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| What about plain tea? Iced in summer, hot in winter. I never sweeten it, iced or hot.
Iced tea can be either black or green, natural or with a squeezed lemon or a few crushed berries or peaches.
Hot tea can be natural, or with lemon or milk, or herbs like mint.
Several teas are already flavored, like Earl Grey (bergamot), smoky Lapsang Souchong, jasmine pearl tea, etc.
I always buy tea in bulk, not tea bags, usually infuse it right in the pan, then filter it into the teapot for serving.
It's also a great way to infuse the tea leaves again by pouring almost boiling water into the pan while drinking the last cup from the pot.
Most bulk teas support 2 or 3 infusions, and are even said to be better on the second one.
I keep only 2 green teas, gunpowder tea (which is used for mint tea in Northern Africa), and a jasmine tea, either golden jade ring or dragon pearl. Both are some of the best teas in the world.
I would keep a cheap green tea if I was making more flavored iced green tea, but I don't find them very tasty unsweetened.
As for black, Earl Grey is my favorite by far. I always keep Lapsang Souchong too, a Darjeeling tea for iced or light tea, and then alternating some other teas, like Keemun, Pu-erh, or Assam when I need a strong tea.
Altogether, half a dozen different teas to keep things interesting. | |
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