I've been drinking PG Tips based on recommendations here awhile back. I recently tried Numi Aged Earl Grey tea and, for me, it was quite good. Had a nice flavor to it.

I'm also drinking their Pu-Er tea which is my preferred Chinese style tea, along with chrysanthemum, oolong and jasmine. I am usually adamantly averse to any products made in PRC, especially food stuff. But there is way around it for Pu Er tea. The premium cakes are obviously much superior (and much more expensive) but these tea bags are not too bad in the absence of alternatives.

I have not tried any of Numi's other teas; not sure I will. But these two seem decent.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I am usually adamantly averse to any products made in PRC, especially food stuff. But there is way around it for Pu Er tea.

RE: avoiding PRC foods.... Googling 'pu-er' and noodling around, among a number of sites gushing about some mysterious 'fermenting' process, I found this link describing the production processes for ripe Pu-Er tea, in detail. It was not written by a trained marketing person, as it has some fascinating history mixed in with some other information, the totality of which makes this not something I'm going right out to try.

Caption under one of the pictures:

quote:

On the bottom is the tea. Not much treat is given to cheap shu pu’er. So one may encounter nails, hear or other trash in cakes.

I believe the site here misuses 'hear' for 'hair'.
From the advice on handling the finished bulk tea, toward the end of the description, comes this revelation:

quote:

As far as shu pu’er production process is quite durable and absolutely insanitary, always wash the tea.

While hopefully the people processing this delicacy for US-destined teabags know and deal with this, I think I'm going to stick with my Earl Grey (hot!) and miss out on the wonders of PRC's Pu-Er.

Also makes me wonder what a chinese tea bag is made of?

Never let yourself get tea bagged. Ever.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
Never let yourself get tea bagged. Ever.

Lmao.

Premium pu er tea is hopefully different

But absolutely avoid 'cheap' pu er tea.

Honestly, I'm generally apprehensive of pu er tea, even if premium (and of any food made in PRC). But it is a nice style of tea when good / premium. It's hard to describe (at least for me). I'm putting some blind trust in Numi here but maybe I should rethink it.

We drink a lot of iced tea. 5 or 6 Lipton tea bags in a pint of water. Boil for 4 or 5 minutes then let it seep for 20 or 30 minutes. Add about a half gallon of water and stir it up. Add a slice of lemon and forget all about diet soft drinks.

can't help with the Asian type tea,


if you like PG,, look for some Yorkshire tea,



or Barry's, I prefer the red box to the green, but both are good,

I splurged a few decades ago and bought some 1980s pucks of pu er. I've finished one puck over the years and just recently broke into the second one. Very earthy flavor and you can get two or three batches of tea from one chunk of the compressed leaves (chunk about the size of the end of my thumb from the nail bed to the tip). I rinse it very briefly. The first cup or batch of tea needs only 30 or 45 seconds in almost boiling water. Then I add a minute to each subsequent use of the leaves.

I mostly get it out when I'm stuck at home feeling like crap. Don't know if it's just the caffeine or my mind, but I pretend it helps me get better quicker. I put honey in it. Its a very strong flavor for sure.

I heard they used to carry those compressed pucks or blocks around and used them as a form of payment for things. The older the tea the more valuable. There is a wet/fermented type (haven't tried it) and there is a dry unfermented type. Since it is so compressed it takes years for the inner leaves to age and change flavor profiles...

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
can't help with the Asian type tea,


if you like PG,, look for some Yorkshire tea,



or Barry's, I prefer the red box to the green, but both are good,

Thanks. I've tried Taylor's before but not the Yorkshire Tea. I think I've seen that at the market; I'll pick some up.

I've settled on three kinds of Tea in my life, I decided a year or so ago.

High Mountain Oolong from Taiwan
Honey Chamomile from Grocery Stores
Orange Mint Iced Tea from a few restaurants I like.

That's it. I'm done. Suits my every Tea need.

I could drink the Orange Mint Iced Tea by the gallon, fresh chunky Orange slices, fresh Mint, lots of ice.

So good.

quote:

Originally posted by doublesharp:
We drink a lot of iced tea. 5 or 6 Lipton tea bags in a pint of water. Boil for 4 or 5 minutes then let it seep for 20 or 30 minutes. Add about a half gallon of water and stir it up. Add a slice of lemon and forget all about diet soft drinks.

I found that the best iced tea I could make was by using a dedicated (use this machine only to make tea) Bunn coffeemaker. I use filtered water to pour through.
Sugar it to taste when still hot, then pour into a pitcher of filtered water with a bit of ice. Pour up over ice of course, then refrigerate the remainder.

Eventually you determine the right quantities for everything based on how much you want at a time, how big a pitcher, etc.

I was told that puer tea was harvested from trees by monkeys trained to harvest the leaves without eating them. I was in China at the time. I didn't much like the flavor, or the cost.