Want Tea advice/recommendations

[Stella-Io]

I like tea, but not all tea. I know I like fruity and oolong. Straight up green tea tastes weird, so I imagine I would like some black teas. I know oolong is in between black and green and that fresh tea is better than bag teas.

I'm looking for recommendations/advice for types of tea I should buy. I bought a oolong tea bag, the brand is Bewlong or somethin, it seems to be popular. I tried it warm and was surprised at the strongness of it, like it's tryin to be oolong and green tea at the same time. I let it chill for 10 mins and the strong tang was gone, and it tasted better.

Any recommendations for tea/brands? I've never had hot tea before but I'm open to try most anythin.

 

[MapleSilver]

Personally, my favorite kind of tea is Earl Grey. It is black tea which is flavored with bergamot, a citrus fruit. Apparently it also comes in oolong, though I have not tried that version.

 

[Stella-Io]

It is a strong tea taste or a more citrus taste?

 

[RedTropicalPeachyFish]

If you like oolong, I'd recommend this one. -> click <-
Oolong tea has variety, and the ones that are grown in high mountain tend to have more fruity/mild taste. It is due to low fermentation.

Also, just a little heads up in case you don't know. The biggest factor that makes the taste/smell of tea is not the kind but it's the temperature of water and how long mins it's put in the hot water. 10 mins is obviously too long for making green tea, for sure it'd taste weird. ^^; In general boiled water ( 212?F ) ruins the green tea. Around 194-197?F would be better, when you make tea.

Aside from the one I recommended on the top, I'd suggest to try jasmine tea and rooibos tea. The second one tastes more closer to English tea than Asian tea, but its peculiar smell is comforting, when you drink it hot with adding a little bit of honey.

 

[rianne]

The only flower-y tea I drink is chamomile occasionally. x3 I prefer to drink mint tea and various fruit teas.

But I think you can't go wrong with authentic matcha (green) tea---the one my mom loves is this one:

She bought it a lot when she lived in Japan and whenever we visit there on vacation these days. Also, green tea has many health benefits and it's pretty mild (and not bitter) if you get the right one. c:

Amazon link here; hope this helps a bit.

 

[princepoke]

im also on board for earl gray -its always been my favorite. its got a slightly smoky/spice-y(??) taste compared to other teas. a spin off i enjoy is also lady gray which is the same but has additions of dried flowers i believe that adds a bit of depth.

twinnings is a popular brand for tea cause for the price, its quality is pretty good.

and depending on what kind of thing you like/dislike, one or other kind of tea i find tend to rlly vary. ie. there are some teas that taste more "deep", while others ted to have a milder taste.
if ur into fragrant/more perfume-y aromas, lavander, jasmine, and rose ive found to be pretty pungent (im not personally fond of these scents, but u may wanna try it out if ever).

I find matcha is a pretty commonly well-liked tea as well, but if ur getting the powder-type/the type as above where matcha is usually powdered, they do have a bit of a grainy texture i find which can either a boost to ur drinking experience or a deal breaker dep. on ur tastes (matcha i find tends to be a lil more bitter(?)ish in taste n can b a bit funky at first but its grown on me personally)

 

[Stella-Io]

Thank you all for your comments!

Seems I should give green tea another try and not boil it in a high temp. For the oolong tea I bought, once I see bubbles in the bottom of the pot, I stop boiling and pour the water into a mug for the tea bag to do its thing. The box said bring to a 'rolling boil' whatever that means.

I forgot to put in my first post, is buying store brand tea okay? I saw this one pomegranate tea and was gonna buy it, but it only came in the store brand and organic.

 

[rianne]

Thank you all for your comments!

Seems I should give green tea another try and not boil it in a high temp. For the oolong tea I bought, once I see bubbles in the bottom of the pot, I stop boiling and pour the water into a mug for the tea bag to do its thing. The box said bring to a 'rolling boil' whatever that means.

I forgot to put in my first post, is buying store brand tea okay? I saw this one pomegranate tea and was gonna buy it, but it only came in the store brand and organic.

Forgot to mention that if green tea remains bitter or odd tasting to you, honey could help sweeten it naturally. c: Rolling boil is the intense & super bubbly boiling state of the water.

D,: I haven't tried any store brand teas so I'm not entirely sure.

 

[Imbri]

I buy mine from a tea house, but for ones that you can get at the store, I think these might be helpful starting places.

Oolong is possibly my favorite tea. I generally brew mine for 3 minutes, so maybe give yours another try, with cooler water and less steeping time.

Earl Grey is a classic black tea. I know that Twinings makes a Lady Grey, which is similar but adds lemon and orange to the bergamot. Some people think it's a little lighter and smoother. If you're feeling adventurous, keep an eye out for a lavender Earl Grey (I think there are several out there, but they may not be as common). Again, if you think it tastes bitter, try slightly cooler water and a little less brew time.

The only time I don't worry about brew time is if I'm making an herbal. Since they aren't actually tea, they can handle a longer brew time. Rooibos is a fun way to experiment with different flavors. When I want a really strong flavor, I've let some of my rooibos go for 7-8 minutes.

 

[G0DFlesh_88]

Black Tea with ginger tea and lemon. But it might be too strong.

 

[PaperCat]

My personal favorites are Twinings Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Chai, Jasmine Green Tea, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast. There are various other companies that make good tea as well, like Bigelow and Celestial.

 

[G0DFlesh_88]

My personal favorites are Twinings Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Chai, Jasmine Green Tea, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast. There are various other companies that make good tea as well, like Bigelow and Celestial.

Bigelow is probably the best brand for teas I get. They sell them at dollar stores sometimes and I stock up lol

 

[MapleSilver]

It is a strong tea taste or a more citrus taste?

It can have a fairly strong tea taste, but the citrus makes it a lot less bitter than normal black tea.

 

[Stella-Io]

That's what it was, I bought some oolong Bigelow tea. I also didn't let the water boil, as soon as I saw bubbles in the bottom, I poured it in a mug and steeped it. Not sure for how long thou. I just kinda left it in there until the tea was warm-ish cause I was going to have it with ice.

Seems like I should also change my boiling method and how long I steep it for. Any recommendations for how long I should boil/steep since I'm goin to have it with ice anyway?

 

[DJStarstryker]

Tea is something you really need to experiment with, since you're curious about it. Different brands can taste really different from each other even when it's the exact type of tea, because their blends are different. Steeping time and temperature of water can make it taste different too, and each type of tea has different suggested steeping/water temperature times. They tend to have suggestions on the box. That's the best place to start. If you realize that you like a tea's flavor, but think it's too strong, you steep it for less time to make it weaker. If you want a stronger flavor, then steep it longer.

Putting ice in the tea is going to water it down/weaken the flavor (because it adds water to it), so you might want to steep it a few minutes longer than the recommendation on the box if you're trying to get the baseline flavor.

 

[RedTropicalPeachyFish]

There's a way to make tea not by hot water but by cold water. It's simple, just steep it in the cold water, put it in the fridge, wait for like 2 hours. Though not that any tea leaf is suitable for it, but it gives you less bitter/strong taste, yet it doesn't taste weak like when you put ice cubes in a hot tea.

 

[saf]

Personally, I LOVE sweet rose tea. I always get it at boba cafes. Everyone says it's an overpowering floral taste, but I enjoy it.

Second place would be mint tea. It's really good, and I always add some stevia and it tastes so good!

 

[Saga]

Have you tried spearmint tea? It's absolutely delicious, and has a slightly different taste than regular mint tea. I especially like it with lemon and sometimes some honey.

My other favorites are chai, green tea, and black tea, but those are all quite common... Hmmm... Have you tried barley tea or genmaicha? They're both Japanese teas with a full-bodied flavor that taste great served cold or hot (I prefer it cold). The flavor isn't for everyone, but I think they're really good and certainly worth trying.

 

[deerprongs]

i'm just here to listen and read and get ideas on types of teas :')

i like tea but haven't tried a whole lot
hoping to change that

 

[Antonio]

I would look over everyone's advice and find one that fits for you. Once you have found the right advice and purchase that tea, throw it away. Tea is absolutely nasty imo.

Personal opinions aside, I do hope you find that tea that you have been searching for.