Milk for Tea?

Fully oxidized tea leaves for a robust cup.


What kind of milk for your tea?

whole milk
8
29%
2% milk
11
39%
half & half
5
18%
non-diary (i.e., soy, rice, almond, etc)
4
14%
 
Total votes: 28

Feb 13th, '09, 11:19
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Milk for Tea?

by stevewiess88 » Feb 13th, '09, 11:19

Hello. I just got a 40-bag Yorkshire Tea from a local Ross store for $4, which I considered a bargain as it costs a lot more when ordering online.

Anyway, back to the topic, when I'm making a tea from a teabag instead of whole leaves, it's too strong for me to enjoy without milk and sweetener.

So I put a single portion of half and half (I snugged one from a local breakfast restaurant, it's the one like mini moos) into my tea and it tastes very very creamy now. Before than I used to put 2% milk in my tea.

So, if you are a person who puts milk in the tea, what kind of milk do you put in? I'm just curious about other people's tea drinking habit! :)

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Feb 13th, '09, 11:26
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by silverneedles » Feb 13th, '09, 11:26

when i drink the yorkshire gold its with milk (2%, not the one from costco- might be 1$ cheaper but is watery)
Try to find them at supermarkets, else at English/British import stores.

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Feb 13th, '09, 11:31
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by auggy » Feb 13th, '09, 11:31

I typically use either non-dairy creamer or skim milk. Mostly because that is what I have on hand.

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Feb 13th, '09, 12:28
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by coleyboley » Feb 13th, '09, 12:28

I don't know how to vote. I prefer to use whole milk, but I end up using more 2% because that is what they sell at work. I've thought about using half & half. I think I might try it since you said it made your tea so very creamy. That sounds delicious!

Feb 13th, '09, 13:18
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by stevewiess88 » Feb 13th, '09, 13:18

coleyboley wrote:I don't know how to vote. I prefer to use whole milk, but I end up using more 2% because that is what they sell at work. I've thought about using half & half. I think I might try it since you said it made your tea so very creamy. That sounds delicious!
While some people might like the creamy taste, other people may think it destroys the flavor of the tea.

Anyway, I suggest you to brew a stronger tea (i.e., with less water) when you are planning to add a splash of half & half.

Feb 13th, '09, 17:38
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It's a buffering agent.

by Intuit » Feb 13th, '09, 17:38

Half and half overwhelms the taste of all but the stoutest teas. Maybe the excess fat forms micelles that capture / block taste and odor components. Anyway, I've always read that one avoids cream in drinking tea.

Nonfat dry and skim milk don't cut the after-bite in strong teas. Soy/almond/rice milk tasted strange when added to tea and coffee. I tried to adapt to these milk alternatives on and off for a year.

Whole milk 'works' - it's what I remember putting in tea as a kid, but it's lowfat milk (1-2%) that I've adapted to using over the past 20 years that tastes 'just right' in certain black teas.

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Feb 14th, '09, 03:54
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by battra » Feb 14th, '09, 03:54

I rarely have my tea with milk, but if I do I prefer soy milk, as I think it taste more fresh than cow milk. Though there is a big variation among different brands of soy milk, some brands of soy milk does indeed taste rather weird in tea.

Regarding cow milk, I would recommend standard milk (3% fat), since "middle milk" (1.5% fat) is too thin, and gives the brew a watery taste. (This is for swedish milk grades of course.)

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Feb 14th, '09, 10:12
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by joelbct » Feb 14th, '09, 10:12

Where's the "never" response?

Sorry to be a snob, but putting milk or sugar in the tea I drink would be like putting milk or sugar in a good bordeaux...

Feb 14th, '09, 10:27
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by stevewiess88 » Feb 14th, '09, 10:27

joelbct wrote:Where's the "never" response?

Sorry to be a snob, but putting milk or sugar in the tea I drink would be like putting milk or sugar in a good bordeaux...
The purpose of this thread is to find out what kind of milk people put in the cup of tea.

Anyway, I assume that you drink only loose leaves teas, in which case milk is usually not required. For teabags, especially when oversteeped, they are quite difficult to drink without toning it down with milk.

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Feb 14th, '09, 14:13
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by Geekgirl » Feb 14th, '09, 14:13

I make chai several times a week when the weather gets cold, and I always use 2%, mainly because that's what's in the fridge.

Feb 15th, '09, 15:39
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by silvermage2000 » Feb 15th, '09, 15:39

I mainly use whole milk. I only put milk once in a while in black teas and chai teas.
My name i's ashley I am a female and 21 years old.

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Feb 15th, '09, 19:37
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by Riene » Feb 15th, '09, 19:37


I generally use a splash of skim milk, but the skim milk from our local dairy (Braum's) doesn't taste anything like normal watery skim milk. It's really good.
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
And you, you are a thousand miles away,
There are always two cups on my table.
--Tang Dynasty

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Feb 15th, '09, 19:40
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by Cinnamon Kitty » Feb 15th, '09, 19:40

I use almond or soy "milk" in my tea simply because I can't have regular milk. I prefer the almond milk over any of the other types of non-dairy milks since it tends to be a little creamier tasting.

Feb 15th, '09, 20:03
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by edkrueger » Feb 15th, '09, 20:03

joelbct wrote:Where's the "never" response?
I'm with you there!
joelbct wrote:putting milk or sugar in a good bordeaux...
Good idea. Maybe it will make it taste better.

[/quote]

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Feb 15th, '09, 23:03
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by brad4419 » Feb 15th, '09, 23:03

Im in the don't use milk In my tea group but once someone suggested to add milk to my chai green tea so I tryed it. I added 2% and It just made the tea less flavored and smoother which I didn't like but it did have a pleasant light milk taste afterwards.

From that experience I would say cream would be too strong so probably 2% or whole milk would be my choice.

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