Tea!

Elessar

Since this forum is overwhelmed with coffee threads I thought I'd post one for people who love tea. Post your good finds in this thread.

I used to be a Barrys gold label person, and then I moved onto Bewleys Special Reserve which has a superb deep flavour. Thought I was golden.

But then I found M&S Gold label. This is the finest cup of tea I've tasted in a long time. Strong and luxurious is the only way I can describe it. Amazing. This is my daily drink now!

I would advise anyone who is a regular tea drinker to give it a shot next time you are in Marks and Spencer.

Does anyone have other recommendations?

Redhairedguy

I'm a hardcore Barry's Gold man... I even take it with me when I travel. :P

I'm gonna give M&S Gold Label a go, on your recommendation, Elessar.

Though I'm mainly a strong cup of tea, milk and a spoon of sugar, tea drinker; I have been finding the merits of supplementing honey for sugar and delving into herbal teas, such as Roobios. Nice and light just before bed, (and you avoid the unpleasant nocturnal tea sweats... )

Elessar

Redhairedguy wrote: »

I'm gonna give M&S Gold Label a go, on your recommendation, Elessar.

Cool let me know what you think. I've already converted two people.

I haven't tried too many herbal teas, though mint tea is nice after a hot meal like a curry. I'll stick to my regular cuppa anyday though

phoebe!

I haven't tried too many herbal teas, though mint tea is nice after a hot meal like a curry. I'll stick to my regular cuppa anyday though [/QUOTE]

Pukka 3 mint tea is divine and they sell it in tesco!

punchdrunk

tried tetley's last week...my god it so much nicer than lyons!!

somebody teach me in the ways of the Tea...

FTGFOP

Nom,
Nom,
Nom?

Daffs

Defo recommend Ditching the teabag. If you want regular tea (or what we Irish regard as regular) try an Assam or Ceylon Blend or even a single estate tea - Assam 'Corramore' or Assam 'Molkabari'.
I never thought I could manage to convince my parents, who are too used to teabags & would assume that loose tea was too much bother. I filled up their press with some 'Corramore' tea at Christmas...and they thought the Barry box of tea, they bought was gone off when they went back to it...eh Voila! They're converted!

we'llallhavetea_old

i too am a barrys gold drinker, i shall be trying out this m&s tea, will get back to you!

Meemars

Elessar wrote: »

But then I found M&S Gold label. This is the finest cup of tea I've tasted in a long time.

Elessar wrote: »

I would advise anyone who is a regular tea drinker to give it a shot next time you are in Marks and Spencer.

+1 for M&S Gold Label, I discovered this by accident recently and have become obsessed with how fantastic it is! I bring it in to work with me 'cos everything else is now just not good enough. The guzzliest of all teas! I urge all to check it out.

Elessar

Daffs wrote: »

Defo recommend Ditching the teabag. If you want regular tea (or what we Irish regard as regular) try an Assam or Ceylon Blend or even a single estate tea - Assam 'Corramore' or Assam 'Molkabari'.
I never thought I could manage to convince my parents, who are too used to teabags & would assume that loose tea was too much bother. I filled up their press with some 'Corramore' tea at Christmas...and they thought the Barry box of tea, they bought was gone off when they went back to it...eh Voila! They're converted!

Where can I get Assam teas? What are they, Indian/African? And do they come in tea bags

Daffs

Hey, Assam teas as from a region in India. If you like strong teas, this is what they deliver. Taste fantastic, try a few to see what you like yourself.

You should be able to get in a good tea shop. I'm in Dublin & buy online from an Irish company, www.clementandpekoe.com. They deliver anywhere, I think. If you follow them on facebook, they offer some deals as well. Got a free herbal last month.
Let me know how you get on if you taste some..

Daffs

Hey, Assam teas as from a region in India. If you like strong teas, this is what they deliver. Taste fantastic, try a few to see what you like yourself.

You should be able to get in a good tea shop. I'm in Dublin & buy online from an Irish company, www.clementandpekoe.com. They deliver anywhere, I think. If you follow them on facebook, they offer some deals as well. Got a free herbal last month.
Let me know how you get on if you taste some..

Meant to say, no don;t get in teabags. You can buy, paper filter and make you own bags. Generally, you get a big box for 5 -7 euros. No mess!

FTGFOP

Assam is a region in India, in the north-east of the country.
Mokalbari is one estate in the region. I got Mokalbari from House of Tea (it's under black tea, about half way down the page). Irish company, took laser card when I was ordering which was handy. Very nice tea. Came in a little tea chest which was kinda cool.

As for tea bags (and I could see why you might balk at dropping 25 quid on tea) I would recommend this company's assam tea bags. Drank this for ages before I went down the rabbit-hole into 100quid/kilo stuff. Still like to have some handy.

You might find Twinings assam tea bags in your local Tesco. I know they're available in mine. I'm not recommending them though. Not a fan.
I'd sooner drink a blend, like Barry's, before I'd drink Twinings' assam --find it very thin in flavour.

But like the coffee-heads on here recommend you get a grinder as your first step to better coffee. I'm going to recommend you get a tea pot and go loose leaf for a better cup of tea.
Join us down the rabbit-hole...

Elessar

FTGFOP wrote: »

Assam is a region in India, in the north-east of the country.
Mokalbari is one estate in the region. I got Mokalbari from House of Tea (it's under black tea, about half way down the page). Irish company, took laser card when I was ordering which was handy. Very nice tea. Came in a little tea chest which was kinda cool.

As for tea bags (and I could see why you might balk at dropping 25 quid on tea) I would recommend this company's assam tea bags. Drank this for ages before I went down the rabbit-hole into 100quid/kilo stuff. Still like to have some handy.

You might find Twinings assam tea bags in your local Tesco. I know they're available in mine. I'm not recommending them though. Not a fan.
I'd sooner drink a blend, like Barry's, before I'd drink Twinings' assam --find it very thin in flavour.

But like the coffee-heads on here recommend you get a grinder as your first step to better coffee. I'm going to recommend you get a tea pot and go loose leaf for a better cup of tea.
Join us down the rabbit-hole...

Cheers for the info. I ordered those Assam tea bags just for the heck of it. It'll be interesting sampling a different tea.

I think I'll stick to teabags for the moment. They're just handier and I can still sample some quality teas. I'll eventually end up going with tea leaves though!

The house of tea looks interesting, but for the moment I'd like to stick with good strong black tea that I'm used to.

FTGFOP

Cool! Enjoy!

FTGFOP

Elessar wrote: »

Cheers for the info. I ordered those Assam tea bags just for the heck of it. It'll be interesting sampling a different tea.

I think I'll stick to teabags for the moment. They're just handier and I can still sample some quality teas. I'll eventually end up going with tea leaves though!

The house of tea looks interesting, but for the moment I'd like to stick with good strong black tea that I'm used to.

So, how are you liking the Assam?

JIZZLORD

I've been drinking Tesco finest Assam loose tea for the last few months. Great stuff

FTGFOP

Huh.
My tea cupboard was bare a few weeks ago -should've ordered my re-up earlier- and I would have tried the Tesco Assam had I known about it.
Is it ctc or orthodox, out of interest? Barry's loose leaf is ctc, the leaves are curled, spherical I would say, as opposed to wiry.

Poly

Ye can't beat the Lyons Kenya blend.
I can't go back to ordinary tea now.

Terry Cotta

anybody like green tea? Got some from the House Of Tea a while back. Lovely stuff just after eating. Good for digestion and really refreshing.

FTGFOP

Terry Cotta wrote: »

anybody like green tea? Got some from the House Of Tea a while back. Lovely stuff just after eating. Good for digestion and really refreshing.

I can't say I've had that much. It's pretty much all black tea in my cupboard. I'm not opposed to green tea, but black tea has piqued my interest more so far. That said, I tried various green teas at a tea house when I was in the U.S. and I liked a few of them. I gravitated towards the Japanese varieties more... I think, it's going back a few years. The ones I liked were less grassy / vegetal and more seaweed-like.

Green teas certainly offer up a lot in terms of aroma when it comes to the dry leaf. Black teas are a little timid in that regard. They come to life when you drop them into a scalded pot, though; that smell, the leaves in a hot pot just before you pour on the water, snifftastic!®

Which of House of Tea's green teas did you get? How would you describe it with your teataster's hat on?

FTGFOP

Poly wrote: »

Ye can't beat the Lyons Kenya blend.

Believe!

Terry Cotta

FTGFOP wrote: »

Which of House of Tea's green teas did you get? How would you describe it with your teataster's hat on?

I got a green Tea Sample Pack. Eight different Teas. Have only tried the Lung Ching and Green Spring. The Lung Ching has a slight nutty flavour. Really nice after eating. The Green Spring is a fruity one with dried strawberry pieces in it (I think).

Its hard to get the Tea right though since its supposed be brewed between 70-80 degC and I don't have a thermometer so i playing a guessing game at the moment. Its still lovely though and if you don't leave the leaves steeping you can reuse them again and each brew will give a slightly different taste.

Daffs

Lung Ching is a favourite of mine. It is an ideal green tea to start with, as it isnt too strong to taste.
I know what you mean about temperature of water. It is supposed to be 80 degrees but I find a regular kettle off the boil 5 minutes is perfect. I do have a thermometer but get a bit lazy!
How do people about loose leaves in general?
When only making a cup myself & am in a very lazy mood, I pour water direct onto leaves. Am happy that they float to the bottom anyway!

FTGFOP

Terry Cotta wrote: »

I got a green Tea Sample Pack. Eight different Teas.

Let us know what you think of the rest as you go through them!

Do any of these take your fancy?

Daffs wrote: »

How do people about loose leaves in general?
When only making a cup myself & am in a very lazy mood, I pour water direct onto leaves.

That's how my folks make tea! It was never tea bags in our house, always loose leaf. The fanciness stopped there though, tea was made cup by cup with leaves at the bottom of each. Like french press coffee you never finished a cup completely. It was actually a very Chinese thing to do, looking back. Teapots saw use when visitors came but that was about it.

This acorn fell far though. I use a teapot for every cup of tea. I have a small brown betty and it doesn't mean too much extra bother when I'm just making a cup or big mug of tea just for myself.

When I'm brewing up a bigger amount I go to lengths. Brewing in one teapot and transfering to another to serve. The product is worth the effort though, you end up with a giant pot of tea that won't get stewed as you drink it at your leisure.

Daffs

Glad to hear. Its not just me then!

On family occasions back home, my mum has a silver teapot that we get out of the press & make proper tea (with tea leaves) and sip our tea out of China tea Cups. Now I know that sounds tres posh but oh my god, the tea tastes just fantastic!
I think this old but beautiful teapot improves the teawater and the china cups - I swear add something to the magic. It keeps the tea hot but we tend to drink it up by the gallon anyway!

Elessar

FTGFOP wrote: »

So, how are you liking the Assam?

Sorry for the late reply.

The Assam is pretty good tea! I admit that the first time I tasted it I wasn't too impressed, but this morning we made a pot of tea with it at home and it was nice and strong. I've realised that Assam tea bags need to be left in the cup longer to get a good strong flavour. It was lovely this morning. Though I don't know if I'd give up my M&S gold label for it :pac:

Is there anywhere to get Taylors Assam in Ireland?

And has anyone else here tasted the M&S Gold Label yet? Thoughts?

Mr.Boots

In my opinion...the best teas come from Suki.

http://www.suki-tea.com/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=1&guid=B7A45B31-2963-4D8D-B6EB-75EA93E05484

ClayDavis

I've just got on the loose tea bandwagon. Could anyone recommend a bricks-and-mortar store with a good selection of loose teas? My googling has only turned up Les Palais des Thes

Daffs

ClayDavis wrote: »

I've just got on the loose tea bandwagon. Could anyone recommend a bricks-and-mortar store with a good selection of loose teas? My googling has only turned up Les Palais des Thes

Hi ClayDavis, Yes I would highly recommend a website www.clementandpekoe.com. They have an online store and attend alot of trade fairs. They are Irish also. Loose Tea defo the way to go eh!

Need2Know4Sure

Barry's Gold Blend all the way...never goin to change.

Hate goin to other people house and havin to drink there muck