What kind tea do you drink and how do you prepare it?

Although I do assume you mean hot tea in this case, the tea I drink, being from the Southern US, is iced tea. If you live in another area, you may have not been exposed to a good glass of sweet iced tea. In order to prepare, fill a medium sized pot with water. Place 3 to 6 bags of tea in pot, depending on bag size. I use Lipton’s Decaffeinated. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Let steep for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Prepare a 2 quart pitcher with 2 cups of sugar. Pour tea in pitcher taking care to keep bags from falling in. Squeeze excess from bags. Fill pitcher to top with water while stirring. Pour over a glass of ice and be prepared to be refreshed!

I am from the south a love a good glass of iced tea. Now though I want to try hot teas. I really have not tried it before and want input before I try something not good a give up on it too early.

I brew fresh tea leaves; Earl Grey or Irish Breakfast. Boil water; fill an infuser (little metal strainer or tea ball) with tea leaves. Warm mug or tea pot. Place infuser inside. Pour boiling water over. Steep for 3–5 minutes.I use only skim milk but you can drink it w. sugar, honey and lemon, cream..(or over ice).Tea bags are generally filled w. stale dust…

Tea pots, mugs, infusers, mesh balls, etc

Peppermint tea is my favorite – it’s light and refreshing, and it’s also good for settling your stomach (a lot like ginger). Brewing from loose tea leaves is always best, but if you want to buy it in tea bags, I’d go with Twinings or (surprisingly) Safeway brand. Strangely, the more expensive brands of peppermint tea often taste grassy, while the cheaper brands give you more of a pure mint flavor…

The best IMO is English Breakfast (Irish will do, I’m sure) with a good pour of milk & sugar to taste. Do the tea part first and add milk & sugar after.

Green tea has (by far) the most nutritional benefits, which is why I pretty much drink it exclusively.

I enjoy the Tazo Zen, which is green with lemon grass and the slightest hint of peppermint; delicious.

At night I drink the Good Earth (Decaf) Green Tea, which is more lemony and very smooth and soothing. I usually drop a Splenda (sweetener) and a dash of vanilla soy milk, which does not alter the health benefits of a green tea unlike dairy milk does.

As far as preparation goes with these, all you have to do is drop a bag in a mug of water and microwave for a minute or two. Thats all. There’s nothing like a nice hot tea in the morning to get you going, or a steaming hot cup at night to calm you down while you read a book or relax.

Green is definitely the way to go if you’re looking to drink something that’s good for you.

My girlfriend introduced me to Po Neai tea, which is red in colour. The leaves need quite a lot of washing in boiled water, so I’m told to soak them in the pot, pour the water away and repeat a couple times until they’ve opened and the dust has cleared. After that you can use the same leaves a considerable number of times by refreshing with hot water, and it doesn’t seem to develop quite as much of the bitter tannin taste as green teas can.

@ all cream and milk answers…How much milk or cream? Just a teaspoon or equal amounts tea and milk or cream.

Halfway between a drop and au lait. I don’t mean to be a wiseass, but I’ve never measured. Maybe 3 parts tea and 1 part milk.

Never heard of tea with milk! But I am fixing to go make some with milk and honey added. Where I live we just drink iced tea. I have seen people on TV drink hot tea but didn’t know more than it was just hot tea. I guess different cultures different stuff.

Yeah, it’s too hot in the south for anything else.

Do the honey first, so that it dissolves.

Additions to taste; experiment. However, I would think, from my own experience that mixing milk (or cream) and honey would be a mistake. Honey and lemon are nice (w. a drop of rum, for celebratory times.)

Growing peppermint (or any kind of mint) is easy – in fact, it is an invasive plant. Just pick a few sprigs, crumble and brew, or dry (hang over towel bar until crunchy) and save for winter use. I’ve try to grow it inside but get white flies. Green tea is wonderful also.

@ gail I have mint growing in my yard now how much of fresh is required for a cup of tea

Experiment. I tend to add crushed fresh, bruised leaves to iced tea, or cold water w. lemon or lime. For the best hot tea, pick a bunch, tie ends w. string, hang somewhere until it dries and then try crumbling a T or so into a strainer or infuser. Pour boiling water over. It requires fiddling, but is easy. You might be able to dry in MW, but I wouldn’t have a clue as to time and power, and you might lose all the flavor.

I am sure that you know how easy it will root; fill a vase or glass w. water, add sprigs of fresh mint. Soon the stems will have roots, and you can plant them where you want ground cover. (Like kudzu, however, it can take over.)

Throwing in a few fresh raspberries, blackberries or strawberries into mint tea is delicious. Possibly blueberries or sliced peaches or nectarines.