What's the best tea for a new tea drinker?
I want to start drinking tea, in place of sodas. I know it's immeasurably better for you. But I can't stand the taste of the stuff, especially green tea, or whatever type it is they serve in Chinese places. I generally like fruity flavored things, but every fruity tea I've tried didn't really taste fruity to me, it was more a good smell and pretty color covering more gross tea. Any suggestions as to what teas are easiest to transition into a tea-drinker?
If you could only drink one type of tea, which would it be?
Red tea 100%. I've been drinking it for a few weeks now and it's amazing. It's apparently supposed to help me lose weight and detox my body. Its delicious though. I still have my $20 discount code if you're interested!The Red Tea Detox
Can two different types of tea be mixed together?
Thank you everyone for the great answers. I'm looking forward to making some very unusual teas now :) I can't seem to find where to find loose tea though, does anyone have any ideas? It might be better for me to go that route instead of tea bags but then again, I'm planning on setting up my coffee maker again and making tea for the day so maybe I can still use the tea bags (or at least til they are all used up...does anyone know if loose tea is really that much more expensive than tea bags? I'm presently using Lipton's and Tetley tea bags.) P.S. Because these are all good answers, I can't decide which one is the best. I wish I could just award the best answer to one but I'm going to leave it up to the community to decide. Thanks again.
Do people actually enjoy the taste of tea? Or do they just drink it for the health benefits?
I have tried several different kind of teas & cant stand the taste of any of them. Tea to me tastes like hay. So do people actually enjoy the taste of tea? Or do they just deal with the bad taste for the health benefits? I honestly cant imagine that anybody would actually enjoy the taste.
Can I drink different herbal teas in a day?
Yes, of course.There is no one-size-fits-all rule about how much of various herbs, or which combinations, is too much. This would depend on what you are consuming, as well as your own biology or medical status.Most herbs have some medicinal effects, if consumed in a high enough dose. If you are consuming herbs moderately, in quantities typical of beverage use (a few cups a day brewed at regular strength), rather than the higher doses associated with medicinal use, most people wouldn’t have anything to worry about.If you consume a lot of one particular herb though, it is important to research any health effects it might have to make sure it is safe. I also recommend ramping up your use of something gradually, rather than drinking a ton of it at once if you’re not used to it. Some herbs can have potentially dangerous effects in large doses, for example, licorice can raise blood pressure, or chamomile can act as a blood thinner.
Do any types of tea get better over time?
As far as I know, green and oolong teas have been aged to great results. Western black tea (or Red tea, as it is called in the Chinese context) is generally not changed much by ageing except for losing their virtue slowly. Pu er belongs to a larger group of fermented teas which are also aged (in the Chinese context this is what is known as 'hei cha' or literally 'black tea' - in reference of the tea liquor the leaf produces). These teas were originally green teas which were allowed to undergo a process of fermentation. Pu er can therefore be said to be an example of ageing green tea. Other teas from this group include liu an and liu bao teas. Aged oolongs also take on a significantly different flavour profile. Aged Baozhong, aged tie guan yin are all examples of aged oolongs. The ageing process is very different, however, for oolongs and for 'black teas' like pu er. Finally, its important to note that some of these aged teas are altogether different from their unaged counterparts. They therefore do not necessarily get better, rather they evolve into something quite distinct. This is particularly true for oolongs.EDIT: Pu er, liu an and liu bao, on the other hand, are traditionally held to be unsuitable for consumption before taking on some ageing. Therefore they can be said to have 'improved' over time (mainly, they become less bitter, less astringent and smoother in terms of mouthfeel).
Best types of tea to smoke?
i smoked tea tonight (because i'm out of cigarettes & i don't get paid until tomorrow, & i was desperate).. i rolled it up like a joint with rolling paper, and i really liked the taste of it. i smoked berry flavored green tea from lipton. just took the tea from the bag & smoked it. i'm really tired now, but i'm not sure if thats from smoking it or not. i made two more joints, one with berry & lemon mixed, & one of just plain lipton regular tea. i'll let ya know how those taste :)
Is it okay to have several tea bags of different kinds in the same cup?
Yes, if you can make it taste good to you!Honestly, I do this myself. Second steepings are so sad when it’s just one little teabag. But a nice blend of a plain black tea, Earl Grey, and a citrus based blend…and you get a free cup of tea!I am a penny pincher, so this makes me happy.A few things to note:Don’t cross black tea with white or green tea. White and green play well together, as do black and oolong.Herbal tea+black/green/white tea= good. Herbal + herbal = watch out…Only have one strong flavor per cup—don’t mix ginger and mint, for example. If you do and you like it, more power to you. :)Have fun with it! It’s just tea.