What's Your Favorite Tea?

a couple of my favorites:
https://www.redstickspice.com/collections/teas/products/earl-grey-creme

https://www.redstickspice.com/collections/teas/products/mint-brulee-tea

Builders when you can get it here. Otherwise oolong tea.

Also Irish breakfast which is another strong black tea.

I don’t know how many commercial establishments use just pure quality Darjeeling, Travencore, Nilgiri, Assam or Munnar tea... India has a huge variety of exquisite, succulent teas that many outsiders may not have privy. Thanks to the British empire India developed its tea estates in very different places with typical character imbibed in their flavour and strength.

I had no idea there is so much 'fakkin about' involved?😕 In England we generally just boil the kettle and make a pot of 'Roseey Lee'! No time to 'fakk about'!😁

That’s not quite true.

I recall my first ever trip to the USA for an aerospace standardization meeting. After the initial culture shock of everywhere smelling like maple syrup, the total lack of security anywhere and how beautiful the landscape and friendly the people were I was struck by the “quantity over quality” of the non-alcoholic drinks.

Anyway, I was in a “restaurant” in Savannah, Georgia, somewhere near a vast military base (sorry I don’t recall the name) and asked for a cup of tea. I was served by a young, pretty but rather nervous looking waitress, who had obviously never had to make tea for a Brit. What I received was a mug of hot water with a very sorry-looking teabag that had largely ignored the water on its way to and ultimate demise at the bottom of the mug. After a few minutes of intervention on my part I got it to resemble something like night watchman‘s tea.

As expected the waitress returned and asked if we had enjoyed our meals and asked me rather sheepishly if the tea was OK. I gave her that polite English “er, yes, fine thank you” sort of answer. I could tell she wasn’t convinced so I explained that the tea tasted a little different than I had been expecting and followed by asking how she had made it. She explained; nothing unusual in her process, but I just couldn’t resist the desire to play a little trick on her and said “oh no, that’s all wrong, would you like me to show you how to make tea properly?”

What followed was the most ridiculously convoluted tea-making method I could dream up. She followed my method to the letter, made me another mug and I congratulated her on “possibly the best cup of tea I have ever tasted”. I left a suitably large tip and took my leave.

So somewhere in Savannah, Georgia there is a women who has made tea “the English way” for the last 20 years!

The aroma alone is phenomenal, not the strongest Earl Grey variant, but quite good.

Thanks for the link. Fascinating read!
As for tea dust...this one looks OK and tastes fine.

Splendid @Longbow! And maybe she has passed your lesson on to others.

My missus (who is from the Andes in Peru) has boxes of all sorts of herbal and fruit teas. Next to them is a big box of Yorkshire Tea. When she is making tea she asks:
"Amor...Yoo wanna my frooty tea?... or 'yourah Roosalinah Tea'? "😁

When working in India a few years ago we spent a week in Darjeeling and I bought tea from several of the dealers there I found the one I liked (can't remember the estate now) and started buying from from him, always choosing a 2nd flush variety. Never been disappointed yet and cheaper than you'd think though the parcels have usually been intercepted by customs on the way. I guess checking for drug smuggling.

It’s got to be proper builder’s tea, the best is Yorkshire Tea, like you get in a true English cafe. Traditionally it should be strong enough that it’s a reddish brown colour, and your teaspoon stands up in it.

Fakkin right Rob!👍 When I was a bricklayer, we often used to fill up the kettle from the tap next to the mixer, so I'm pretty sure that the odd bit of Portland Cement found it's way into the cuppa as well. 😕 That's got to help with regard to the 'spoon standing' malarky!👎

A national treasure: Said to be the 'king of all Chinese teas,' da hung pao teas are often given as gifts to heads of state. Premium growth: The home of da hung pao tea is Wu Yi Mountain in China's northern Fujian province, where the six 'mother bushes' grow. Smooth taste: The signature taste of da hung pao is distinctively floral. Da Hongpao tea: is a kind of oolong tea with high quality. As we all know that the tea is a special tea in china. After brewing, its tea water present orange color and bright, and its tea leaves present red and green. And the most speciality of the tea is lie in the unique orchid fragrance. Da Hongpao contains tea polyphenol, tea polysaccharide, and etc, which has function in anti-cancer, reducing blood fat, enhance memory, and fall blood pressure. Different from other tea, Da Hongpao not only has the role of refreshing, eliminating fatigue, diuresis, antipyretic sunstroke prevention, anti-inflammatory sterilization, detoxification, keeping fitness and health care, but also has effect on cancer, reducing blood fat, anti-aging, and others. Wuyi Rock Tea undoubtedly is the most prestigious in China, and the best in Wuyi Rock Tea. And it has the honor of "tea champion". Dahongpao has thick and lasting aroma, mellow sweet flavor, and lingering fragrance. It is reputed as "the King of Wuyi Tea".

Taiwan Oolong - "The Best Dongding Tea." My daughter-in-law lives in Taiwan. Her dad goes into the mountains twice a year and brings back cases of the stuff. He also brings brings down huge quantities of spring water. He prepares it gong fu style. Sits in the garage all night. A cup of tea, a shot of high end scotch, a cup of tea, a shot of scotch . . .

When we visit we bring back a lot of tea and we drink a lot of good tea in the office.

Chai tea. Hot. Even on summer days. Can't do the iced ones.

And for something soothing for a cold or flu... Red Rose (bag form), lots of honey, lemon and bourbon/whisky/cognac (used separately, I haven't combined all three). One year my wife finally saw just how much of the ingredients I put in and I received quite the look. I asked, "You do still want it though, right?" "Well, yeah..."

Now here's a thread I like.
For breakfast and mid morning, it has to be Yorkshire Tea. My wife actually bought me a bag of 1000 tea bags for Christmas last year. I finished them at the start of August.
I now live in Ireland and Barrys is the best of the bunch for a breakfast brew. It has to be served strong with only a drop of milk. No sugar and always in a mug, not a cup.

For afternoons, Lady Grey. It's a really refreshing taste.

After dinner, fresh mint or a good peppermint. Tea Pigs are fine for home use.

Ping Pong (London dim sum chain) do a lovely flowering Jasmine tea too.

I was in the supermarket a while ago and the bloke in front of me at the checkout had a trolley filled to the brim with boxes of Twinings. I asked him why and it turned out he’d just won the lottery; his bank manager had advised him to invest in loads of proper tea.