Attn: Tea Fans, advice needed

[Cat]

So, I am taking the plunge and cutting back on coffee ( I knew the addiction was bad, my headaches are still painful if I don't get coffee, and I actually drink the sludge we have at work)

I am stocking up on teas again, preferably herbal, any one have good recommendations?
I have green tea and a few fruits teas at work. I love green tea.

Been being to pick up some dandelion root tea, my coworker says he likes it, to "flush out the system." I used to study herbalism (can't remember much) and have tried catnip and anise teas.

Only thing I don't like about teas, I try to re-use the bag (trying to save $), but ugh....the taste just ain't the same

Thanks!

[MaggieTheCat]

I really like this brand:

http://www.republicoftea.com/

My personal favorites are: Ginger Peach (available as a black and green tea), jasmine, lemon wintergreen, Tea of Good Tidings (a seasonal tea only available for the holidays, it becomes available in October every year), cardamom cinnamon.

My husband really likes Chai and orange blossom.

I've tried more than just those, but those are the ones that I order often and that really stick out to me. They have lots of limited edition/seasonal stuff too. I think they're a little more expensive than your generic grocery store tea, but they're also a lot better, IMO. I don't particularly like most of the brands you see in grocery stores, like Celestial. Tazo isn't a bad brand, though (their Chai is good), and is available in some of the grocery stores around here.

Edit to add: Another nice thing to get is a water boiler: http://www.republicoftea.com/templat...asp?navID=1768
It only takes anywhere from about 30-120 seconds to boil several cups of water (depending on how much you put in it) and can be used for a lot more than just tea (I use it to make jell-o and simple syrups, for instance.) The nice thing about using this little device to make tea is that the tea steeps a lot faster if the water is that hot, and makes your tea stronger. It really does get water hotter than you could get it in a microwave, and I think you get more out of your tea bags if you use super hot water.

[BookstoreEscapee]

There's a brand that I get at Wegmans, which I can't think of the name right now, but it comes in little white paper bags tied with ribbon. (I don't think it's a Wegman's brand, but I've never seen it anywhere else.) My favorite is the spiced apricot. I have blood orange at work right now, and another flavor that's blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry, I think (though it smells more like cranberries). They have a ton of flavors and lot of them are available in both decaf and regular.

I also like Harney & Sons, which is what Barnes & Noble Cafes have, though they don't carry my favorite anymore . That's Vanilla Comoro, which is decaf, (and with milk and sugar is awesome for a sore throat - it's like drinking liquid cough drops). They have a cinnamon one that smells like redhots and is yummy, and decaf peppermint, and black currant (which they also don't carry anymore). And one year we had a seasonal flavor at Christmas, which was chocolate mint (with black tea) and was really good! I want to try their chocolate tea but I haven't seen it anywhere. The only other place I've seen the brand is at Williams Sonoma, but you can buy from their website, too.

[Stormraven]

Well, when I'm not drinking generic black tea (Iced, with sugar, but not Sweet Tea), I prefer Earl Grey or Morning Thunder. Of course, if you're trying to get away from Caffeine, neither of those is an option.

For Iced Tea, I have no issue with bags. For other uses, I'll take most tea afficionados' advice and go with loose tea when I can.

[JoitheArtist]

I love www.teaforte.com, and most Trader Joe's teas. I'm also pretty fond of the Bigelow line, and Celestial Seasonings holiday teas.

This company, http://spicetradersteas.com/, sells looseleaf tea at the Ren Faire I go to, and I LOVE their jasmine tea, as well as their ginger peach and Jamaican Rum Royal (black tea leaves steeped in rum!). Only problem is that theirs have to be used relatively quickly, no storing them for a year in the cupboard. Great company though.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

While out west on vacation, I picked up some Huckleberry tea made by some company in Toronto.

I think it's pretty good.

In fact, anything huckleberry is good to me. Huckleberries taste like a cross between grape and blueberry to me.

[Cat]

Thanks for all the suggestions I think I'm going tea shopping this weekend.

Not going to cut out caffeine all toegther, but def cut down, and cut back on the coffee.

I'm going to keep cheap black and green teas at work, and at home stock up on good yummy quality teas....probably loose teas.

[MaggieTheCat]

Here's another couple of hot drinks that aren't teas, but that we drink sometimes anyway:

Hot honey and lemon. Mix about 1-3 tablespoons of lemon juice with 1-3 tablespoons of honey in a mug, and top with hot water. The amount of lemon and honey you use will depend on how lemony or honey...y...you like it. You can also substitute apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice, which I like even better. Unfortunately, both of these drinks tend to give me heartburn, so I don't drink them as often as I like.

Also, this: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Instan...f=pd_sim_gro_2
Caffeine-free ginger honey drink. It comes in little pouches and you just dump the whole thing in a mug of hot water and stir to dissolve. It is VERY gingery so if you don't like ginger, you probably won't like it. My husband likes it plain, I like it with a splash of milk (cuts the bite just enough that I can drink it in more than tiny little sips.) We got it when we went to Los Angeles a few weeks ago and were able to explore an Asian market. Haven't found it locally, unfortunately. The same company, Gold Kili, makes other instant drinks that look really good that we'd like to try too.

[Cat]

I love honey-water!! I do need to pick up some local honey.

Today is day 2 of no coffee. Drinking my Early Grey now, after lunch I wil have some Green tea, and might have a fruit tea before I head home.

[Nashida]

I'm a big fan of the previously mentioned Lemon Wintergreen tea, especially if I add a good bit of honey to it. Also feels good on a sore thraot.

[Food Lady]

Pretty much the only tea I like is an orange-spice blend by Bigelow called Constant Comment (weird name, I know). It's different because it has cloves, I think. (They don't tell you). People ask me for my iced tea recipe all the time. Was a huge hit at my friend's baby shower.

[Elspeth]

This is a great site. It is all loose teas

http://www.adagio.com/

It isn't too expensive. They have some very cool single cup tea brewers.

[MannersMakethMan]

I get my special teas from Whittard of Chelsea. They're based in the UK, but will deliver to the US. My favourites from them are Jasmine and Bergamot, Earl Grey, Vanilla, and Peppermint.

[Cat]

I am going to have such fun tea shopping this weekend!