What are your favorite teas?

[Yennie]

Just got back from a trip to Surrey to hit the DT store in person. It was an amazing place! I highly recommend going to the actual shop if at all possible. I'd wanted to go to the DT in Abbotsford as there was also another tea shop in the same center (centre?) but, for some reason, CBSA closed the Nexus lane at the crossing needed for Abbotsford and I AM NOT waiting 40+ minutes at the border!
(Ok, international crossings temper tantrum over...)
I got 25g of the Red Velvet Cake which I'm sipping right now. I tasted it throughout the steeping and I feel like, for me, 5 minutes with 1/2 packet of Splenda and just a splash of HWC is perfect! I could do without the HWC also, still very good but the HWC kinda adds a bit of a "frosting" touch?
I also got some organic vanilla rooibos (almost out of my Market Spice VR which is why I got this) and some Taiwan Oolong. I had some my brother sent me from Taiwan and was trying to replicate that as closely as possible.
I did not know this but apparently you can re-steep Oolong 8-10 times! Its more expensive (I think about C$39/100g) but you use less (1 tsp/cup water) and with its re-usability I think its a great value if you like that kind of tea. I'd only been reusing the bags my brother sent 3-4 times so kinda bummed I "wasted" it.
I'm hoping for another trip back to try some different ones, but it was getting on to the end of the 2 year old's rope so...
Oh, I also got 2 tea balls. They were pretty close in price to the ones I checked out on Amazon before heading north. I got 2 so I could keep the Oolong one separate to re-use.

[sorenkkg]

Good job Jen! And thanks for supporting the cdn economy !

[Yennie]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

Good job Jen! And thanks for supporting the cdn economy !

Soren, I LOVE Canada! Used to go all the time as a kid and I'm thrilled to be back close to the border (and in possession of a Nexus card) so I can pretty much go any time I want. I'm continually baffled when I see all the long lines southbound - why, why, why would you want to come shop in the US? Ok, gas & dairy, I get it but still.
I love the choices available in Canada - where else can you get Canadian, British, Indian, Caribbean, Irish & Asian all in one stop? Vancouver is one of my all time favorite cities. (Except to drive in - whoever designed the roads needs their head examined.)
And, with that, I'm gonna go have another cup of tea!

[Carly]

We are 8 hours from the border in Niagra Falls, so it's a really big commitment, but we went in November since DW and I got married at the Marriot in Niagra Falls, Canada. Back then we couldn't marry in NY and it didn't seem like it was ever going to happen. Happily now it's legal in NY, but we don't regret that we didn't wait. Makes taxes confusing because we file as married for NYS and have to file separately for feds. Hope the US will catch up with Canada... for that I would support the Canadain economy anytime possible!!!!

[Yennie]

Niagara is gorgeous! What a beautiful place for a wedding. So very glad you were able to celebrate your special day.

My ma was born in Toronto, so maybe that's why I like Canada so much? If I'd get off my hiney and do the paperwork I could have a Canadian ID and passport. Then if/when the hubby gets moved to Vancouver (hoping in the next 5 years or so), the feds tell him he has to maintain a residence there, so then my son would be living there and could get HIS Canadian ID and passport. The husband, sadly, is out of luck I think. Plus the US Gov't might frown upon it and since they sign his (greatly reduced as of late - thank you Congress) paychecks, we'll try to keep them marginally happy.

(The background check for his current job was a bit of a circus since they had to background me too, and I have all these foreign relations - it was pretty entertaining! He was stressing out - but obviously it all worked out in the end. The guy doing the check said "Usually its a lot less complicated!" Sorry babe!)

[sorenkkg]

LOL Jen! I lived in ATL for a while as a kid, and still have friends from there. One of whom is now in the USAF, and I've known her DH since they were in college... so whenever they get a new clearance, they have to declare me, my DH, and my mom (I think...) as "foreign nationals" they know. Hasn't held back their carreers though
I drove down years ago when they were in Great Falls MT, and I only got hassled on the way back, with "why were you there" turned into "how does a Canadian know someone at the Air Force Base???? "

Ok, I feel inspired (and tired, and cold) so I'll have my 2nd brew of the banana dream pie and see if it's as good as the first.

S.

[adillenal]

Originally Posted by sorenkkg

Ok, I feel inspired (and tired, and cold) so I'll have my 2nd brew of the banana dream pie and see if it's as good as the first.

S.

I am so glad you like the Banana Dream Pie. I was afraid the poor tea was going to get low self esteem if no one liked it.

[sorenkkg]

Originally Posted by adillenal

I am so glad you like the Banana Dream Pie. I was afraid the poor tea was going to get low self esteem if no one liked it.

LOL!!! I just have to be careful b/c of the caffeine in the black tea so I can have it, just not a lot all at once

[route66]

Thanks to the shout outs for DavidsTeas - I took my DW to the shop in Chicago and we stocked up! North African mint with one drop EZ Sweets is sooooo good. :-)

[Yennie]

I wanted to share my experience as I had posted about it earlier. I came away from my shopping trip to David's Tea with the impression that a "dose" of the Oolong could be re-steeped up to 8 times. I tried this and I must respectfully disagree. The first cup was perfect, the second a bit weak and the third...
I actually forgot I was steeping a cup, remembered 30 minutes later and it was still not very flavorful or strong. Perhaps there is a trick to resteeping that I'm just not aware of.
But since one of the selling points for me of this more expensive tea was its ability to be reused several times and I'm not finding this to be the case, I thought I'd share.

[Rayne_W]

Originally Posted by Yennie

I wanted to share my experience as I had posted about it earlier. I came away from my shopping trip to David's Tea with the impression that a "dose" of the Oolong could be re-steeped up to 8 times. I tried this and I must respectfully disagree. The first cup was perfect, the second a bit weak and the third...
I actually forgot I was steeping a cup, remembered 30 minutes later and it was still not very flavorful or strong. Perhaps there is a trick to resteeping that I'm just not aware of.
But since one of the selling points for me of this more expensive tea was its ability to be reused several times and I'm not finding this to be the case, I thought I'd share.

Resteeping can be a tricky thing.

In general, steeping times for oolongs are fairly close to those for greens and whites -- but even that can change due to big differences in tea quality from vendor to vendor. Here are the steeping times one poster described on a tea forum for one type of oolong, with water temps between 200 and 210 F (just short of boiling): 15 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec, 45 sec, 60 sec, 3 min, 5 min.

When I resteep genmaicha (a green with toasted rice), my times are fairly close to this, probably slightly longer by the 3rd resteep.

[KeirasMom]

I got a sample of the Tung Ting Vietnam oolong with my order and am just now trying it. I have steeped it once only, but this is the first tea I've gotten in my shipment that has enough flavor for me. It's really good (and of course it's not one I ordered!).

I've been messing around with the others, doubling the amount of loose tea and/or steeping longer, and so far I haven't been that impressed, but I haven't tried all the teas in my order yet. They all smell really good. Ooh, I forgot I haven't tried the Amaretto yet. That should happen tonight or tomorrow.

On a side note, is anyone else tempted to eat the walnuts out of the cookie dough tea--on a DD of course?!

[KeirasMom]

Update: I decided to try re-steeping the Oolong, but I didn't want to take all my tea stuff home with half-steeped tea in it. Sooo . . . I'm on my third big mug of the stuff in an hour. I may be getting a glimpse into Soren's caffeine frenzy.

1st steep, about 5 minutes with the lid on my steeper thingy. Very flavorful and robust.

2nd steep, the same, still good flavor, but less robust.

3rd steep, about 7 minutes with the lid on, a little weaker, but still has a good flavor.

I'm going to have to stop there.

[sorenkkg]

I eat stuff after steeping all the time. Apples seem to retain the most flavor, but almonds and other nuts don't always get thrown out

They have some recipes that use the tea (like in banana bread, etc)...so that's another use option.

[Yennie]

Dawn, the Oolong I got from David's was the Organic High Mountain, from Taiwan. I specifically got it trying to match some tea my brother sent me.
Anyway, when I got home I tried to re-steep it again. I got 3 cups out of it, using near boiling water each time. I think the problem before was that we were using hot water from the water cooler which was cooler than freshly boiled water. Maybe it needs to be hotter to be a more successful re-steep.
Still not believing we could get 8-10 cups out of it.
I LOVE the flavor of my Oolong though. Needs a tich of sweetener to ring out the flavor, I think.
Currently re-steeping my red velvet for a 2nd mug tonight. Since I'm not feeling well I anticipate taking some Nyquil so the caffeine isn't a worry tonight!

[PinkyLee]

I love my tea! But it is next to impossible to find any nutrition information on what I drink.
Stash
Celestial Seasonings

In most databases they come up no carbs

But I notice that someone on a tracker site had entered information that gave some of them .5 or .20 pf a carb. So I am confused

I do know that Stash ONLY uses maltodextrin in their ice tea powders to help with disbursement when you're mixing it but I will be darned if I can see how a tea can have a carb.

Does anyone here know the answer or know where I can find it? I thought about emailing them but I have a feeling that what is in their FAQ is all there is.

[Carly]

Originally Posted by PinkyLee

I love my tea! But it is next to impossible to find any nutrition information on what I drink.
Stash
Celestial Seasonings

In most databases they come up no carbs

But I notice that someone on a tracker site had entered information that gave some of them .5 or .20 pf a carb. So I am confused

I do know that Stash ONLY uses maltodextrin in their ice tea powders to help with disbursement when you're mixing it but I will be darned if I can see how a tea can have a carb.

Does anyone here know the answer or know where I can find it? I thought about emailing them but I have a feeling that what is in their FAQ is all there is.

Most of us don't count carbs, but a few of us do. I have found as far as calories go most teas are less than 2 calories per cup. I hope someone can help you with the carbs, but JUDDD is not a low carb plan per se.

[PinkyLee]

Originally Posted by Carly

Most of us don't count carbs, but a few of us do. I have found as far as calories go most teas are less than 2 calories per cup. I hope someone can help you with the carbs, but JUDDD is not a low carb plan per se.

Thanks for replying. I had no idea what JUDDD was....never had heard of it before. I read the information page...wish something like that would work for me but I am a complete carbaholic. I would fast one day and eat ice cream the next.I know this is true because I have done it.

But thanks and I will ask in some of the other threads too.

[Carly]

I hope some of the low carbers on some of the other pages can help. Have you tried googling it? This is how I find many of my calorie counts.

[adillenal]

Originally Posted by PinkyLee

Thanks for replying. I had no idea what JUDDD was....never had heard of it before. I read the information page...wish something like that would work for me but I am a complete carbaholic. I would fast one day and eat ice cream the next.I know this is true because I have done it.

But thanks and I will ask in some of the other threads too.

But I lost 42 pounds doing almost that.

[Yennie]

Originally Posted by adillenal

But I lost 42 pounds doing almost that.

Adi - me too!
I remember my first few UDs - I hit up the bakery at our local market which is To. Die. FOR! I'm assuage my guilt a bit by sharing the treat(s) with my son but man, I hogged out on the treats! And still lost!

[KeirasMom]

Love that Adi!

I'm finally trying the David's Tea Amaretto, and it's fantastic! I don't have my stainless steel strainer at home, so I tried it with a one of those spoons with the holes in it. Epic fail. I got Soren a ceramic tea mug with a ceramic insert and lid for Christmas (for our Secret Santa thing) but I was afraid it would break in transit, so I kept it (Sorry Soren!), and I finally tried it out. The holes are too big and there are lots of floaties in my tea. I think I'll need to invest in another stainless steel insert/lid for home as well. This tea is fragrant and flavorful. **Note** I brewed it using twice as much tea as recommended and for twice as long, but I like a LOT of flavor.

I'll be trying the Chicory Dickory Dock next.

[KeirasMom]

On to the Chicory Dickory Dock . . . I did the same thing with doubling the amount of tea and steeping for the longest amount of time recommended. Uh, yeah, this one is strong enough where I probably shouldn't have done that! It looks like really strong coffee, smells and tastes great, but I would like it a little weaker. Next time I'll try it according to the directions.

[sorenkkg]

I knew you'd like the chicory! It's strong enou to make 2 servings from 1 scoop, if you let the second steep sit overnight and heat it up after

[Carly]

I go through cocoa canella like my life depends on it. I like the birthday cake and red velvet, too, but cocoa canella Drinking it right now!

[Lori_:)]

I have a peppermint chocolate that I really like in the afternoon.

[PinkyLee]

Originally Posted by Carly

I hope some of the low carbers on some of the other pages can help. Have you tried googling it? This is how I find many of my calorie counts.

Oh yeah I have googled. LOL! The answers are as varied as the teas. Basically it seems that there is nothing... no carbs-no cals and then some other website pops up with 0.20 of a carb.

I basically don't want it to throw my blood sugar off and I don't think it takes much with me. :/ And I am trying really hard to stay within 20 net carbs.

[PinkyLee]

Originally Posted by Lori_:)

I have a peppermint chocolate that I really like in the afternoon.

ooh sounds yummy

[PinkyLee]

Originally Posted by adillenal

But I lost 42 pounds doing almost that.

Now that would be heaven!

[LoCarbGal]

Just have to say, I love those t-sacs! Wow, what a game changer! Of course, I figure it out just in time for the weather to warm up here meaning lots less hot tea. Oh well.

I was feeling kind of meh about the creme caramel rooibos, so yesterday I decided to brew it all up and make a gallon of iced tea with it. It's really very good. I wouldn't do that all the time, due to expense and also I like my Lipton Cold Brew with caffeine. But I'm enjoying it a lot more like this than I was hot. Live and learn!