Anyone else a big fan of tea? I'm personally a huge tea drinker, usually multiple types every day. If so, what are your favorites or favorite flavor profiles? I tend to like earthy greens (especially Sencha) and smoky blacks (Lapsang Souchong, Russian Caravan...) though I've recently been drinking more oolongs. I got a lovely magnolia oolong in a small town last time I was in California. It's like a lovely fresh green with a slight floral/vanilla undertone. I definitely recommend it.

I recently started trying to make my own herbal blends as well. I like using fresh peppermint from the garden. Regular peppermint, chocolate mint and orange mint. I'm debating whether to grow a wide variety of herbs this year, or to order a variety of dried herbs to use for tea.

So, what kinds of tea do you like? Do you like them as is or with sweetener/sugar and milk/cream? Do you make your own blends? If so, any recipes to share?

I've got a cup of butterfly pea flower tisane right now as I write this!

Like Mango and Passion Fruit tea!

I've just started drinking tea daily rather than coffee, and my bladder sure loves the change! My usual morning tea is just green tea with lemon, I haven't gotten to taste many flavors yet, but I'm always open to trying new ones. I had a chocolate flavor from David's Tea that I loved. A few of the fruit flavors I've tried have been too overpowering, I haven't found one I really like yet. I do like sweet teas though, no milk or cream.

mint teas, black tea, green tea but I am a dedicated coffee drinker. I do like the change of pace tho every once in a while. I must have my caffine when I wake up. I love the smell and the taste. But later in the day I do like a good tea break. Clear, lemon no cream or milk.

Murky said: A few of the fruit flavors I've tried have been too overpowering, I haven't found one I really like yet. I do like sweet teas though, no milk or cream.

I find the same with fruit teas, so I'm not generally fond of them other than blueberry once in a while.

I just cold brew the mango and passion fruit, makes a good iced tea. Used to drink a lot of Red Rose tea.

I got two new teas today. I went with something very different from my usual. Pecan pie rooibos, and Segovia muffin rooibos.

I typically have to really be in the mood for rooibos, and I don't usually like flavored teas (I usually like the leaf as it is. Unless it's an additive like orange peel, an herb or bergamot). But I wanted to try something different.

Just plain ol sweet tea here. I don't mind a minty flavor if it's hot tea but otherwise sweet iced tea. I can't stand green tea in any form...tastes like grass to me, and flavored teas tend to be too strong for me or just too weird for my taste buds.

Coffee....love the smell but can't stand the taste of it in anything. I'll spit it out clear across the room.

I love my coffee too. Always have a coffee in the morning. Usually Bones coffee, my favorite brand. Though there's a brand made here in town that's decent too.

Oddly enough I like the grassy taste of greens. Though I generally like earthy flavors and scents.

I once had, I think, popcorn tea. Is that a thing? Sort of toasty tasting?

Makes me think of a black kettlecorn tea I've had. A little toasty and sweet.

I've had a matcha genmaicha as well, which has toasted rice in it. Gives it a nice toasty finish.

Great thread! I like all sorts of teas, but mostly black teas. There are only certain ones I like with cream, such as earl grey. I almost always sweeten my tea with honey. I started getting in the habit of drinking more tea with honey and the habit has stuck ever since. Green teas do not taste good with any sweetener in my opinion, though. It seems to take away the earthy, roasted flavor of green tea. Does anyone else mix mint and vanilla together as a tea? It's very good, especially during the quiet hours of night.

I pretty much do the same anymore. Only teas I use cream and sweetener is Earl Grey and other similar blacks. Otherwise I largely go without.

Mint and vanilla sounds nice. I might have to try that.

Was told my painting would be ready tomorrow, so while Im in the next town over picking it up, I'm going to stop by the tea shop for some dried herbs. I've been enjoying matcha mixed with lavender recently. They sell lavender, and quite a few other herbs.

Matcha with lavender sounds really light and pleasing.

Some interesting names of teas that Ive never heard of. I usually drink ginger root tea with a little honey and lemon. Green tea and chamomile. I buy fresh ginger and cut it myself. I love the smell!

A lot of the teas I've been trying that sound good end up having spices, and I really hate the smell and taste of them. I wish I could figure out if it's a specific spice, what exactly they add under generic "spices" so I can avoid them without having to buy a box and then dump it.

Nancy, aren't there tea shops in your area that offer loose teas, custom blends and tea sampling? Or even a Whole Foods, which offers a huge range of options with ingredients listed (at least my local WF does). In my experience, too many mass-marketed teabag brands found at most grocery stores aren't worth the water to brew them. Or am I just incredibly fortunate that my city is rich in excellent tea companies? In addition to those, I frequent a local herb store that has floor to ceiling shelves lined with jars of herbs and spices which I can buy in quantities as little as a third of an ounce so I can experiment with my own recipes. There are also excellent online herb companies that offer blends or individual ingredients, but the downside is having to buy a full package.

This is a local independent shop, but their offerings are vast, both true teas and herbal. Quite a website with all kinds of information
https://thefragrantleaf.com/co...

That's how I get my teas. I go to an independent loose leaf tea shop in the next town over. They have a huge collection of teas and herbs (I just got a bunch of herbs yesterday to try making my own herbal blends. They also had one of my favorites back in stock - Emperor Yunnan). Most of them are just the leaf itself, like their greens and a lot of their blacks. But they have some black teas with added ingredients (like vanilla, caramel, flowers, etc.) and some rooibos/honeybush mixes. I don't generally drink bagged tea anymore, except for 'Christmas in Paris' by Stash. I do like that one. It's got cocoa shells, peppermint, lavender, white chocolate, and vanilla.

My fiance found a loose leaf tea shop not too far from him in California as well, so we went there when I last visited. It's a similar idea. I think almost all their teas were just the prepared leaf or herb. I didn't see many teas with additives when I was there.

There's always David's Tea as well, but I personally don't like that shop too much. I find they use too many additives in their blends. I prefer my teas simple for the most part. I don't like teas that look like trail mixes.

My feelings are almost identical, TK, including the "trail mix" part. I'm not a fan of fruity teas either, as a rule, except for hints of citrus in certain blends (eg ginger/lemon), but tea tastes are incredibly varied, so one can buy nearly any "flavor."

Here's my current Yunnan iteration, a lovely whole leaf

Same here on the fruit. I don't typically like fruity teas either, other than bergamot or orange in an Earl Grey, or hints of lemon.

Wish I could find more Royal Golden Needle. It's another tea from Yunnan. I haven't been able to find it in a while though. It's another favorite.