Tea...

[Kitsune]

Okay, so I admit it.

I hate coffee. I've never been fond of tea. I don't even like Iced Tea.

And now I'm working in an office, and would like something flavourful to drink beyond juice crystals (which by the way, get you weird looks if you try mixing it at your desk).

The same problems with Hot Chocolate.

So I'm thinking that tea must be the answer. But I need tea that tastes good. I don't like bitter drinks (as I'm sure was noted from what I drink above).

Does anyone know a good herbal recipe, or something similar, that won't taste bitter? Oh, and on a side note, I prefer Brown Sugar to White... Am I completely odd if I use it in tea?

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Ginseng teas are fantastic when mixed with honey.

Peppermint tea is great. Mixed with a wee bit of lavender and chamomile can be very very nice. Peppermint on its own is very good, with a bit of milk and sugar or honey. Very sweet.

I don't think it is weird to use brown sugar. My sister will often use maple syrup instead of sugar to sweeten things O_O

Try out a bunch of herbs, either grown, from a friend, or purchased. Buy some teas that look good in your supermarket (STASH triple ginseng tea is AWESOME!!!). Experiment!

Chamomile is always a good thing. It's sedative, so may not be the best in the workplace, but peppermint is a good boost as is ginseng. Chamomile is GREAT for stress, though, so it may be worth it. Also for stomach upsets (as is peppermint). Lemonbalm (melissa) is lemon-y and good for stress, and tastes very good.

[Kitsune]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll p/u some Chamomile and perhaps some others. If I can just figure out a way to drink it without the bitterness, it wouldn't be too bad.

I don't think I'll add milk though. I've never been fond of the taste!

Thanks for the advice.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

Chamomile is bitter?? O__o How so?

Try ginger, also. No bitter there whatsoever, as far as I am concerned! May also help with the bitter taste you are experiencing in herbal teas like chamomile, which flabbergasts me. Chamomile is bitter?

[Kitsune]

I don't think I said Chamomile was bitter. I've never tried Chamomile. Sorry to tired to be writing reply's right now. I meant to say that I'll try Chamomile. Hey, has anyone tried rose tea? What's that taste like? Is it bitter?

[Kystar]

Rose isn't exactly bitter. It's not sweet, either, but I'm not sure how to explain it...floral?

Try sugar in the raw...it's not as sticky as brown sugar, but it's not bleached either. Also, it's corase ground.

Also, try a few different types of green teas. they're not as old of leaves, nor are they heavily processes, so they are very mild, floral (again!) flavored. The best place to get some great Green tea is the asian market or a quality chinese restraurant.

Personally, I like a tea strong enough to stand without the aide of a cup, and to cut the bitterness, I use a mixture of flavoring, depending on the tea. Sugar, honey, mint, rosehips, lime or orange juice call all be added to tea to soften the flavor.

[Lotus]

Are you over steeping the teas? That could cause them to be bitter. Avoid Black or green tea since these tend to be bitter. There is herbal brews called something like Ti-sane (sp? Its french). These are a blend of fruits and herbs and do not contain tea leaves. I love Roobus (sp?) the African red tea (again not made of tea leaves and not bitter). If you get like a flavored roobus then it is wonderful and has many good health benefits....
I get all of my tea stuff from a place called the World of Tea in Sylvania, Ohio on Monroe St. They have a web site where you can order what you need. I do not have the website off hand but I'm sure it could be googled.
As a side note, if you do not want to use your credit card on-line you could get a temporary card from any CVS. It cost 10 dollars to open one but, it is reuse-able. I do this because a few years ago when I made my first purchase on-line someone in London ended up with my information and tried to use my card.

BB
Lotus

[Kitsune]

Thanks for the information. I'm not quite as picky about my info being taken (although I know it's always a possibly), although I am a little wary about using it. I had a bad experience on EBay, where after I paid the buyer using a cash voucher (dang it, can't think of the proper name right now), he disappeared, I lost my money and never got the item. And EBay's reply was "Oh, it was only $40 bucks... Too bad, we just don't protect those small amounts." I know that to a lot of people $40 isn't a lot, but for me when I only have maybe $150 in spending cash a month, well $40 is suddenly worth a lot more.

Anyways, thanks for listening to the rant. I will google that on-line store lotus, and try them out, thanks. I'm thinking that I will also try this other on-line store I found. Check out the addy in Web Sites. They had this great tea strainer thing that would be really useful. Thanks for advice. Perhaps floral teas are the way to go. I get some rose hips and chamomile perhaps. Those may go well together.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

I don't think I said Chamomile was bitter.

Oops, sorry

Rooibos is very yummy. Incredible antioxidant. My only complaint is that because it is bark, there is some tannin (low, though, I may add), and it also will stain your teeth like crazy. However, this tendency to stain makes it good for crafts ^__^

>__< Help! I'm turning into a house-frou!

[Kitsune]

Interesting.

Oh, and on the bitter thing, when I re-read my post, I can understand how you took it that way. It wasn't what I meant, I was simply too tired to write what I meant properly.