'How Should I Drink Tea?' Asks An Ignorant Yankee

So I've been drinking soda since I was a kid and coffee for most of my adult life, but I have recently decided to start trying tea instead. Here's the thing... I don't know anything about it. As of right now I have loose leaf Teavana Jade Citrus Mint from Starbucks and an infuser. Beyond adding hot water I'm basically clueless.

Caffeine or no? Black or green? Milk? Morning or night? Both? I figure there's a few Jedi here who would be willing to point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance! In the meantime I'll practice my 'pinkie out' :laugh:

First drink just plan water, lots of it. Please don't drink soda except for special occasion. ( I like classic coke and root beer ) I like simple green tea, no sugar, lemon or milk, during the day after I have my coffee boost first thing in the morning.

How do you feel after drinking this stuff? Let that be you guide.

Make a perfect Brew
.• Use a good quality loose leaf or bagged tea
• This must be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature
• Always use freshly drawn boiling water when preparing black tea; the boiling water (100c) "energises" the leaf and extracts all the character and value efficiently from the tea
• The water temperature for green tea should be around 80c; using a lower temperature avoids the bitterness that can be experienced using freshly boiled water
• In order to draw the best flavour out of the tea the water must contain oxygen, this is reduced if the water is boiled more than once.
• Measure the tea carefully
• Use 1 tea bag or 1 rounded teaspoon of loose tea for each cup to be served
• Allow the tea to brew for the recommended time before pouring
• Brewing tea from a bag in a mug? Milk in last is best

lol advice from the UK tea association

Personally I hate the taste of tea, need coffee

Hot tea I'm down for a lemon or razberry cup, coffee is universal, every one in the world some where is drinking coffee 100 feet away from you right now. My wife has a cup of constant comet with a splash of milk no sugar. Each person is different so try em all. That's my advise. Enjoy your hot drink journey, may it yield many cups empty and many ones full

For me its basically herbalism, but it sort of seems to require developing a sensitivity in the first place, which for me at least means a real focus on gut health, proper posture and most importantly a gentle healthy diet.

The vast majority, basically everything, about the popular Western diet is not really conducive to increasing sensitivity to food. But probably for good reason to some extent, as sensitivity does equate to vulnerability in some measure - as the more easily you respond to something the more easy it is to have too much and 'react' to it. People are pretty busy enough to worry about additional ups and downs by not paying attention to how much histamine might be in a meal. It's instead about flavour and energy, which leads to diabetes and bodyfat respectively (generally speaking) but in moderation suits the immediate requirements of maintaining the busy and time poor lifestyle.

Soda is taking it a bit too far though IMO, its just white sugar water with no real benefit AFAIK except a short term energy spike (which is not particularly healthy or useful AFAIK). They probably give it to kids to get the energy out of their system, a short spike then a crash.... and as teenagers then the habit often becomes to instead keep drinking it to counter the crash. The entire focus is on the apparent energy level but ignores the impact that the sugar is having more broadly on health. Seems to be not a very good habit to have.

But at the surface tea drinking can just be about focusing on the different natures of taste.... which I wont mention can also be done with things like wine and spirits, and even just food itself
:lol: :dry:
The big benefit though might be that most people probably tend not to drink enough water, and drinking tea regularly is a good way to increase water intake.

I just look for certain ingredients, research their impact on the body, look at what the proper water temperature might be, and try to avoid using plastic containers/kettles (to avoid leaching of chemicals). That's about as far as I go with it.

FROM A CUP YOU SILLY YANKEE!!

lol dude just get like ten different teas and follow the instructions - its easy and youll find something you like eventually

i like green teas the best but theres no way to guess what flavors or styles youll prefer - in general, tea you brew yourself from actual tea leaves (not that sugar powder junk) will have a little less caffeine than coffee - the only recomendations i have are to stick to the organic isle, follow the instructions precisely, and start with no sugar and add gradually to taste

personally i dont like sugar in my tea or coffee anymore, but everyones different

all i drink is water, coffee, and tea (tea usually when i eat out) and i dont miss soda at all

---

EDIT

apparently the way the caffeine in tea affects us is different from coffee

http://www.teaclass.com/lesson_0112.html

also i added the "from a cup silly yankee" after your "thank you"
i hope you dont feel tricked lol

A lot of interesting information being given in this thread. haha.

First, you need to find out why you are wanting to drink tea. If it's to get away from soda and still drink something that has a good taste, you might not even consider tea. I would actually recommend various types of flavored zero calorie carbonated water like ICE. It helps you wean away from the need for carbonated soda with a personal endgame of eventually just drinking carbonated water and then just straight water if you want. You can also add MIO or various "flavor" syrups to just regular tap water if you want something with taste.

If your goal is to move away from unhealthy chemicals and nasty sugar-packed drinks, then maybe tea or infusions are what you should go for.

First lesson: Nobody cares, but the only thing that is "real" tea is when the infusion leaf comes from the tea plant. See this for reference: http://www.thefragrantleaf.com/the-tea-plant Everything else is technically an "infusion", which is when you put something in hot liquid, steep it, and then drink it.

Second lesson: Beyond this, there are no rules. Tea is as much cultural as it is ritual. So, when people first used tea, it was for medicinal purposes. Nowadays, its significance is diminished in that world, but the benefits still exist.

If you are looking for tea/infusions to help with specific ailments, then you can just look it up online.

Example:
I need to be able to sleep better.
Google - -> Herbal infusion to help with sleep = Chamomile (Oh yeah, I've seen that on the shelves at the store)

Get some chamomile tea/infusion(for technical sake.. nobody uses the term so I'll stop now), in any form you'd like. Preferably, you get the equipment to make it from loose leaf. But, a bag won't hurt... I would recommend going to a tea dealer (Teavana, for example) and ask them to get you the equipment you need. Then, buy a bag while you're there.

Drink a normal amount (12ish oz) at first and see the effects. I used to need 24 oz for it to be effective. But, now I have a close friend who makes her own "sleepytime" blend that I'm sure has some sort of anesthetic in it because it knocks me out for 8 hours straight with just half a dropper-ful or so infused with water.

That's another thing! Think about buying local. If you have a friend who runs a witchcraf... I mean apothecary, then buy from them because maybe you could get the dosage or infusion altered to meet your needs.

Now, on to your questions.

Caffeine is great. It's a tool. I personally do NOT drink caffeine anymore, and yes I'm tired in the morning... It goes away after I eat a good breakfast with protein. Whatever works for you. Some people need caffeine, and drinking a caffeine black tea in the morning is fabulous.

There is no tea (specifically, not talking about herbal infusions) that don't have caffeine in them at some level naturally. This is because of how tea is made. Sometimes, in green teas, the caffeine is removed. Decaffeinated black tea? The caffeine has been chemically removed from the tea. This means that when you drink "decaf", you're drinking artificial tea... Does it matter? It's never bothered me. My mom drinks decaf black religiously, and she's fine.

Caffeine will boost you up, but you will crash. Although, caffeine affects every individual in different ways. Play with it. When you cut out sodas, do not drink caffeine tea. The detox should be clean. Get rid of the caffeine in your life if you want to.

Black or green? I think this is just your preference. Why are you drinking tea? Black is more bitter. Green is softer. Green has much less caffeine in it (oftentimes the caffeine is removed). You didn't mention it, but there are also herbal infusions like passion tea, orange tea, mint tea, etc. Most of those are naturally caffeine free infusions. Drink for taste and medicinal benefits!

Morning or night? It doesn't matter. If you drink a 20 oz soda before bed, you will be up half the night (most likely). If you drink caffeine-laced tea/infusions before bed? You will be up half the night.

Do you need caffeine to wake you up? Black in the morning would be a great option. There are a million ways to go. Just go to the store and explore.

That's the main point. Finding good tea and what you like is a life-long journey. You may travel and find other teas/infusions you like and don't like. Look up the history of tea on that site I linked to you to find out more.

I was going to offer advice, but most of it has already been given! I definitely recommend loose-leaf tea varieties bought from a seller that sources the tea locally, or offers verified high-qualities teas. Store tea in an air tight container to avoid oxidation and preserve freshness. Make sure that when you use water for the tea you use the right temperature water as noted above. Roughly boiling for black teas, and no more than 180degrees (F) for green teas. My shop keeps the green tea water heated to a consistent 175. This is very important to prevent burning the tea and ruining the flavor.

Beyond that though I suggest that the ritual of tea is one of the most important things. It's always fine to just pop it into a mug, I think that appreciating the ritual can really help you appreciate the tea more, and can easily become part of a daily meditation routine. Even if you're just preparing the tea for yourself the ritual is fulfilling - it's nice to treat yourself like an honored guest sometimes.

I'd check out the web for more information on tea ceremonies, maybe watch some videos. I'd also recommend looking up local stores or tea houses that actually serve tea - so you can have it made and served to you by someone who's trained. Places like this may also have bulk loose leaf teas that you can look through and buy.

I think it's important to drink your tea, what ever flavor you choose, at a time and in a place when you can relax and enjoy it. That is what makes it healthy. Comfortable peace and quiet.

I have an iron pot, helps the chronic anemia. It's got an infuser built in, so I just fill it about half way, then add hot water from my electric kettle. I like all kinds of tea, but have a special fondness for jasmine green. I don't add anything, but nothing wrong with doing so if that's what you like. I've also subbed soda at restaurants with iced tea as well, less choice there but you learn to love it!