More to tea than coffee. Review on Tea Vs. Coffee

I used to be totally addicted to coffee, drinking two pots a day! Gradually I felt it was too much and seemed to be all jangled nerves, not calm and relaxed. I have a friend that was so hooked on coffee she just could not stop. Her doctor told her it will give her wrinkles and that very day she quit. Hahaha.(She is at that age where it starts to concern).

I know tea also has caffeine but I got to drinking herb teas which were not only soothing but had healthful effects as well. I grow Tulsi(holy basil) and that makes a very refreshing tea.

These days I enjoy tea daily but then maybe once a month I will have a desire for coffee. All you coffee haters have surely not tried Kona coffee. Grown on the big island of Hawaii, it is, in my opinion, the best coffee in the world. Never bitter, but smooth, strong and heavenly fragrance. I have heard that Jamaican coffee is excellent too, but like Kona coffee, it is very expensive. Ah, but not too bad if done very moderately.

The tea I enjoy the most is black Indian tea or darjeeling.

I previously took it by itself as I was told the milk will have bad effect in stomach if taken together. But, I'm always glad to try another way and now I am very attached to having my morning and evening tea with milk and spices. I do not care for earl grey tea at all or any of the breakfast tea. When out in town I will buy green tea which is flavoured with honey and ginseng. It comes in these huge cans so I usually have to share it with my son.

In the summer, I fill a gallon jar with water, then tie some herb teas in cloth bundles and add mint or crushed lemongrass and let it sit and simmer all day in the sun. When I bring it in at evening time, it is steaming and mellow, never ever bitter. Even you can use Lipton tea with a good result. Actually Lipton is not too bad. I would use 3 bags to a gallon of water for just the right balance.

If I'm not using herbs, then I do prefer black Indian tea. I do not really care for sweet but a little honey is good.

One thing I would not recommend is dyed teas. Like those that are fruit flavoured. You can tell if a tea is dyed by leaving a wet tea bag on a paper, then when you remove it, the colour will be left behind, that means it has been dyed. I also am not a big fan of flowery teas like Jasmine. Its ok but not my first, second or third choice!

In the end, my vote is for tea with a subtle, clear taste and not too strong. Too often we try to cover everything up and miss out on the plain and simple good flavour. That said, I'm off to make tea, of course.