topic ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌ in Off-Topic

‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 08:53:44 GMT

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow is the International Tea Day and as the tea-lover that I am, I thought it'd be nice to start a topic about it on the community 🍃

Despite tea being the most consumed drink in the world (after water), it's not huge where I grew up (Sao Paulo, Brazil) as, most of you may know, Brazil is quite famous for its excellent coffee. But I'm not a coffee-drinker and I consider myself to be lucky to have a tea-loving mum.

I grew up drinking a lot of tea (well, actually most of it was infusions: spearmint, lemongrass and above it all, mate tea). No, mate tea is not tea for your mates, but tea made with erva mate (or, in Spanish, yerba mate). Calling it "tea" may be technically wrong as it's not made out of Camelia Sinensis - the tea plant - but we call it tea down there anyway. Mate tea is hugely popular in South America but it's consumed in different forms throughout the continent: in Argentina and Uruguay, it's consumed as chimarrão, hot and served with a metal straw in a container usually made from a calabash gourd and that same way of drinking it applies to the extreme South of Brazil.

In Sao Paulo, you can enjoy it hot or cold, with or without milk, served in regular cups and in Rio de Janeiro, they only have it when served cold, most of the times with lemon juice mixed to it on a regular glass. I'm actually drinking some mate tea that my partner brought from Brazil whilst I'm writing this piece 😄

I honestly like all the ways of drinking it, and as a tea-lover I like most types of tea and infusions. I'm crazy about Chinese and Japanese green and white teas, but I'm also a huge fan of the blends of black tea made here in the UK. The one that I drink the most has to be Yorkshire Tea. Love some of the classic blends from Whittard as well.

The International Tea Day also exists to raise awareness of everything that revolves around a simple cup of tea: from its social and environment impact to its cultural and historical importance.

By the way, did you know that you can grab a free tea from Greggs with Priority? (It can be coffee though, but if you're like me you'd go for the tea)

What's your favourite tea? Is it the one you drink the most or do you save it for special occasions? I also have to ask the dreaded question: milk before or after? Please share your tea thoughts on the comment section below whilst sipping your favourite cuppa.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

pgn — Fri, 20 May 2022 18:51:13 GMT

Ah, yes. Good reminder!

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

Mi-Amigo — Fri, 20 May 2022 18:56:32 GMT

Great topic @RafaC

I don`t drink coffee but love a cup of tea - tea bag [usually Tetley`s] in a mug, hot water, no milk, no sugar.

My love of tea comes from my Gran, who I used to stay with during summer hols as a kid and lived with when first started work in Birmingham. My Gran drank 15 large cups of tea a day - minimum and lived to be 94 and didn`t do her any harm.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

Cleoriff — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:05:32 GMT

I drink tea all the time @RafaC. Boringly, I only like 'normal' tea. I'm not into any other types at all.

I drink PG tips. 2 teabags per mug, 3 canderel sweeteners and a dash of milk. The stronger the better.

Oh and milk in after teabags have been removed. 😉

Edited to add, I do like Liptons iced tea.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

Pipstop78 — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:42:45 GMT

I do drink tea but it can't be builders tea which is so strong like mine looking weak with lots of milk

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RunrigForever — Sat, 21 May 2022 07:04:21 GMT

Great topic @RafaC

Yep I am a tea drinker from an early age when it was PG Tips, collecting the cards in the small boxes of loose leaf tea - sticking cards in an album you had to write off for - you could also write in for any cards you were missing.

Yorkshire Tea de-caff - my once-upon-a-time 'Associate Specialist' said to drink de-caff to stop me having the visible shaking in my hands ... & ... uncomfortable feeling of shaking inside ....... I can appreciate the taste of the tea ..... milk after, one tea bag, swished about for a bit ... add milk to preferred general medium colour.

Whilst I can drink tea that looks like dishwater ..... I can't drink strong tea - I will be polite if I am made a cuppa though.

Recently had the builders in ... both one sugar and they didn't seem to mind Morrisons long life semi-skimmed milk = I thought all builders liked strong tea with quite a few teaspoons of sugar.

Edited for spelling.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

blissgirl — Sun, 22 May 2022 13:30:14 GMT

@RafaC I am a tea drinker like my friut teas alot

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:51:33 GMT

@pgn , Earl Grey is quite nice! Do you have a favourite brand? And that quote from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is excellent 🎯

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:53:50 GMT

Glad you like the topic @Mi-Amigo , I do like to have tea without milk too. Love the anecdote about your gran, 15 cups a day, wow! That was tea-lover right there! I drink around 6 cups-a-day I guess, but only 2 or 3 of them would be tea containing caffeine. Some days I don't have caffeine at all and stick to infusion teas and rooibos.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:54:36 GMT

@Cleoriff, to be honest, ‘normal’ tea is what I drink the most, but I usually add a splash of milk after the teabag has been removed - not much milk though, like to leave it between medium colour to darker. And no sweeteners for me, please 😋

I used to love Lipton ice tea, especially the lemon one, good shout! It’s been a while since I don’t drink it no more, kinda forgets to order it or buy it most of the times.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:55:12 GMT

@Pipstop78 That’s one of the beauties of drinking tea - you can adjust it according to your taste. Thanks for sharing your preference here with us 😊

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:55:47 GMT

@RunrigForever glad you like it
Love the story about collecting PG Tips’ cards. My ex-boss only used to have PG as well, it’s quite nice!

I’ve never tried Yorkshire Tea de-caff, is it good then? I was thinking of trying it as sometimes I’d like to have a regular cuppa before bed, but I can’t drink caffeine after 5pm as it really affects my sleep.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 09:56:06 GMT

@blissgirl love some fruit teas too, I just don’t like them when they are too sweet.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

Cleoriff — Mon, 23 May 2022 11:13:20 GMT

My tea is always decaffeinated @RafaC After surgery (over 5 years ago) I was told to avoid as much caffeine as possible. TBH, I now no longer notice the difference.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Mon, 23 May 2022 13:19:06 GMT

Glad to hear that it you cannot note a difference anymore @Cleoriff, I might start drinking de-caff tea then.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RunrigForever — Tue, 24 May 2022 07:58:19 GMT

Have you tried Yorkshire tea Red or Gold label ? The Gold label is very rich. The Red label is more medium. Thought of you @Cleoriff and @RafaC when checking into Pennington Hotel, Ravenglass. The refreshment tray has PG Tips tea, those individual sachets xx

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Tue, 24 May 2022 08:32:01 GMT

I love both @RunrigForever, the red label is probably my favourite everyday tea, although now I've leveraged a sale of the gold one on a supermarket nearby and that's what I've been drinking lately.

Ohhh that's sweet, it's nice to be remembered that way 😊

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

Cleoriff — Tue, 24 May 2022 10:07:36 GMT

Hope you had a good day @RunrigForever?

I try to drink decaffeinated tea now. As I drink lots of tea, it stops restlessness, agitation and hyperactivity. I never drink energy drinks either as they are full of caffeine.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RunrigForever — Tue, 24 May 2022 13:20:29 GMT

Thank you @Cleoriff I am having a lovely breakaway. Enjoyed my evening meal yesterday and Salmon Benedict with fruit juice, plenty of toast and jam. Started with prunes / grapefruit / apricots. Travelled to Eskdale on La'al Ratty narrow gauge steam train. The hotel packed me up a lunch. The Eskdale steam train complex is spectacular - all done out in traditional maroon, cream & gold. Delightful fresh sea air.

Re: ‌☕‌ 🍵‌ International Tea Day 🍵‌ ‌☕‌

RafaC — Tue, 24 May 2022 14:52:44 GMT

That sounds lovely @RunrigForever thanks for sharing it with us. I really want to visit Lake District at some point 🌄