Tea and never coffee and always tea leaves. You get a better cup plus tea bags are dangerous. (Stop sipping that cuppa and read the link below) http://bodyunburdened.com/the-hidden-dangers-of-bagged-tea/
I drink only Tea, I do not like Coffee, I like Darjeeling and Jasmine Tea the best, Over Easter I bought a few flavored teas, i am not a big fan of the mint teas. I got an Apricot Tea, and a sweet cherry berry tea that is just amazing. I never feel like the green teas are to bitter, but with that being said i would rather make my own then have a shop make it because I have noticed they tend to let the leaves steep way to long and that can make it a bit bitter. I tried Chi tea and think that was pretty good, it was the only tea I ever had where I felt like I might want to add cream. I normally do only lemon or maybe sugar and thats rare. I like cold teas in the warm months, but always enjoy a hot tea when I am feeling somewhat low or just want to relax. Two of the best tea experiences i ever had, was my sister brought me back some herbal tea when she was stationed in Germany, one was a strawberry blend and that was wonderful. When I was in NYC in Chinatown i had tea in a shop there that was the best tea ever, I do not recall what type it was, I am thinking it was a Oolong, but something about it actually made my entire being feel like it had electricity running through it. I liked it! It was a light tasting tea very refreshing.
This could be the reason why you felt such a boost Jenn Oolong tea is a product made from the leaves, buds, and stems of the Camellia sinensis plant. This is the same plant that is also used to make black tea and green tea. The difference is in the processing. Oolong tea is partially fermented, black tea is fully fermented, and green tea is unfermented. Oolong tea is used to sharpen thinking skills and improve mental alertness. It is also used to prevent cancer, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and heart disease. Some people use oolong tea to treat obesity , diabetes, “hardening of the arteries ,high cholesterol and skin allergies such as eczema; and to boost the immune system. How does it work? Oolong tea contains caffeine. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system (CNS), heart, and muscles. Oolong tea also contains theophylline and theobromine, which are chemicals similar to caffeine. Source. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1099-oolong tea.aspx?activeingredientid=1099&activeingredientname=oolong tea
I don't really like tea, but I try to drink herbal teas because they're healthy. Lately I've been bad though and I've been drinking coffee instead. I tend to do that when I don't get enough sleep.
I like both anise and fennel, so that might be something I'll check out. I haven't seen it on the shelves, but I haven't looked for something new lately, so I probably just missed it.
Ooh, I just checked it out, and love the ingredients: Cinnamon, Licorice Root, Orange Peel, Star Anise, Natural Vanilla Flavour, Sarsaparilla, Orange Oil, Natural Cinnamon Flavour, Natural Clove Flavour, Cardamom Oil. It sounds a lot like the chai tea I make.
In West Hollywood USA, there used to be a book shop called "The Bodhi Tree" and they always had a pot of exotic teas to sample while browsing their book selection and also had small bags for sale.
That sounds nice, Richard. I like trying some different things, depending on what they are. I picked some of the star jasmine from across the street, to supplement my flowers I was using to infuse the tea. I rinsed them off, because they had sap on them, but they're not as sturdy as the flowers from my plant, and I didn't care for the smell once they had sat for a while, so I decided not to use them. I'll stick to using the blossoms from my plant, and maybe at some point, I can buy more of them.
When I was a kid, we had a patch of some kind of mint growing along one of the sheds on our farm. I'm sure someone planted it at one time, but it was a perennial that no one had to take any particular care with. Mom would pick some of the leaves to use in tea, and in other things. I didn't drink tea then, but I liked smelling the mint.
I drink coffee mornings with breakfast, sip tea rest of day, three or four cups. I prefer black tea. I have drank most teas but now prefer a good Assam. I also like Russian or Russian Caravan, a black blended tea. I generally use whole leaf teas but keep some tea bags for guests. In fact, I think I'll heat some water and have a cup now.
I think it is great that you can make your own tea! I would not have a clue how to start! We do have some great smelling flowers here but I'd hate to pick the wrong ones and make a poison tea!
A friend sent me some mint last year, but it didn't take. I hope to get some soon, and I'd love to be able to use it in tea and when I cook. The scent is a great pick me up.