OT Tea

[Chad Engle]

Made the switch from coffee to tea in the morning. Coffee started to really bother my stomach. Anyone recommend something tasty? Lots of caffeine, lots of flavor.

Thanks.

[itsflantastic]

By far, Bancha tea is where it's at. For me at least. Lots of antioxidants, and if you have it with lemon, a higher % of those make it into your system.
I also enjoy peppermint and assam teas. Assam tea has a lot of caffeine.

[Big Daddy]

Tazo Zen

[itsflantastic]

and sometimes,
the best thing is...
take a few pieces of ginger root, peel them, and put them in hot water like you would a tea bag.
Shoot that's nice.

[staggerwing]

If you want a major caffeine hit, I'm not sure tea is your beverage.

However, if you are looking for something interesting, start here (http://tenren.com/index.html). They have shops in NY, Chicago and SF Chinatowns, plus a couple in the DC area and one in Houston. Their high grade, loose leaf Jasmines (http://tenren.com/pearljasmine.html) are incredible, but if you want something intensely flavored, perhaps Lapsong Souchong (http://tenren.com/lapsoucblac.html) might interest you.

In general, the black, "fermented" teas are going to have a stronger flavor profile, than the semi-fermented, or non-fermented greens.

[Climb01742]

chad,

check out these folks. they're very friendly and helpful. call and chat, and they'll give you great suggestions. they have great samples, too.

http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp

a fav of mine is called "eastern beauty".

[wren]

I had the same problem - 6 to 8 cups of coffee a day began to wreak havoc on my stomach. Try Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea. I brew it black and strong and add a dash of milk. Two cups in the AM replaces my regular pot of coffee with no jitters. Best substitute I've found.

http://www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/

[Mr. Butterworth]

I used to be a serious Tea junkie and still enjoy a delicious pot of strong black tea now and again.
I loved working with these guys: http://www.adagio.com/

I also loved the white teas, which can be made nice and light or super strong depending on your leave to water ratio. The White Peony made extra strong used to help me through all-nighters in college.

[Chad Engle]

If you want a major caffeine hit, I'm not sure tea is your beverage.

Not a major hit, just a little closer to coffee. The caffeine is really the only thing I miss. And only first thing in the morning. I'm sure I'll get over it.

Thanks for all the great ideas!!

:banana:

[Grant McLean]

I had the same problem - 6 to 8 cups of coffee a day began to wreak havoc on my stomach. Try Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea. I brew it black and strong and add a dash of milk. Two cups in the AM replaces my regular pot of coffee with no jitters. Best substitute I've found.

http://www.yorkshiretea.co.uk/


I've found that actually sleeping is the best substitute!

:banana:

-g

[jerk]

a fav of mine is called "eastern beauty".


five diamond stuff.

jerk

[ejh]

Tazo Chai

[znfdl]

Tazo Awake Tea

[Pete Serotta]

They have some high octane. I Like the black tea from Tazo best. Celeste has some "Morning Thunder" that is REALLY high octane.

Also STARBUCKS has the TAZO if you are out and want a cup


Made the switch from coffee to tea in the morning. Coffee started to really bother my stomach. Anyone recommend something tasty? Lots of caffeine, lots of flavor.

Thanks.

[Alexi]

Tazo Joy

[alancw3]

i have tried a great many teas and imho the best tea is lipton tea. that's right plain old lipton tea. i like to brew it for like 15 minutes. no bling but great taste. imho.

[MilanoTom]

They have some high octane. I Like the black tea from Tazo best. Celeste has some "Morning Thunder" that is REALLY high octane.

Also STARBUCKS has the TAZO if you are out and want a cup

Morning Thunder rules, but it's tough to find at the grocery store. I think it's got like a third more caffeine than coffee!

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/black-teas/morning-thunder

[Larry D]

Tazo is owned by Starbucks...anyway

I get all my tea now from Vermont Liberty Tea. http://www.vermontlibertytea.com/

John does all his own blending and grows his own herbs for his blends.

His Senchas are wonderful, especially the tropical Sencha and Cherry blossom Sencha.

[paulandmonster]

i drink alot of tea and esspresos at work but i have found if your going to drink tea only get loose from a good shop. the baged tea is like dried herbs its just not that good. loose teas if from a good place are fresher and more flavorfull. i drink lapsong souchoung rich smokey black with a kick about 24 a pound for a good boost with flavor but you do crash on it for a long steady buzz i drink ying hoa with jasmine strong green nice flavor its about 48 a lb. this may seem expensive but its about 50cts a cup and you can brew as strong as you like. good rule of thumb is if it picks you way up its going to drop you at sometime. also you must take in account suger buzz depending how much you use. my advice is start with strong then switch to green but allways loose and fresh. and dont be taken in by fancy bags hip packaging its still old dried up mulch. tea is leaves just like herbs fresher the better. i get mine from old town tea and coffee in alexandria virginia. another good guy is serendipitea i think hes online now crazy aussie but very passionate and knowledgable about teas. i used him in many restaurants in ct. so i dont know his normal prices but its a good product. also dont be fooled by fancy teas like monkey picked at 120 a lb its more about the ceromony than the flavor same goes with dragon and phoiex or and other balled teas. also gunpowder has nothing to do with strenght its refers to way leaves are rolled to look like gunpowdre any questions shoot me an email hope this helps.

[BBB]

Certainly go for loose or leaf tea as opposed to a tea bag.

I generally have Earl Grey in the morning with breakfast and then a coffee on the way to work. Usually Twinings Earl Grey, but occasionally T2 Earl Grey.

In the evenings, I prefer herbal tea, usually green tea, or DIY mint tea (mint leaves in the pot).

[fungusamungus33]

I read somewhere (probably the on package marketing) that it's the "Champagne" of teas. I don't know a thing about the bubbly but I like the tea quite well.

[Climb01742]

agree that loose tea is best, but in a pinch, PG Tips (a british tea in a cool bag) is pretty tasty. it's my travel tea. gourmet food shops often carry it.

[rustychisel]

I think you're over-analysing it.

Find a tea you like. Prepare and brew it correctly. Drink it.

[dnades]

Is great. Used to be a serious coffee drinker but the wife turned me onto tea a couple of years ago. Now it is nothing but. We get most of our teas from Upton's and SpecialTeas. Harmutty is a really good assam that is pretty smooth and somewhat malty. It goes really good with milk and sugar if you brew it strong but it is also good without. I usually go with a lighter assam tea during the week w/out milk or sugar and on the weekends we have Harmutty with milk and sugar. It is a nice way to spend a morning. I first started with a tea called plum hazelnut which was really strong and was a good coffee substitute but I eventually grew to like the assam family. There are also a ton of beneficial perks to drinking tea over drinking coffee. Black tea is essentially green tea with some type of processing. It increases the caffeine so if you are caffeine sensitive start with some green teas.

Anyway try a bunch. There is a whole subculture around tea.

[avalonracing]

As you get off the coffee you'll find that you enjoy the balance you'll feel with tea. The more you drink tea the more you'll appreciate the differences of the varieties.

I'm a big fan of Honest Tea. They make great bagged teas, and fantastic iced teas. The ice tea is not over sweetened like most bottled brands. It is TEA (not high fructose corn syrup). They are a socially conscious company.

Also of note: I used to like the tea so much that back in 1999 I pitched the company to sponsor my bike team for the year 2000. At that point they were a bootstrapped start-up (like our team) so while they couldn't give money they did sponsor us with product. We drank a lot of tea after races and we gave away a lot of it to other teams to get them to try it. Honest Tea sponsored us again in the following year.

I like to support companies who support cycling be they small sponsorships or large. Hey, it is one of the reasons why we bought my wife a Subaru.

[DarrenCT]

Made the switch from coffee to tea in the morning. Coffee started to really bother my stomach. Anyone recommend something tasty? Lots of caffeine, lots of flavor.

Thanks.

does tea cure a hangovermo????

[Chad Engle]

The only thing even close to a cure that I have found is Alka Seltzer and Advil. Really helps if it is early in the morning when purchased from a gas station in the over priced single dose packages. One of each, and you are golden.

Tea doesn't seem to help. But it can't hurtmo. :beer:

[Kevan]

I enjoyed watching how the waiters, after the guests left a table, would take away all the dishes but for the teapot. With everything removed, they would then pour a hot tea puddle on the table top and with a dish towel whip it down, getting it ready for the Seinfeld party of four.

That's my tea story.

[Steelhead]

I like Stash brand Lemon Ginger.

There is a cool tea shop in Austin called The Steeping Room that is very nice, and sell loose bulk teas. It looks like a chain, so you might see if there is one in your area.

[ashwa64]

if you want caffeine, try mate.

[Frank Draper]

The Republic of Tea is one of my favorites. Usually available in most coffee shops and chain book stores, Barnes and Noble, Books-a Million. British Beakfast is the one I drink the most. Many varities to choose from and available in both bag and loose leaf.

[Bud]

if you want caffeine, try mate.

+1. Mate rocks- especially the brand "Pixie mate." I'm not sure if actually contains caffeine or some other stimulant, but it's good stuff. Tasty and uplifting.

[hoss]

The Republic of Tea is one of my favorites.
Mine too. I really like the Mango Ceylon (black) & Black Raspberry Green (green). Good stuff.