is Twinings.

Contemplating Beauty said...

first off you should go get Yogi Tea for your Immune System, there is one specifically for this! I love all YOGI teas!
Secondly I love love love Chamomille with honey at night,
Thirdly, I adore YORKSHIRE Black Tea with sugar and CREAM
fourthly i LOVE RED ZINGER, I'm sure your friend who drinks the lemon zinger is a fan of it.
and lastly, I love MINT tea. it's so good for nausia!

not a fan of green tea at. all.
and the only black tea i like is that Yorkshire!
but I will always remain a COFFEE GAL.
happy hunting!!! hope this helped :0

Bekkah said...

i used to not like hot tea either, but i started drinking it do ease some anxiety. my favorites are chamomile and pomegranate green tea. i don't put anything in it, but i also don't steep it for very long. 3 to 4 minutes max, usually. :]

Miriam said...

I always burn my tongue with hot tea so I don't tend to drink it very often. Iced tea, sweet or not, is my preferred form of tea.

Becca said...

I think tea (and it's mysterious soothing powers) is a life essential. Nothing beats a warm teapot with it's belly full. Mine's milk and one sugar please! If you're feeling under the weather, have a cup of redbush/rooibos with a big dollop of honey. Starbucks in the UK do a fab vanilla rooibos. Caffeine free and quenching. Also, the best cups of tea are the unexpected ones that appear as if by magic on your desk or bedside table. They're my favourite I love yous.
Get well soon and happy tea adventures! :) x

Emily A. Blasik said...

i'm the same way! being an avid coffee drinker, tea has never really satisfied me. it always seems too bland/watery, no matter what i add to it.

Mackenzie said...

i really only started to love tea when i began to drink peppermint tea with some variety of milk and agave syrup in it! or earl grey. both are divine with some sort of milk in it :)

Amanda said...

I know that you are a coffee girl through and through so I think I can tell why you wouldn't be able to get on board with hot tea.

My favorite kind is flavored tea -- I'm not a black tea drinker, so when I brew tea I like it tasty. My favorite kind is peach green tea.

Hope you find some tea you like!

Anonymous said...

I don't really like hot tea either (or coffee for that matter). But the one type I will drink is hot peppermint tea with honey. It's especially good if you're sick (stomach, throat, you name it!)

Hope you have a great day!

Lauren

http://www.laurensweetnothings.blogspot.com/

Cara-Mia said...

You are not alone. I do not like hot tea, either. (I actually don't like sweet iced teas either, though.) However, when my stomach gives me problems, I swear peppermint tea is the only thing that works. And I occasionally force myself to drink green tea since I hear it's so good for you. The only tea I can say that I enjoy is chai. Have you had it?

Unknown said...

A rich early grey [with extra bergamot if you can find it, I like Stash's and it's easily available] is a perfect transitional tea for coffee drinkers. Add in a little splash of cream or honey - or both :) - and it's pure heaven.

Any kind of Rooibos is also nice, and I've never met a tea from Mighty Leaf that I didn't like.

If you're ever in Salt Lake City there is the most wonderful little old-timey shop called The Beehive Tea Room that you would just love. My favorite there is the Beehive Honey and Cream tea and their Lavendar Earl Grey... Plus they make amazing chai and hot chocolate for the non-tea lovers among us.

Holly Knitlightly said...

Oh I love tea, but it sure heats me up! A side effect of my medication is hot flashes, so I'm alllllllllllways warm... and when I drink a mug or two of tea, I get so hot... haha! But I love tea. I'm really loving the "Read My Lips" tea from DavidsTea. It's a Canadian company but you should be able to order items from their website! & every online order comes with a free sample! Also, you can drink any of their teas as ice tea. (Well, I suppose you can do that with any tea! Haha.)

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