mhardy6647
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There is much excellent information in this post I can "only" add two comments:Pedant here.
I love tea, it is by far my favourite drink.
Tea is a plant, Camellia sinensis, so I don't consider herbal infusions which are not tea, or at the very least tea based to be "tea".
I know in the USA it is used as a generic word since I went to a "tea shop" in San Francisco dying for a cup of tea only to find on the multi page menu there was actually no tea at all Not even a flavoured tea - it is one of the great disappointments of my life.
I don't like coffee much and only drink it when out (tea is rarely drinkable in restaurants even here in the UK these days) but drink 5 to 10 mugs of black tea per day.
I never use tea bags and have a tea pot with built in strainer, so I can remove the tea leaves when correctly steeped.
I do have green tea, jasmine tea, Earl Grey and Lady Grey for a change but prefer black blends.
My favourite by far is no longer blended and the nearest I have found to it is this.
I buy a few packets of this too, it isn't quite as strong or refreshing but I like it too.
None of the stuff we buy in the supermarket is as much to my taste as these so I mail order in (large) batches.
I use this tea pot so I can get the infusion just right. I have a tea cosy to keep the pot warm since it takes an hour or so to drink the whole pot.
I brew first thing in the morning and just after lunch
I like Camomile and Red bush infusions too. I stopped sweetening drinks about 40 years ago so don't take sugar in anything (or drink fizzy pop).
I often think the widely available Lipton yellow label tea is one of the reasons so many people do not drink tea. It is vile and in some places the only tea available
1. We've been using a Chatsford pot for decades... but it's a real,
2. I note wryly that numerous posts to this thread recommend pu-erh teas. Now, I am not knocking them (!) but I think it's fair to say that they're an acquired taste.
from the aforementioned Upton Tea site:
Named after the town in Yunnan province where this style originated, Pu-Erh teas are fermented during their unique processing. There are two types: Shou (cooked), producing a thick, dark cup of tea with a pronounced earthy character, and Sheng (raw), producing a golden cup of tea, which is both fruity and refreshing... [and, from the description of one of their pu-erhs]...
A sample is suggested for the uninitiated.
source: https://www.uptontea.com/teas/c/pu-erh-tea/
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* EDIT: I just realized the irony of saying that production of an island-made product was "offshored" You know what I mean! Work with me, here!