What is in your cup?

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Branching out today: Gunpowder Temple of Heaven --
I can't really describe what it tastes like, other than to say it tastes "green"

I'm drinking it neat - does it need sugar/sweetener?

I do not use sugar or sweetner in my green teas but that is my personal preference.

[ProfCrash]

Just made a cup of Lupipia's Afternoon Delight. It is a blend of Assam and Darjeeling teas. It is really boring.

[astra]

On to my last cup of caffeine infested tea for tonight.
Vietnamese Lotus Chun Mee - green tea that doesn't taste like other green teas. Nice.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Just made a cup of Lupipia's Afternoon Delight. It is a blend of Assam and Darjeeling teas. It is really boring.

Such an exciting name; gives me a feeling of warm summerafternoons; reclining in my bikini and my man getting me a long tall cool summer drink....how I wish this snow was gone.
In my cup cold Arabica-coffee

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Branching out today: Gunpowder Temple of Heaven --
I can't really describe what it tastes like, other than to say it tastes "green"

I'm drinking it neat - does it need sugar/sweetener?

typical gunpowder tea I don't sweeten, but for a lot of green teas I put just a touch of honey into. I don't use sugar, let alone artificial sweetener for anything

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

We are not allowed candles at work. I am knowingly breaking the rules. This is the only co-worker who has said something. I have let everyone who sits near me know that there is a candle in my tea pot warmer just incase someone did have a problem with it.

My cast iron tea warmer holds the candle inside. The candle does not sit directly on the desk and is surrounded by cast irn metal except for holes on top of the warmer. The tea pot sits on top of the warmer. Someone would have to pick it up and chuck it to the floor for it to be dangerous. Even then I think the tea light candle would go out. It is the really, really small candles that you can buy 100 of for $5. But she is uncomfortable with it so I am not using it. Just pouting because it means individual cups of tea instead of pots of tea. More to clean at the end of the day.

So I tried Lupicia's Darjeeling First Flush today. It was ok. I prefer Tea Gschwendner's Darjeelings. They have a more robust flavor which I prefer.

This is reminding me of why I didn't end up shopping at Lupicia. When I got the Lupicia's gift bags last year and started trying them I liked the teas fine but there was normally a TG tea I strongly prefered.

If I did not know about TG, I would order from Lupicia in a heartbeat. I prefer most of their teas to Teavanas. They are good, solid teas that are not overly infused. You can taste the tea in them. But they do not have the same variety of tea as TG so their Darjeeling is more of a blend of Darjeelings where as TG sells from specific estates and the Darjeelings have a bit more character to them.

oh that sounds like a dandy teapot! do you know where you got it?

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by desertblues

Such an exciting name; gives me a feeling of warm summerafternoons; reclining in my bikini and my man getting me a long tall cool summer drink....how I wish this snow was gone.
In my cup cold Arabica-coffee

It sounds good and it tastes fine, it is just bland. I like Darjeeling and I like Assams. I pretend that I can tell the difference between them (I probably couldn't pick one or the other out in a blind taste test) but blending them is just boring. You don't get the unique flavor of the region. It's just black tea.

Now for afternoon tea I do love my Anna's or Arabian Night or Earl Grey or a nice Darjeeling....

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

typical gunpowder tea I don't sweeten, but for a lot of green teas I put just a touch of honey into. I don't use sugar, let alone artificial sweetener for anything



oh that sounds like a dandy teapot! do you know where you got it?

Do a google search for cast iron tea pots and you will find a few thousand options.

I bought my tea pots at Tea Gschwendner and Teavana, one with dragons in red it is gorgeous. The tea pot warmers come from Teavana. The Teavana pot was my Christmas gift from my Hubby. The TG one I bought when they had a sale where everything was 50% off if you bought a cast iron tea pot. I went a bit nuts that day and saved a ton of money.

Yes I spent a good amount but I would have spent more on my normal tea order then I did buying a cast iron tea pot and my normal tea order. It was awesome.

If you are thinking of getting a cast iron pot and a tea pot warmer make sure that you get a warmer that has a lid that covers the flame with air holes on the sides. I had a friend get a cast iron pot warmer with the flame exposed to the pot and it singed the bottom of the pot. The cast iron lid over the warmer prevents that from happening.

My tea pots:

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...ron-Teapot.axd

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...panese-Teapot/

I recommend this warmer (I have two of them)

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...rmer-Small.axd

I do not recommend these types of warmers (They singe)

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...pot-Warmer.axd

[Latinandgreek]

Cranberry tea, and off to write a bit.

[Stitchawl]

Sunny skies sleeps in the morning
He doesn't know when to rise
He closes his weary eyes upon the day
Look at him yawning
Throwing his morning hours away

Wish it were me... What am I doing up at 6:30? Already had breakfast, shower, dressed, drinking my second cup of Yorkshire Tea... must be jet lag.

Last night I drank some more of that Bigelow English Breakfast tea, and the more I drink it, the more I appreciate it. For a teabag tea from the supermarket, it's pretty damn good! I'm going to do a search and see if I can find it as a loose leaf tea. That should improve it a bit and really make it a top shelf drink!

Stitchawl

[astra]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Got a mug of Taylors of Harrowgate English Breakfast Tea

Do you like it? Is it any good? Is it made from Assam or Keemun?
Ta in advance

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by astra

Do you like it? Is it any good? Is it made from Assam or Keemun?
Ta in advance

Taylors is my #1 go-to company for teas. I regularly drink their "English Breakfast" tea and their "Yorkshire" tea every day. (I don't care for their 'Yorkshire Gold' blend though...) As for the blend, all it says on the package is 'a blend of Indian and African teas.' I'd assume that the 'Indian' is Assam, but that's only a guess.


Stitchawl

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Do a google search for cast iron tea pots and you will find a few thousand options.

I bought my tea pots at Tea Gschwendner and Teavana, one with dragons in red it is gorgeous. The tea pot warmers come from Teavana. The Teavana pot was my Christmas gift from my Hubby. The TG one I bought when they had a sale where everything was 50% off if you bought a cast iron tea pot. I went a bit nuts that day and saved a ton of money.

Yes I spent a good amount but I would have spent more on my normal tea order then I did buying a cast iron tea pot and my normal tea order. It was awesome.

If you are thinking of getting a cast iron pot and a tea pot warmer make sure that you get a warmer that has a lid that covers the flame with air holes on the sides. I had a friend get a cast iron pot warmer with the flame exposed to the pot and it singed the bottom of the pot. The cast iron lid over the warmer prevents that from happening.

My tea pots:

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...ron-Teapot.axd

http://shop.tgtea.com/store/product/...panese-Teapot/

I recommend this warmer (I have two of them)

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...rmer-Small.axd

I do not recommend these types of warmers (They singe)

http://www.teavana.com/Tea-Products/...pot-Warmer.axd

for some reason I thought it was all one unit. Republic of Tea has a lot of those as well. so you enjoy it?

[desertblues]

Cold Arabica-coffee

[astra]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Taylors is my #1 go-to company for teas. I regularly drink their "English Breakfast" tea and their "Yorkshire" tea every day. (I don't care for their 'Yorkshire Gold' blend though...) As for the blend, all it says on the package is 'a blend of Indian and African teas.' I'd assume that the 'Indian' is Assam, but that's only a guess.

Do you think this (or similar) will do?

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by astra

Do you think this (or similar) will do?

THAT is the very one that I drink! I love it.

I'm a 'black tea' person, and Taylors makes some very nice black tea blends. So does East India Tea Company, Fortnum & Mason, and Jackson of Piccadilly. Those XXXXX four companies are the foundation of my tea drinking, along with some straight teas (not blends) such as Assam, Keemun, China Black, and Ceylon, being bought through McNultey's Tea and Coffee in NYC and the Baltimore Tea and Coffee Company, in MD.
(My Lapsang Souchong comes from McNultey's.)

There are a bunch of other teas that I have bought to try, many of them from Africa, but to date none have stood the test of time. Nice to try, but nothing to write home about, and I always return to my favorites.

Stitchawl

Stitchawl