fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #4071 ]

[ SECRET POST #4071 ]

⌈ Secret Post #4071 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

__________________________________________________

03.

__________________________________________________

04.

__________________________________________________

05.

__________________________________________________

06.

__________________________________________________

07.

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 35 secrets from Secret Submission Post #583.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'd like some hot drinks to drink at work. But I don't do caffeine (especially coffee).

Unfortunately, every tea I have drank tastes like gross bark water. I don't get people who are all "This tea tastes like blah and blah." They all taste like horrible root water.

So, what are some good teas that have strong flavors? Or techniques? OR what are your favorite hot drinks that are not coffee.

Have you been drinking herbal teas or, like, classic traditional actual tea?

Uhhh, herbal teas? Differnet box stuffed you can buy at walmart. Also, I've tried like samples at the mall when walking by a store in the mall.

The reason I'm asking is that some teas - classic, "real" tea, as opposed to herbal teas that are like lavender or hibiscus or jasmine or whatever - have tannins in them, so if you oversteep them (for more than about 3-5 minutes), the cup can get really astringent and mouthy, and starts to taste kind of like redwood bark.

But herbal teas shouln't have that problem of oversteeping.

Try some decaffeinated black tea (and don't over-steep). Herbal teas taste like terrible root water because they ARE terrible root water.

Hot cider!!

This, but go buy actual cider (non-alcoholic, non-carbonated) or apple juice and add spice (or you may be able to find some spiced cider, although I only ever see that in autumn - come to think of it, I only see non-alcoholic cider in the autumn). The mixes are terrible.

what nonny above said. also, I like Darjeeling a lot.

Blueberry tends to come across pretty strong when it's in a tea blend IMO.

Hot water and lemon and honey if you just want hot, wet and not bark.
Hibiscus tea, maybe?
Or cocoa.
Or broth.

First, stop using tea bags and switch to loose leaf if possible.

Second, research tea, because they all have different temperatures and times for steeping. It's easy to alter the quality and taste by using water that's too hot for the tea. You wouldn't, for example, pour boiling water over green tea leaves the way you might over black tea leaves.

I'd recommend starting with herbal teas, or if you want caffeine, maybe a black tea infused with dried berries. If that's too strong, you can put a little milk and sugar in it. You can also do this with chai, or a rooibos blend that has cocoa in it.

Sorry, but this advice is not great for a beginner who specifically said they DON'T do caffeine. Loose leaf is generally more expensive than bagged. Unless OP doesn't mind possibly wasting their money on something they're not even sure they'll like, I'd avoid buying it until they're more acquainted with tea in general and have a better idea of what they like.

Also, tea bags are fine. Are they the highest quality form of tea? No. But OP doesn't sound like a tea snob and since they're looking for something to drink at work, the ease, lower price and convenience of bagged teas are perfectly okay to start with.

OP is looking for something with "strong flavors." Bagged teas are overwhelmingly shit in this category. Second, I stated they should research tea, not buy something they aren't even sure they're going to like. If they have no interest in what they can do to improve upon the flavor of tea, then it's probably best to avoid tea altogether.

I will retract the bit about the caffeine, however.

You said: "First, stop using tea bags and switch to loose leaf if possible."

How do you propose OP do this without buying loose leaf, hmmm? Pick their own, perhaps? Five finger discount?

There are shitty bagged teas, but no, not all of them are poor in the flavor department just like not all loose leaf teas are great or highly flavored. As I said, OP doesn't sound like they're a tea snob. If they were, I wouldn't recommend tea bags, but as it is their price, convenience and wider availability makes them a better option for someone who's just started to experiment with what they like.

Hot chocolate. And they've got tons of different flavoring.

Try decaffeinated black tea rather than herbal teas for a richer "tea" flavour. Decaf English (or Irish) Breakfast would be my preference. I take mine with a tiny bit of milk and sugar.

There are different flavoured black teas like Earl Grey (lemon and herby), Assam (deeper? I don't know I'm bad at describing flavour), Lapsang (smoky). You might be able to find decaf versions of these to try too.

Going by your comment it sounds like you've only tried herbal teas so far? They have their place, but for starters they're usually well, herbal or hibiscus based (especially the cheap kinds like Celestial Seasonings) and I don't think they contain any caffeine. You might try flavored black decaf teas. They're not considered "proper" tea by aficionados, but they're not a bad gateway tea for people who don't like the taste of hot leaf water.

Try browsing here:

https://www.stashtea.com/search?q=decaf

Stash has flavors like various chai blends, raspberry, chocolate hazelnut, vanilla nut creme, fruit flavors, etc. etc. The other thing to keep in mind is that this is tea, not juice or hot cocoa. The flavors are going to be relatively muted in comparison. It will help if you add a small amount of sweetener because hibiscus is naturally sour and can overpower the fruit flavors without some help. Milk is also a good idea with some of the "dessert" teas like chai.

This has *always* been my opinion of tea, and no tea i've ever tried has changed that opinion.

And coffee is bitter beat water, even worse.

Good luck, Nonnie! I have no suggestions, because i don't like hot drinks of any kind.

I'm going to be on the hot cocoa bandwagon. Just...make it with milk. Or at least partly with milk. (like, last time I made some, I filled my cup partway with milk, stirred the cocoa powder around till it was creamy and then filled the cup the rest of the way with hot water from the electric kettle. Much better than cocoa made only with hot water.)

Cider's also a good idea.

Peppermint tea, maybe? Or, echoing everyone else--hot chocolate!

Hot chocolate is my personal fave, although if you plan on drinking it frequently the sugar content probably isn't good for you. You can keep a canister or individual packets at your desk and they come in lots of flavors - Land O'Lakes has raspberry, hazelnut, french vanilla, caramel and mint, off the top of my head. They're all quite nice.

And take the advice to buy loose leaf tea with a grain of salt, lol. People who are super into tea tend to be... kind of elitist about it. As if OH NOES USING BAGGED TEA IS THE WORST THING TO HAPPEN EVER!!! It's hilarious. That said, be aware that ordinarily black teas are more robust than herbal teas, but the decaf versions can be wimpier tasting. You might have to experiment. Lean more toward British brands (they also tend to have larger tea bags, which makes a difference) and go for a longer steep, say 4-5 minutes. Make sure you're using properly boiling water, not hot tap water or the microwave.

Ugh yes. I love loose teas but I also like some bagged teas and people who are acting all dogmatic about it annoy me. They usually aren't just elitist about it but massively condescending as well. Not just about tea bags vs. loose tea but also when it comes to flavoured tea (which is evil and omg proper tea drinkers WOULD NEVER). Just let people drink their tea however they like!

I don't know what blend it is but the kind of thing we usually mean when we say tea in Britain has a really different taste to flavoured herbal teas. I'm not sure what specific blend it is but the nicest flavoured (to me) is decaf Yorkshire Tea. It's apparently some variety of black tea. Usually it's drank with milk (and sugar if you like sweet things).

Edited 2018-02-26 18:48 (UTC)

In addition to the other suggestions, you could try a chai latte mix - I know it's still technically tea, but it's got so much else in there and is so far beyond tea, you probably won't taste the tea. It's got the same sugar content problems that someone mentioned for hot cocoa, though. When I drink tea and coffee, I prefer to only add milk or cream and no sugar, but you can't take the sugar out of a mix.

Maybe some warm sipping broth, if you're not against something savory? You run into the problem of sodium, though.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #4071 ]

Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!

Re: Hot Drinks!