Tea Party!
 

I know we have several folks here who love tea as much as I do so I thought it might be fun to share tips, favorite brands, etc. :)

WolfyOne came this weekend and brought a huge sampling of her favorite teas. Needless to say, we sat around sampling and sipping several times this weekend and I have now become a full-blown tea addict!
She left several bags lined up in a neat row for me to try and had hand-written the instructions on how long to steep them for each one. I thought it was pretty fucking thoughtful :)

I had discovered www.teavana.com a while back and went nuts getting some wonderful teas there. My favorite is "Snow Geisha" and also their version of "Sleepytime".

Wolfy brought about 30 teas from http://www.todd-holland.com/ and I fell in LOVE with several of them (so much so that I had to go order a bunch)

I am having a cup of "Summer Peach" right now. I believe it is a Tisane?

Let's talk!

Any and every kind of Jasmine Tea floats my boat. My fav is Jasmine Dragon Balls, and here's what some sites say about it:

• Sweet scented aroma
• helps to relieve tension.
• Because the Art of Tea is about Good Taste.
• Known for its aphrodisiac properties and its ability to calm and soothe the nerves.

Some of the local arts and crafts fairs have started having booths dedicated to whole flower teas, mix your own brew, and unique infusers/kettles, etc.

Great thread.

Freckle! What the heck is flowering tea? I saw some of it on Teavana.com and it looks like a little ball. Does it open when it is put in the water?

I admit it. I came in here very scared thinking that either we were having a republican caucus OR that we were gonna get our gossip on.

I am clearly tea challenged.

Wolfy should bring some to Little Rock and Medusa should let us have a slumber/tea party.

Are my meds showing?

I only drink one kind of tea, African Rooibos, hot or iced doesn't matter. Love it!

Yes, exactly. I believe there are different varieties. I've seen folks sell the clear glass tea pots to brew them in so you get to see the flower unfurl. It's neat!

"There are many different kinds of tea. Certain varieties, such as white tea, are like great wines -- only experienced palates can truly appreciate the subtleties caused by seasonal changes and soil conditions. Indeed the vocabulary of tea aficionados is similar to that of wine lovers: a leaf with a fine appearance is "well-twisted," whereas an oversized one is "bold"; "mature" tea is neither bitter nor flat, while an immature one tastes "green."

There are also teas suited to specific occasions. A strong, full-bodied tea like the smoky Lapsang Souchong is just right for breakfast. Lunch calls for a lighter, digestive drink such as green tea. Orange Pekoe is a delightful afternoon pick-me-up, while the flowery semifermented Oolong teas with their calming effects are perfect right before bedtime."
:blueheels:
~Blue

i love Sleepytime, too. i'm easy.

I love tea....mostly hot. And I have one of those clear glass tea pots and I use Primula Tea Flowers ~ www.primulatea.com The flowers opening up are hypnotic!

Also.... there is an amazing tea shop called > > McNulty's < < that is so lovely....the building (in Greenwich Village, if I'm remembering correctly) still has the original hardwoods ~ like an old general store ~ and very old, wooden tea bins, the old glass cases trimmed in oak. It's just charming. I could stay in there for hours, it smells so divine! I bought several teas there the last time and have ordered from them on~line. My favorite (so far) is the Mango Tea....but they have all manner of flavored, herbals, organics, etc.

Neat place.

Neat thread! :tea:

Dragon's Well tea is good for the heat. I drank lots of it one summer. :)

:tea:

My favourites are Jasmine Dragon Pearls or Tears - same as above. :) I recently discovered Earl Grey and do like it quite a lot!

I lean toward milder teas. Blacks are often too bitter, though I love fruity ones when brewed just the right amount of time so they don't get oversteeped. There was the cutest little tea shop in Tacoma, WA where I used to have little femme tea get togethers with local friends and they had the most lovely Strawberries & Cream black tea that I adored and another, a Peach Passionfruit that was heavenly. I must admit that I went there as much for the tiny sandwiches and wonderful scones with devonshire cream and homemade jam as I did for the tea!

I miss that little place.

I listen to this herb show a lot where the woman advocates nettle tea. I've never tried it. Has anybody else? She says it's energizing without wearing out your body the way caffeine can.

After many years of being a black tea addict, lots of different kinds... I was turned on to Silver Needle White. Very different but wonderful ;) Now i drink it pretty much all day .
Btw, many of the things you are mentioning are technically not Tea, though we refer to them as such. Herbs are tisanes, or herbal teas :)
I love many tea sites, but I am trying to cut down on buying it :)
I actually buy a lot on China Town.
Oh here's an interesting and unusual Tea site, they just started shipping in the US. Based in France, but having a Russian background.
http://www.us.kusmitea.com/en/black-tea/c1/index.html


Did anyone mention the Tea Map site yet ?
I use this when or if I travel to find Tea shops ;)
http://www.teamap.com/

The Main site their Adagio Tea, is quite wonderful. Between all the Tea, and the Recipes, as well as Tea Lore.. and , individually blended Teas.. They have it all covered ;)
If you want a $5 gift certificate, drop me a note with an email address, and I can send you one ;) ( Free to me.. )
I spend hours there sometimes, just searching thru the recipes..and the Tea lore..

Im a tea-totaler
 

I love a good cup of tea. Jasmine is my always my first choice. I found a wonderful tea shop. I have tried a milk tea, smoke tea, and the flowers teas. I lean toward a naturally sweet tea. I am a regular iced sweet tea drinker and moving to where they do not serve it in any restaurant. Being from the south not serving sweet tea at restaurant for this girl is like serving soup with no spoon! Why its just uncivilized LOL[

And before I forget, you do all know about the Monthly Femme Teas, that we have in NYC, yes?
If you are visiting or live here.. and don't know, get in touch, we love out of towners to come to them :)

Also, in no way was the above Post meant to imply,suggest or otherwise implant in any one's mind, the idea that Tea is a Femme only thang ! The group was started, to be all about Femme Bonding .. and Tea, seemed a good way to do that :) So its Femme Only, for that reason, no other...
I enjoy Tea with any and all kinds of folks..and you all should feel free to take m eto Tea, anytime you are visiting ;)
I will be happy to recommend all kinds of places.
We have Korean Tea Houses,a Vegan Tea House, East Indian Tea House, Japanese, and a Alice in Wonderland Tea house..as well as others I can't quite recall . Oh yes, very English one, Tea & Sympathy..
Tea is a good thing :)

Mmmm....my favourite....the bergamot scent/flavour is heavenly. :)


Yes! A woman I work with gave me some to use for its anti-inflammatory properties. I use it as an adjunct to my glucosamine...speaking of which, its still raining here, I'd better go make some now...thanks for the reminder Nat!

~Blue

I laughed out loud when I saw the title of this thread. I thought for sure we'd all be sharing tea in Little Rock in August. I think it's a great idea for those that drink tea to bring a few of their favorites to share. Medusa and I could bring tea sacs and measuring spoons. I suppose we'd have to figure out how to get enough cups though because no one should drink good tea in those throw away cups. I have an electric teapot to boil water in and would also bring it along.

None of the teas I left behind for you are Tisanes, but with the flavor of them they should be, lol.

The book I left behind on purpose and finally told R last night I did, is filled with explanations on some things about tea. If you flip through the pages, you can tell some of the people here that have never been tea addicts, some little tidbits or just the facts. Like Merrick said, the Tisanes have no tea in them at all, but steep like tea. I know the page with the Tisanes tells what is actually put in it. The other interesting thing we read was about the different types of tea leaves, but I can't remember it all to write about them.

Arwen, if you remember, you had the double mint tea in Cali with R and I because we had it with us when I left from Vegas. Yes, I know, twas a long time ago.

SF, for you, I would bring whatever you asked me for......even a sleeping bag or 3 for the slumber party you want :)

So, getting back to LR, I'm willing to help plan some kind of tea tasting event if others will pitch in and bring something along. If we make it a group effort, we may just find a few more tea merchants teas we could enjoy that we wouldn't have tried before had it not been there for the simple pleasure of sharing.

So, if I ever come to NY, I'll sit at the table next to all the femmes having tea. I'll sit quietly sipping my tea as I watch the bonding going on. Lastly, I for one did not feel like you were implying that tea was for femmes only. I totally understand about bonding with like minded people.

Favorite tea moments...
 

Well, one can't live in Victoria, BC and NOT post in this thread. ;)

If you ever visit the island, one thing to do is Afternoon Tea. Now, I've heard that typically people will go to the Empress Hotel by the harbour for that, but if you want a cheaper tip, get a chance to go to Butchart Gardens and have their afternoon tea there. It's just as elegant and in a more beautiful natural setting if you're into gardens of all types.

I enjoyed afternoon tea there with my wife and mother-in-law 4.5 years ago and it was lovely (ok, admittedly I liked what comes WITH the tea. :) )

Another moment of tea bliss oddly came at the airport where we had lunch, and asked for Iced Tea. There isn't unsweetened iced tea readily available in Canada (odd that). But the server was clever and brought us hot tea and a pitcher of nothing but ice cubes and lemon wedges. For us diabetics it was pure heaven!

I'm a coffee drinker on average but to reduce my caffeine addiction, I'll welcome the change to tea when i'm around my wife or other tea drinkers. Specifically I'm into Jasmine and Green tea the most but I also enjoy others.

Good times.

Too true, Fru--on the sweet tea. One of my most horrific eating experiences involved a restaurant in Ohio. I ordered a glass of sweet tea and was told they didn't have it. I sucked it up and ordered a glass of regular tea.

AND IT WAS INSTANT!

I asked for water. Nasty, nasty, nasty thing to do in a restaurant. I mean, I'll drink instant tea if I must but I'm sure the heck not paying for it. LOL

Cane, I adore Rooibos. I toured the Celestial Seasoning factory once (it was an easy drive when I lived in Colorado) and bought this amazing Moroccan tea that was hibiscus, rooibos and something else. Too die for good and I can't find it any more. SOB

Dang tea pusher! LOL But thank you. I found some neat places to try here in Austin. This one I've heard a lot about.

W00t! Thanks, Merrick. They have a TeaMap app. :) Downloading it now. Definitely going to call a few friends to go check out some tea rooms with me.

C, I do remember that. Yumminess!

One of the things I dearly want is a tetsubin. One day.

I used to get a Strawberry Nettle tea from London Fruit & Herb Co. It was refreshing and mild. I didn't know about it's benefits at the time.

Im trying to find a decent tea service here in Little Rock. There is an afternoon tea thing at one of the bed and breakfasts but I think its kinda random and doesnt have a set time.

Is there a certain order that things are done in at a formal afternoon tea?

Perhaps if I served possum and moonshine, it might help bring in more business?!

(Cause that there fancy tea stuff is too fancy schmancy for us Arkies!)
:rofl:

I can see it now.

Roadkill Tea Room

....where you can get possum three ways (and three tire tracks too) plus a proper cup of tea.

In the southeast sector of Portland, Oregon we have the Tao of Tea house - they have lovely selections of teas. LINK

I learned about roiboos tea a few years ago: a tea herbalist was sharing with me that it helps the body to retain and absorb iron. It has a light, delicate taste and I tend to sweeten it with honey. *yum*

Last year my daughter and I hosted a "Mom & Me" tea party at a local tea room. We had scrumptious desserts, an amazing tea, and played a couple mingling games. We all wore fancy hats and had tons of fun chattering over our tea cups. I know we'll organize another. I would recommend it for anyone!

It was La-Tea-Da :)

My favorite tea shop is Tea & Sympathy in NYC...mostly just because I love the name! :)

Tea gardens are fairly easy to manage, and you can grow wayyyyyy more options than you can find in local tea houses (usually)


Dylan

TEA!!!!!!!!!!!
 

I am a tea addict. I love love love love tea.

Grey cracks up at me all the time because if we travel I have to take my "kit". I also drive Him crazy because I won't drink tea out of those plastic travel cups. I only like them in mugs so I am forever spilling all over His nice clean car or on myself.

I only like loose leaf tea. I love Peet's Irish breakfast. Wolfy I have an electric tea kettle at work too. Most of my day is spent trying to achieve that perfect cup of tea. It can't be too hot or lukewarm. It has to be strong but not too strong. I like all my tea black. No sugar or cream. I love Jasmine Pearls too. Mighty Leaf tea is a great bagged tea company. I also like this decaffeinated Peach Green tea that I was obsessed with when I was pregnant.

My daughter knows not to interrupt Mom at tea time.

Awesome thread Medusa!!! I am excited to check out the links. My favorite tea place here is Imperial Tea Garden in Berkeley. They have a traditional tea service and the people that work there are very knowledgeable.

Ok I am going to make a cup of tea!!

We should go there sometime for afternoon tea!

I used to drink more tea than I do now. I love Constant Comment, Earl Gray, Sleepytime, ginger, mint...

Pretty standard fare, but tea always calms me down.

Just say when! It's not too far from us!
I love all those teas, too! Esp. the Constant Comment!

My First Tea.. was Constant Comment :)
I adore it..
You can only get it loose these days, directly from Bigelow ... ! Loose is .. such a difference !
Loose Tea btw, is cut differently from Tea Bag Tea ( in general although these days.. Theres a lot of.. change in that area.. )
Wolfy, if you are ever here, you will go out to Tea with me thank you very much :)

Tea & Sympathy, was a favorite spot of mine, many years back, but over the years it got a tad expensive for a pot of Tea, although they do still have the most fascinating British fare..
Pu Erh is wonderful, I like it with Chrysanthemum blossoms
On eo fmy favorite Scented Black Teas, btw is Lychee Black Tea ( 0r Litchi or ..probably a couple other spellings.. ) . Rose Congu, is darn good too :)

I love me some Teavana!!!!