TeaChat

I'm a Scottish Tetley Tea with 2 sugars girl I'm afraid, but I'm madly drawn towards all these fabulous sounding different teas which are available. How do I develop my recalcitrant taste buds? I want to give up milk and sugar anyway. Should I go cold turkey? Which are the best teas to try for someone dipping in a tremulous toetip? I have some white tea - Antlers d'Amours - which I can now drink a whole cup of - just. I am keen to enjoy the healthy benefits of green teas, Matcha and Puerh. Is there any hope?
happy to have found this forum!

Many people like to start with the greener oolongs, such as tieguanyin, or 1st flush darjeelings. They have floral fragrances that make them compelling without milk or sugar. Another tack is the full-bodied darker teas like roasted oolongs, and shu puerh--a good approach for those looking for a coffee substitute. Along those lines, you might try some milder black teas at higher concentrations that parallel the Tetley taste with more flavor and complexity, like Ceylon, Nilgiri, Chinese blacks, and others. But really, if you don't like the taste of tea and you want health benefits, you're better off eating more green vegetables. Happy hunting!

Not keen on green veg either! Mind you , I do drink green juices regularly to make up for that.

If you're not sure about tea, try oolongs. The lighter 'green' oolongs--the dry leaf should be quite green--are the most user-friendly teas for those new to the world of non-western-style teas. After that, I'd put some traditional darker roast oolongs, because they can be very spicy and bold and deep without the bitterness of a western-style black tea.

Tie Guan Yin or Ti Kuan Yin comes in both styles (new/green or traditional/dark) and both are good. Even cheap versions of both are usually nice, and the fanciest are really excellent, so it's hard to go wrong when exploring them. I'd start there, and branch out once you see what you like.

I agree with the oolongs.
i started on the greens and then tried oolong, then puer, very slow process.
I wouldnt give up on milk and sugar if you like it, i dont mind having it every now and then. The key is trying the good quality stuff and that takes hours and hours of research, good quality doesnt necessarily mean a bank breaker either.
Lots of patience, but when you find good tea, youll know it

Thanks very much for your advice! I will embark on some oolong study. There is so much to learn!

I had ordered some matcha from Jing a few days ago in a fervour of keen newbieness. It arrived today. My daughter and I whisked it up very inefficiently with a wobbly old metal whisk and lifted it to our lips with great trepidation. It was lovely! Nothing like black tea at all, or even white tea. It was mellow and left our mouths tasting sweet instead of parrot-cage - bottom like. Do most green teas have this sweet, mellow flavour? If so I'm a convert!

Of you're already hooked with your first matcha you have a lot of joy ahead of you. I've found more bitterness in matcha than in most of the greens I enjoy, and far more than in the oolongs I recommended.

Pufff, You asked for advice, got it, & ignored it -- going for matcha, which you like!
That's funny.
I'm advising you not to buy lottery tickets. After you win, remember the guy who told you not to.
All the best.

ethan wrote:Pufff, You asked for advice, got it, & ignored it -- going for matcha, which you like!
That's funny.
I'm advising you not to buy lottery tickets. After you win, remember the guy who told you not to.
All the best.

To be fair, it seems like Pufff must have ordered the matcha before asking for advice, much less before receiving it.

I'm glad you liked it, and welcome to the forum!

Devoted 135, Of course, you are right. Pufff wrote that he had ordered the matcha before he asked for advice, but the sequence of posts struck my funny bone anyway. Cheers.

Hi pufff and welcome to our forum!

Sorry for the delay in welcoming you, however, looks like you have jumped right in with the matcha. I am looking forward to seeing you around the forum.