My wife likes to drink tea, English style with milk, and prefers English Breakfast. Whenever she asks for it at a restaurant, the waitron says yes, we have black tea. English Breakfast? I'll check.
Comes back with...Earl Grey.

I'm not talking about 2 times out of 3, or 4 times out of 5.
It's a decent restaurant, not cheap, the food is good...but they don't have a clue about proper tea.

I'm not even complaining that there's no tea pot, scalded, or that the water is never at a rolling boil.

Why does it have to be Earl Grey? Not Keemun, not Lapsang Suchong, not Assam, hardly ever even Lipton. Earl Grey does not go with milk.

I used to have the same problem when I drank sweet tea. Most places in the north don't have it but when I asked the wait staff would always tell me that they had raspberry tea. Always Raspberry. I don't know what northerners love about raspberry but raspberry tea isn't sweet tea. Damn northern devils.

Link to original video: https://youtu.be/R2IJdfxWtPM

My GF loves "Green Tea" or "Hibiscus Tea". Of course restaurants don't carry such items so she carries a few tea bags in her purse. She'll ask for a cup of hot water and make her own tea.

Here is the most likely answer.

It is what Sysco sells. They are a large food supply distributer. The order book probably has Lipton and Earl Grey, the later sounds more formal, so that gets the nod.

The sweet tea? Same as above to a certain degree. Sweet tea generally means someone must make it, raspberry comes in a bag in box that fits the soda machine. Sweet tea isn't exactly a thing up north so the raspberry shit gets the nod.

Earl Grey with 1/2&1/2 and honey. Sounds terrible, I know, but that’s the way, un uh, I like it.

Tetley drinker here. Three sugars, a little milk and some Scottish shortbread to go with it.

My wife has a large cup of hot tea being refilled many times a day. She drinks it Russian style with spooned compote or honey. A pot of tea is made very strong from loose tea each morning then weakened with hot water. She has tried all the brands sold at the Kurdish, Japanese, & other ethnic stores. Her brand preference is loose leaf Lipton Blend found at some Walmarts in Nashville or Lipton Yellow Label Orange Pekoe. Also when tea bags are being used Lipton is the taste preference over all the more expensive brands.

First let me say that most places make sweet tea to sweet and to weak to suit me. I use Luzianne tea at home all the time. I only use 1 and 1/4 cup of sugar per gallon and it is made with 4 large bags per gallon.

As for hot tea we do not drink it very often but when I do it is usually with a little lemon juice and sugar to taste. None of this crappy raspberry flavored junk.

I used to always warn folks, don't order iced tea in a North Carolina Bar BQ joint if you're diabetic.

Especially in these cooler months, when the temperatures dip down to the frigid fifties here in Central Florida, I am addicted to the Twinings brand of Earl Gray.

That next cup is always on my mind when I am on the way home from work. Hot. Straight. Nothing added to dilute the goodness.

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I used to have the same problem when I drank sweet tea. Most places in the north don't have it

I was always amused about the places down South (usually fast food joints), that offer "tea", and "unsweetened tea". Like they went to some special effort to "unsweeten" the tea.
 

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I used to have the same problem when I drank sweet tea. Most places in the north don't have it

I was always amused about the places down South (usually fast food joints), that offer "tea", and "unsweetened tea". Like they went to some special effort to "unsweeten" the tea.
 

It's actually quite expensive to remove the sugar.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/lYYWQT_Ea1A

I’m with you. I much prefer English Breakfast to Earl Grey, which is flavored with oil from the rind of bergamot orange.

Twinings English Breakfast and Earl Grey are my favorite teas. Having English Breakfast as I write this. Wife hates Earl Grey. Says it smells like shoe polish.

I was big fan of Earl Grey until I tried a few different brands that use a different formula to add the bergamot,

some is good, some just flat out sucks,

switched to English Tea, as in I get it from the English/import section if I can find it,

having a cup of Barry's Irish Breakfast now,
Yorkshire Tea, P&G tips are and Barry's gold are good as well,

prefer honey, just a bit, vs sugar,
no milk please

and for kicks, try a dab of honey and a splash of Scotch,,, mighty good

quote:

Originally posted by gasche:
Earl Grey with 1/2&1/2 and honey. Sounds terrible, I know, but that’s the way, un uh, I like it.

That’s how I like it too.

Earl Grey doesn't do much for me. I much prefer Darjeeling, first or second blush, unfettered by milk or sugar.

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by Pale Horse:
I used to have the same problem when I drank sweet tea. Most places in the north don't have it

I was always amused about the places down South (usually fast food joints), that offer "tea", and "unsweetened tea". Like they went to some special effort to "unsweeten" the tea.
 

You do. To make a gallon of tea you use about 4 or 5 of Luziannas, about 2 cups of sugar, then hot water. You boil the hell outta the tea bags twice, after putting your sugar in the gallon jug. So to remove the sugar youd have to get like a special collander or something to catch the sugar particles.

Hot tea at a restruant is almost always a dissatisfactory experience, if only because of the expense and refill chalenge. Cheaper restraunts charge at least $2.00 for a teabag, fancy restraunts as much as $5.00. And the tea bags are presented on a tray as if you are being shown the nuclear codes. Harney's or Republic ain't a top secret. Lap Sou is pretty rare.

I prefer Lady Grey to Earl Gray, with a small amount of sugar. The LG or LS is almost never an option.
Chai is nice, too.