@Kaylotta meet me in the pit behind Teavana, I have prepared a ten-minute dissertation on tea varieties
I like tea! I drink a lot of herbal, lol, and I don't have the cash for anything super fancy - but I really love Pukka's Three Mint tea, and Sleepytime Extra from Celestial Seasonings. (Sleepytime Extra is the only calming tea that I've found actually works on my strung-out soporific-resistant ass, so if you're actually sensitive to valerian and the like I wouldn't drive or operate heavy machinery after drinking it XD) Also these days I am so sensitive to caffiene that two cups of my super-nice looseleaf chai that I got from a steampunk market last year had me not being able to sleep for an entire 24-hour cycle D: I blame my current medication for reacting weird with that one :/ But! Back in the day I was as caffiene-addict as any stressed out college student with too many deadlines. I will therefore share with you guys my favourite recipe for Catatonia inna Cup, aka Can't Sleep, Work Will Eat Me, But I Can't Stand Bitterness: - Whatever sweet hot chocolate/cocoa powder you favour (I use a mix of Nesquik Chocolate Milk powder and Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate) - Whatever instant coffee you can afford on a student's budget -Cream - Milk - Honey Add two spoonfuls of hot chocolate powder to every equal two spoons of coffee (I would sometimes put three spoons of coffee in for every two spoons of chocolate; it depends on how desperate you are to stay awake.) Add hot water, and either blitz your milk and cream in a separate cup in the microwave to heat them, or just add it straight off to cool down your drink for instant drinking. Add honey. Now add more honey, until you can't taste the coffee. If after consuming this amount of sugar and caffiene combined, you cannot see through time and feel like things are moving in slow motion, you need another cup. (I tried this instant-mocha type thing as a pick-me up soon after I had one of my health crisises and had to lie down on the floor until everything stopped pounding. Turns out that caffiene and codeine do not a happy marriage make XDD)
Spoiler: Tea collection It doesn't look quite like this anymore - I got another dozen jars and stuck the tea in them with labels, so now it mostly looks like an apothecary shop. Bagged tea is in the box with the Canadian flag, the tin on the far left, and the small container behind the jars. We drink a lot of loose leaf. Also, my favorite fruity tea is white pear - nice delicate complex notes.
While I am not inclined to believe in the Amazing Natural Health Benefits of goji berry/wolfberry, it does make for some really good tea.
The entire front row and most of the second row are all antiques. One of them is from the 1890s, but I can't remember which. I think it's the violets one, but it might be one of the ten or so at my moms house that I don't have room for here.
So everyone at my apartment drinks tea but one of my roommates can't stand hot beverages. So lots of iced tea here. My favorite to make is a bag of mint tea with a bag of Earl Grey for a pitcher of tea. Nice and refreshing. So I'm happiest when I get to make the iced tea so that I know it'll be that and not Lipton mixed with something XP Also, other beverage stuff... Batida Kirsch! Best alcohol. Mix cherry juice and coconut liquor. I mean, there's an official what you should mix, but I just do it to taste. I've also tried it by using cherry syrup and soda water to make a cherry soda. That's pretty nice as well.
Working my way through the thread, but before I forget: I got some teas from David's Tea during their end of summer/start of fall sale, including a bunch of their iced teas that were getting remaindered, and a couple black teas that were on special because they'd just been brought out. I got the Pom Apple Cider and the Pumpkin Candy; the pumpkin candy doesn't really seem to taste like much of anything? I didn't add sugar or honey, and I don't know if I brewed it wrong or something - it seemed like it was mostly just scent, and not a whole lot of any flavour. The pom apple cider has a pretty mild flavour, with a bit of apple-y pomegrante-y aftertaste. Still no sugar or honey added, but it seems to work well when cold. Is there anything I can do to get more flavour out of these?
Brew hotter and longer, with more tea. All three will make a stronger drink. Be careful, though, because with some teas, stronger also means more bitter.
As I discovered when we did the Whole30 and I had to give up all manner of sweeteners: some teas are bland or even awful without sugar, but amazing with.
