# Black Tea???



## texasgirl (Jul 12, 2008)

What does it taste like? I have a variety pack that I got, has english breakfast, earl grey, lady grey and irish breakfast. Anyone tried these. What do they tast like? Is it really black?


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## DramaQueen (Jul 12, 2008)

texasgirl said:


> What does it taste like? I have a variety pack that I got, has english breakfast, earl grey, lady grey and irish breakfast. Anyone tried these. What do they tast like? Is it really black?


 
*I drink all of the teas you mention and I like them all except black tea.  I find it a bit on the bitter side.  My favorites are English Breakfast and Earl Grey.  All teas come from the same plant, it's the way they're processed that makes them taste different. *


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## texasgirl (Jul 12, 2008)

Ok, cause all of these are in the form of black tea. So they are not good, huh? Oh well, wasn't too much money. lol


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## GB (Jul 12, 2008)

I love all of those. They have very different tastes though. As for black tea, your typical Lipton teabag is black tea.


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## GB (Jul 12, 2008)

Here is a tea seller I really like. This is the page that describes their black teas.


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## texasgirl (Jul 12, 2008)

GB said:


> I love all of those. They have very different tastes though. As for black tea, your typical Lipton teabag is black tea.


 
Are you serious? Here I was thinking I was gonna drink some exotic tea!!


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## GB (Jul 12, 2008)

Nope black is the standard that you generally find in the US. The other types are green (think Japanese restaurants), white, oolong (which is what you get in Chinese restaurants). Then you get into herbal and red teas which are actually not really tea at all.


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## auntieshelly (Jul 12, 2008)

Texas ~
If you haven't tried these teas before, don't throw them out until you give them a try.  You can control the strength of the tea by not letting the bag or loose tea stay too long in the hot water.  Also, use a little honey and lemon if you want to add a little sweetness or tang to the tea.  Try the tea iced with lemon, lime, or orange slices, some fresh mint, and a sweetner, if you wish.  Have you ever heard of Long Island Tea? You may want to check it out!?!?


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## GB (Jul 12, 2008)

I grew up putting lemon in my black tea (which I love). I was at my grandparents house and grandma served tea with lime. I could not believe I had never thought of doing that. It was delicious.


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## Cooper'sMom (Jul 12, 2008)

I had tried all that you got...they're not too bad at all, especially English breakfast. It reminds of my ex-parents-in-law (bless them in heaven!) and now I prefer Green Tea better. In fact, I found a new unopened box of Green Tea with Mango in my pantry...must have come to us as a gift last Chrissie or something...I think I will try that after dinner tonight...


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## Maverick2272 (Jul 12, 2008)

The trick is to be gentle with them, don't dip the tea bags. The best way is to steep it the British way then pour thru a sieve to separate the tea leaves back out. A secondary method I use is to 'brew' it with 4 cups water in my coffee maker (I place a filter in it and dump out the tea bags). Then mix with 4 cups warm water and serve. People can add their own lemon, sugar, etc.


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## texasgirl (Jul 12, 2008)

Cool, thanks. I will try them. I have my tea maker. I already brewed some white tea with mango andpeach. I will do the others after.


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## LadyCook61 (Jul 12, 2008)

texasgirl said:


> What does it taste like? I have a variety pack that I got, has english breakfast, earl grey, lady grey and irish breakfast. Anyone tried these. What do they tast like? Is it really black?


 
Only ones I don't like are the Earl Grey and Lady Grey.


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## Robo410 (Jul 12, 2008)

White tea is picked very young and brews to a golden color, green tea is young tea that is steamed and rolled (and if bagged then crushed) the flavor is sweet smoky and the color a yellow-green when brewed. Black tea is naturally fermented older leaves, and brews to the deep orange/black color.  Different blends have different flavors.  For example, Earl Grey is flavored with Bergamot, a small bitter citrus fruit, the dried rind is used. English Breakfast will reveal its floral nature with a bit of milk, Jasmin is black tea flavored with Jasmine flowers, etc.  

Teas are quite wonderful and getting to know them is part of the enjoyment.

To properly brew tea, warm the pot, 1 teaspoon loose for each cup to be made, water rapidly boiling. If using a tea bag, much the same directions.  steep 3-5 min for a nice cuppa, 1-2 min for a delicate cuppa.


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## texasgirl (Jul 13, 2008)

Wow, thanks everyone. I am going to try some today!!


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## corazon (Jul 13, 2008)

My mom grew up in Britain so we grew up taking our tea with milk and sometimes sugar.  

Tea is simple but there are so many different ways to fix it up.  I don't like black tea that is just straight up but I know of some who only drink it that way. GB likes lemon or lime.  My sister likes soy milk and honey.  Sometimes I like a splash of half n half, it gives it some nice creaminess.

You'll need to mess with it until you find a combination that you like.
Hope you enjoy your teas!
Earl and Lady Gray are my favorites but I do like the bergamot flavor.


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