Monday, August 21, 2006

Appreciating good tea


There was a time I wondered what people saw in tea (except tea leaves). The only tea I was aware of was sold in the grocery store or served in a restaurant with a teabag and an aluminum pitcher of hot water. It tasted like...mud (or what I thought mud would taste like).

Then I started hearing about new teas in the store. I tried Twinings Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas. Delicious! I also started hearing the health benefits of green tea. I'd tried an old familiar brand of green tea at the store (you would think I'd have learned my lesson) but they tasted worse than mud. We were living in Michigan at the time and I happened upon an article in the Detroit Free Press where they had tested green teas among a sample population. The winner (by a large percent) was Bigelow's Earl Grey Green tea. I decided to try it the next time I went to the grocery store. It would seem a lot of people had read that article for it was weeks before the store had it in stock on the same day I was doing my shopping. By this time, I was anxious to try this brand. It was amazing, delicious...finally a green tea I liked. It had the same taste as regular Earl Grey but lighter. My husband likes the Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon.

These days I like to try new teas. Some are a frugal luxury (frugal luxuries being something that is expensive for what the item is--as in tea--but still not too expensive for my budget). I think the most expensive tea I've purchased so far is the Rose Petal Tea by The Republic of Tea. I don't have it often but it very good. I like many of The Republic of Tea teas. I also like the HT (Harney & Son Fine Teas) that are sold at Borders in their Starbucks section. (They are also sold online, do a Google search...) My favorite is their Earl Grey White but I'm also very fond of their Holiday Blend. It's perfect for a cold Winter night. This year I need to stock up on it before they stop selling after Christmas.

I haven't even mentioned how the new interest in tea time has me collecting china, silver, etc. at garage sales, flea markets, Goodwill, etc. That will have to be saved for another time.

6 comments:

j macam said...

hi brenda,
i love your blogsite. me as well is a lover of tea, fact i made some special drinks out of it. its sunteas or zonteas as what we call it now.but you know what? green tea is a no no with people who has thyroid problems.. thats all i can share.good luck.

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

Wow, I didn't know that about green tea not being good for those with thyroid problems. I'll need to research that!

Thanks for your comment about Starbucks, too. I'd love to find a good coffeeshop that is cheaper.

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

I did respond to your comment, susan, but it didn't "take". I'll try it again.

I had heard about white teas but I'd never tried any. At first all I saw on the HT can was that it was their earl grey. It wasn't until I got it home I realized it was white tea.

It's still very delicious.

Anonymous said...

ACK. Now I have to start a tea time blog. I'm not supposed to start longing for tea cup swaps until February. THANKS! (Really! Thanks. Tea talk is FUN! LOL)

someone else said...

Hi, I came over to your blog from the comment you left for me, so that I could say thank you for stopping by. I love to find new and interesting bloggers to add to my reading. I decided to start at the beginning of your blog to see what you were all about, and this is as far as I've gotten. I can go no further without stopping to say that I love your posts so far and I will be back, reading all the way through. Thank you for coming by so that I'd know you are out here.

Have you tried PG Tips tea from England? It's a wonderful, non-flavored tea, perfect for sipping.

Lori said...

I started out just like you with teas, even the same kinds! I still enjoy the Twinnings Earl Grey and Lady Grey and Bigelow's Earl Grey Green..but I found an English shop in my area and they got me started on PG Tips..so far that is my favorite! She said it is a favorite in England too..and I love anything to do with England. :)