Happy Belated Birthday! I'm glad you were able to spend it with loved ones, and that your grandson cares enough to give a gift that will conjure up memories of times spent together, while you use it.
I'm also a coffee drinker enthusiast, but for long time liked to have a cup of black tea in the evening, kind of the five o'clock English tea, but at twilight. I stopped doing my tea ceremonial when I was unable to replenish my provision of Orange Pekoe Black tea favorite British brand from the local store. I could actually buy it from an online store, but I have lost the enthusiasm for drinking tea but occasionally, any type.
I'm wanting to get some chamomile growing somewhere in my yard but haven't actually found any plants for sale around here. Might have to start from seeds. I haven't checked for those. At any rate, I imagine it's too late now to get any started this year. On the other hand, my all time favorite tea (now Ken's as well) is peppermint and I have plenty of that growing in several spots around my yard. I thinned some of it yesterday and hung it up to dry. I expect I'll get several more thinnings throughout the season.
I found some mint growing where an old house had been torn down, and transplanted some of it last year. It is starting to spread a little bit. I have picked a few tops to use for ice tea and lemonade; but I am otherwise just leaving it alone and letting it spread. Since we just found it growing at the old house, I have no idea which variety of mint it actually is.
Mint of all varieties seems to be fast growing. I'd bet you'll have quite a bit of it to use both fresh and to dry before the summer is over. It tends to need thinning or trimming several times a season. And by next year you should really have a lot of it.
I, too, usually have coffee when I get up in the morning and have my breakfast. Then, later on in the day, I do enjoy tea. In the winter I drink it hot, but here in the deep South, in the summertime, I want it iced,,, with lots of ice so it is really cold. I like Contstant Comment tea by Bigalow either hot or iced. I also grow several kinds of mint and lemon balm in my flower bed. I like to make either hot or iced tea with that. Most of the time when I drink iced tea, I make it with black tea. I do not care for my tea, or my coffee, to be very strong.
I ran out of black tea a while ago, and had a large supply of green and oolong on hand, so have done without the black, but I finally broke down and bought some yesterday. It's good to have my old friend in the house for whenever I want a cup. My jasmine plant is starting to flower again, so hopefully I'll be able to collect more blooms to infuse another batch of jasmine tea soon.
I like mint tea made with mint that I just picked from my plant. I also like ginger tea. I just recently tried that and it's really good. But, as a true blue southerner, I have to say sweet iced tea is my favorite.
I am not a hot tea drinker. The only iced tea I like is Snapple's (peach or lemon). I drink coffee with cream in the mornings.
Before today I have never sweetened my mint tea. It has a sweetness of it's own really, but my husband was looking for something with sugar in it to get his energy level up and I made lemonade using my usual homemade lemonade recipe but with mint tea instead of plain water. I wasn't sure how it was going to taste, but I've got to say it is outstanding. I will definitely be doing it again.
I love having a cup of tea, either in the morning, or in the evening or even during the day. I have a lot of different teas to drink and I just love drinking tea and every time of the day and night. It calms me down and lets me to "clean my thoughts".