(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best black tea

Loose leaf tea is great! It's so much better. Bigger leaves and less fine particles (fannings) mean it will be less bitter. Those little pieces steep really quickly, and make it bitter and almost metallic.

There's also temperature and steep time that you have to look out for, and adjust to your taste. Some greens only need 15 seconds of steeping in 160f water, while some blacks are best in 200f for 2-3 minutes.

I didn't know at first, but color varies a lot. A green can be ready when it's almost totally clear, or a dark green color, but most will be a yellow color (the result is often called the liquor or broth).

One of my favorites is an irish breakfast tea, with like a tablespoon full of leaves for a really strong but not at all bitter tea.

Sometimes people will intentionally steep tea for a long time, then add warm water to dilute it.

Check out r/tea, it's the coolest and most relaxed sub ever. "Oh, you like cheap lipton tea bags? That's cool, whatever you like!".

Tea balls suck, by the way. They don't let the leaves expand and mix evenly.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ABVM226/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This is what I use, and it's great.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/ya/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_post_o17?ie=UTF8&ac=od&ii=&ij=&noi=&of=&oi=&oid=105-5075213-2947460 This is my mug. The infuser came broken, but it's great watching the water mix and change color.

Edit:
These are some of my favorites that I've gotten off Amazon

This is some of the best Jasmine tea I've had, and it's super cheap. I got mine for $8.

This is some really good mint tea, good balance, really refreshing.

This is a good oolong, which is really good and way different from most other teas. It's roasted, which gives it a unique flavor. This is the black dragon (Oolong is actually Chinese for black dragon), which tastes more like a black, but they also have a green dragon oolong that is more green, if that's your preference.

That's just what I've gotten from Amazon, but the best stuff I've gotten is from The Devotea. They had a crazy 75% off sale so I just bought some of everything, and it was all consistently very good, very high quality.

This kettle has saved me a lot of trouble, it works really well once you figure it out, and you don't have to worry about boiling water and letting it sit for 3 minutes or something, you just push the button a couple times to choose the temperature.

Oh I got this!

• Harney and Sons has tons of Loose Leaf Tea on Amazon. Personally I suggest the Paris and the Hot Cinnamon Spice. Alternatively they have a sampler. Harney and Sons makes really excellent tea.
  
• Tea Forte also has a sampler, but honestly it's not as cost effect, but it'd be great for trying different types.
  
• You can also buy some Twinings Loose Leaf tea on Amazon. My personal favorites are Lady Earl Grey, and the Darjeeling.
  
  
  (Note, all of these will last you a good bit, especially if you get more than one)
  
  
  Also, I know this is a Amazon heavy site, but I also want to suggest Adagio. They have A LOT of tea for really good prices, and you can actually get samplers of any tea for really cheap. I love just get a boatload of samplers. Each sampler contains around 10 cups of tea so that's also a great deal in itself. They have an entire page of sampler collections. I specifically want to suggest the Chai Tea Sampler, the Herbal tea Orchard Sampler, the Oolong Tea Orchard Sampler and the Green Tea Sampler. You also can't go wrong with just going around the site and picking and choosing, although you do save a few bucks with a sampler pack. They also like to just throw samples at you while you're checking out.
  
  If you find you want to get something on Adagio, I have a 5 dollar off coupon I can give you.

Here is some Trader Joe's vanilla & cinnamon black tea. It's absolutely delicious. I recommend it highly! I love flavored teas. My favorite right now is Oolong from Wegman's because it smells like flowers and tastes like heaven. But the vanilla & cinnamon is a close second! :) ♥

} Surprise me if I win, please!

Thanks for the contestt!

Frak yeah, pu-erh! I love its mossy, dirty flavour, especially when its served at various Cantonese restaurants, but most of my friends dislike it. I'm a big fan of it, along with oolong, sencha and Earl Grey (I was raised on English tea, after all). Have you ever had matcha? It's a really fine Japanese green tea, the type used in their tea ceremonies traditionally; I'd say its strongest flavour is chlorophyll, but it's really quite delicious and unique, and you sound like you would probably enjoy it.

I also like Indian chai, and someday I'd like to make it myself. Another tea I'd like to try is St Valentine Tea, a Russian tea, but it only seems to be available from the one brand, Czar Nicolas II.

i only brew tea to drink it later once cold, so my opinion may not be relevant for most posting here. i used to drink http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00112GBO0 but the price went up 50% this past year, so i started looking around for a similar tasting assam&ceylon, similar potency (1g:8oz) alternative. i found this at my local indian grocery http://www.amazon.com/Tetley-Loose-Leaf-Tea-31-75-Ounce/dp/B001VIIXXQ to be a worthy substitute which is slightly less leafy and also keeps longer (does not ferment) in my fridge enabling me to make larger batches less frequently. the typical Adagio sipper posting here won't be impressed, but if you consume 100g of tea per week (6 gallons), you are looking for the best neutral pH robust malt:leaf tea flavor money can buy, and that blue box Tetley loose suits my needs perfectly - the Indians shopping at the Patel brothers grocery chain can't seem to get enough of the stuff, and they come from a former British colony that grows a quarter of the World's tea production. an additional bonus with that Tetley is it's dust free fanning size baked spheres of leaf - agitate well in my 82°C/180°F Mr.Coffee Tea Maker, thus helping liberate all it's best tea notes. if you buy either Dilmah or Tetley, http://i.imgur.com/xHMfop8.jpg make sure you transfer it to another sealed container once you open their foil pack, as the box they ship in does poorly for storage and reuse. I have not found any Chinese or Japanese blacks to like, as I generally find them to be bland, leafy and over priced just because they are whole or broken leaf - when compared to dark malty fanning or orange pekoe size Indian blacks. unlike most posting here, i don't like leafy tasting tea, which is why i only sample whites, greens, and won't use stevia as a sweetener. the only chinese teas i regularly drink are dark oolong.

I believe block tea would taste similar to American style tea dust tea bags. I could be wrong. A strong tea brick such as this one might compensate for the usual weakness associated with tea dust.

Hmm, good question. I don't really know how to describe it to you. It has a good aroma, it isn't flowery (I strongly dislike flowery tasting tea), it's strong but not so much so (obviously this can be made stronger or lighter depending on how much tea you put in the pot). It's just a really good tasting tea blend. It always gives me that relaxed and warm feeling with just the right amount of caffeine to hit that craving. It goes really well with pita and feta cheese, too, but I'm probably safe in assuming you don't have your tea in this way. It should taste good with other food, as well.

Plus, it's relatively cheap considering the quality.

I can't link but there is some Numi Savory tea on my food things list that would be amazing. Any flavor would be cool. :) thanks for doing this contest.

Got back on the computer. Here is a link

Edit: Patrick Kane is our hero

I just bought two cakes from Mandala tea. I got Patty Cake II, Wild Monk, and smaples of Yi Wu Gushu and Nobel Mark.

First off I tried Patty Cake (a ripe) it tasted similar to me as a tea I got on amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IY2VL2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

The 2nd I tried was the wild monk (a raw pu-er) and it was obviously really easy to tell apart from the ripe pu-er since it was a lot closer to a green tea to me). I then tried a little of the nobel mark and couldn't tell a diffrence between it and patty cake. And if I'm being honest I couldn't tell the diffrence between those and the amazon cake I bought.

SO my question is this. How do I get better at judging pu-er tea? Is it possible the teavana stuff is good (even though its cheap)? Or am I just such a novice that I need to develop a pallet?

Thanks!

If you're used to sweet stuff, I suggest something minty or vanilla. My first tea after I found I couldn't drink coffee was a french vanilla black tea by Lipton. Also, try Zen green tea with mint by Tazo.

You can read all you want about it (I encourage you to do so) but the best way is to try stuff. If it sounds good, there's a chance it is.

I know I'm replying to this really late and you may never see it but try Stash Earl Gray Tea. Or, for even more Bergmot you can go for the Stash Premium Double Bergamot Earl Gray

I've not had the double bergamot but the regular stuff by Stash is really good and has an amazing fragrance. I was sent some in a coffee tea exchange and have really liked it.

single source Ceylon - it's the king of the blacks.
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B00TECVBHG
a Nilgiri blend like Ceylon - but on a budget;
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B001VIIXXQ
one of the best black blends in the business;
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B003H7KV8Y/
if you like blacks, you may like a dark oolong;
https://www.amazon.com//dp/B011WP5970

Do you need it right now or do you have a few days.

There is a great one off Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002GWH6MA/ref=pe_385040_121528360_TE_dp_3 . Made a really nice Earl Grey infused gin with it.

This cinnamon spice tea from Harney & Sons is amazing. Even without sweetening, it tastes like cinnamon candy. I used to be unable to drink hot tea without some kind of sweetener, but the cinnamon spice tea helped me develop a taste for unsweetened tea. Now I can drink all sorts of black tea, green tea, herbal tea, etc., without adding any sugar or honey. (But don't pay that Amazon price for the cinnamon tea. You can find it at stores like Target and at many grocery stores for around $5 per tin. Also, make sure you get the tin with the little sachets in it, not a box with tea bags in it. The tea bags just don't have the same flavor.)

I'm the same stage as you! (5 weeks I guess this week, the whole IVF -> DPO thing confuses me)
I was super bloated last week, I'm happy to report that this week has gotten better. I've been drinking tons of this tea. I also drink water all day long. I've never been a huge water drinker, so it's been a whole thing to remember. Try eating a few small meals 6x's a day rather than 3 bigger ones. That helped too.

Not really a supplement, but Bulletproof Coffee is incredible for keeping your energy high.
(https://www.upgradedself.com/Bulletproof-Coffee-Starter-Kit-Brain-Octane-Edition)

If you're not one for coffee, you could always try Yerba Mate Tea (http://www.amazon.com/EcoTeas-Organic-Yerba-Loose-5-Pound/dp/B0012BSLWU/ref=sr_1_1?srs=5856181011&ie=UTF8&qid=1380594143&sr=8-1&keywords=yerba+mate)


In terms of supplements, I personally take Athletic Greens, krill oil, iodine, vitamin D, and vitamin K-complex (links below). You can set them on a subscription and never think about them again.

https://www.athleticgreens.com/v5
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013OULGA
http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Vitamin-5000-Softgels/dp/B0032BH76O/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GW4S0G/
http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Encapsulations-Iodine-Potassium-Iodide/dp/B0017HS34A/

Try English Breakfast or Assam if you can get them where you are.

Some people have Earl Grey with a dash of milk too, which has a nice citrusy taste.
We drink plenty of tea without milk too, if you like peated whisky or smoked foods then maybe try Lapsang Souchong?

I'm sure the folks over at r/tea have plenty of recommendations too!
You can always buy a sampler box to start and try them all out.

I always use Constant Comment to make iced tea. I used to use Lipton Orange, but it was discontinued and this is the best replacement I have found.

Soda/coke/pop (pick your regionally germane term). The big brand-name variants are disgusting, terrible for you and crazy expensive.

The most fanciest, most expensive tea I can buy costs less per serving than the cheapest name-brand soda. As I learned more about teas, I found that my favorites are not particularly expensive -- about 12 cents a cup.

When it's hot outside, I like to make huge batches of cold-brew tea. My favorite is Golden Sail Lichee Black Tea, which you can find at almost any Asian grocery store (or Amazon, but it's cheaper at Ranch 99). I use about 20 grams of leaf for each liter of water, which works out to about 25-35 cents per liter. Just scoop the leaf in a container, fill it with cold water and put it in the refrigerator for a day or two. Pour into a glass through a tea strainer. No sugar needed.

If you must have soda, there are a dozen ways to carbonate water. Get a cheap seltzer bottle on Amazon, at a garage sale or a thrift store. Get a Soda Stream thing. Or, get a little 5lb tank of CO2 and build custom setup if you drink a lot of it and you like things extra fizzy. Add juice. If you use a citrus fruit for anything (lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit all work fine), you can use the leftover bits to flavor your soda. I like to muddle lime peels at the bottom of the glass with a piece of wooden dowel and then pour soda water over it. Just get into the habit of rinsing your citrus fruit in hot water before you cut it up! The peel isn't usually considered edible, and so growers and distributors don't take much care to keep it clean.

Bob Marley's mellow mood drinks because it's the only thing that can help me sleep at night and relax me to help my anxiety. The other sleeping medications I've had have side effects and turn me into a zombie, and I get no side effects from this!

thank you for the contest!

Check out your local asian grocer for good loose teas. My two favorites for iced tea are these

[Lychee Black Tea] (http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Sail-Brand-China-Lichee/dp/B003L8LX7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397482433&sr=8-1&keywords=lychee+black+tea)

[Jasmine Green Tea] (http://www.amazon.com/Sunflower-Jasmine-Tea-LB-454/dp/B000NIHZMU/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1397482451&sr=8-6&keywords=jasmine+green+tea)

You can generally find them in stores for half of what they charge on Amazon.

I went through the same thing. I HIGHLY recommend this tea. You can find it at lots of grocery stores (even at some Wal-Marts and Target). It's Hot Cinammon Sunset from Harney & Sons.
https://www.amazon.com/Harney-Sons-Caffeinated-Cinnamon-Sachets/dp/B000NNCMG4

The nice thing about this tea is that it tastes sweet (like soda) but doesn't have any sweetener at all. It's the tea that got me hooked on tea!

You can still buy these on Amazon. They are compressed, so you have to shave off the tea with a knife.

The one in the picture is a "Half Brick". There also come in "Full Brick", "Hockey Puck", "Ecstacy Tablets", and "Chocolate Bar". The last two being easier to prepare.

Here's a youtube video of it being prepared just to give you an idea.

I thought: Impossible to get in my country. Instead Amazon Italy sells it. There's everything everywhere, except for good snus.

https://www.amazon.it/dp/B000GFYRHG/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_0aw9AbXXFBNYK via

Twinings makes a bagged variety, you can also get it from The Tea Table for pretty cheap. I have a tin from Tea Forte.

I have been getting a lot of my teas from here after /r/tea suggested that site. Between that and numi mint tea and this earl grey I have a nice little selection.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062TMRYA/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=4XGYR2J1Q0D5&coliid=IR5X19ADV3VTG

thank you so much! Can't wait to try it!!

It is indeed an actual flavour my friend, Lipton do it. Relevant

Here's a 4oz tin of loose leaf Paris for $7.49, with free shipping. Is Amazon showing you a shipping fee for that?

this is what i use ahmad tea, im going to try this one and see how it comes out. i've only tried it with the ahmad tea havent really looked into any others as that is my fav earl gray.

In my tea wishlist, there is a mint tea that is good for my mental well-being. When I was a child, and I was sick or upset, my grandma on my dad's side, and my mom, both would make me fresh mint tea with a dollop of sweetened condensed milk.

Now I drink and make tea all the time, and enjoy doing so. I find it to be an art form, a luxury, and a de-stresser. Anytime I am upset, the situation can be made a little brighter with some tea. And when I am sick, or particularly upset, mint tea with sweetened condensed milk is a big help. It is a comfort tea, and makes me feel worlds better, or at least, if I cry, makes me feel better afterwards.

I'm quite a fan of Stash Premium Earl Grey Black.

I used to work at a grocery store, and we only had the tangerine Neuro Sleep, but we also had a drink called Marley's Mellow Mood. I tried Neuro Sleep and it really did work fairly well, but if you really want something that'll knock you out, try Marley's Mellow Mood. Specifically the black tea/passion fruit flavor. The green tea flavor is gross, and the carbonated flavor seems silly for getting to sleep.

But seriously, it's way more effective than I thought a drink could be in making you fall asleep.

There is such a thing as instant tea, IMO it tastes like raw sewage sifted through a moldy coffee filter but it is out there. Tea bags in most cultures I'm familiar with are more seen as a convenience so people can easily make a single cup of tea at a time instead of having to brew an entire pot.

You can certainly buy loose tea, but it tends to be more expensive and a bit harder to come by and is usually bought in specialty stores and whole foods stores. That said, if you're buying a quality brand of tea you'll find very little difference between the loose tea and the tea in the teabags

I'm curious about this Puer Tea. I found this on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Yunnan-Pu-erh-Tea-12-Oz-340/dp/B002IY2VL2 . Is this what you were referring to?

Guayaki has one, but their website is quite expensive even compared to buying it at the grocery store here.

On Amazon, EcoTeas sells 5 pounds for $37.

I've heard that there's not any difference between the "organic" ones and the regular $10-a-kilo ones, that they're grown and processed the same way, but I don't have any evidence.

Anyone know anything about the design in the first photo? It's also on this brick on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Yunnan-Pu-erh-Tea-12-Oz-340/dp/B002IY2VL2?th=1

why don't you try it?

https://www.amazon.com/China-Black-Tea-Brick-pound/dp/B000OCRU98

here ya go fam

​

https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Lab-China-Black-Brick/dp/B000OCRU98

Fellow Earl Gray drinkers... couple questions:

1. How do you guys manage to make Earl Gray on the go if you don't readily have hot water available.
   
   
2. Whats your favorite brand and how much does it roughly cost? I just bought 2 lbs of http://amzn.to/n02q4O which is pretty cheap but a bit weak tasting.

http://www.amazon.com/Harney-Sons-Black-Cinnamon-Sunset/dp/B000NNCMG4

I teach night classes and it's been my ritual to stop into Waves coffee (vancouver) and get this every time. Two years running now.