Can we talk tea bags?

[TrickyBob]

Not that kind.


I really want to like tea, but it just tastes like slightly flavored water. I also like fruityness. Is there a trick to this? Is the point of tea supposed to taste like hot slightly flavored water? 

I have this awesome ceramic mug that needs tea in it and I'm so jealous of all the awesome sounding flavors in the tea isle. 

Recommendations? Different ways of brewing? Things to add to it? Is loose leaf better or should newbs stick to tea bags? 

[Doc_Lobster]

Is your water hot enough? How long do you steep?

[TrickyBob]

Feb 11, 2013 23:36:18 GMT -5 Doc_Lobster said:

Is your water hot enough? How long do you steep?

Last time I made tea, I was a teenager. I would boil water or use a tea kettle to heat the water and pour it into a mug with a tea bag and let it sit for a bit. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes?

[Deleted]

Loose leaf is where it's at.

[Doc_Lobster]

Maybe you just don't like tea? 5+ minutes of steeping in boiling or near boiling water should make reasonably strong tea.

[Deleted]

I would try loose leaf tea, but I really dislike tea bags. You could also try brewing two bags at once.

[TrickyBob]

Perhaps I'll play around with teas.

The thing is I like the flavors, but I wish they were stronger. I guess I'll have to try two or so bags to see. It's not the flavor that I take issue with, it just seems like tea is SO mild that unless you add a ton of stuff to it, it just wont turn into a flavored drink. I know it isn't supposed to be super strong like a juice.

I hope I can find a happy ground because there are so many I want to try.

ETA: We used to have a tea house but the owners moved away. Now we don't have one within a reasonable distance.

[melindafelinda]

I like Tazo Sweet Wild Orange herbal tea. I'm not a big tea person.

[Doc_Lobster]

Are you drinking real tea (made from tea leaves) or herbal fruity teas? That might be the issue, fruity herbal teas are often not very strong. I am not a big fan of most of them, I prefer stronger black or green teas.

[pantsparty]

My favorite fruity teas are Tazo Passion, and two flavors from Republic of Tea: Blackberry Sage and Cranberry Blood Orange. The previous 2 are black teas and should be made right from the boiling point, and are SO flavorful! I noticed the packages recommend 6 ounces of water per serving; I make a bigger cup, but not huge. I also love Guayaki Empower Mint. Perfect without any sugar!

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using proboards

[pantsparty]

In my experience, I prefer black fruity teas compared to herbal teas, and loose tea as well. Better flavor overall.

[EmilieMadison]

Aww, c'mon! No one is going to pull out the famous dina&eric post from the bump about the girl who didnt understand how to make tea? "It sounds like it would just be flavored water?"

Sorry, mbl, it sounds like you just need to try loose leaf tea, or different types. I like Irish Breakfast for a stronger tea, myself.

[EmilieMadison]

Oh, and if you enjoy a bit of a kick, Good Earth's Sweet and Spicy tea is very flavorful.

[TrickyBob]

Hey to be fair, I know how to make tea but didn't know if the trick was to add cream or sugar or German rock sugar. Lol.

And I've never had loose leaf, but I know the general concept is to use a metal tea ball to steep it.

I know some things. Ahaha.

[daisyheadmaizie]

I don't really like herbal fruity teas. They always disappoint. I do love me some black teas though. Irish breakfast is my favorite. I also like earl grey. Both with a splash of milk and a little honey.