Recommendation for a non-tea drinker

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Oct 13th, '05, 05:24
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Recommendation for a non-tea drinker

by topaz » Oct 13th, '05, 05:24

I'd like to introduce my daughter to the joys of tea. She's not completely opposed to the idea, knows that there are many benefits, health-wise and tea people / camaraderie-wise. (I've put the lovely new tea book from Adagio by Chris on her reading list to educate her). Any suggestions on the type of tea to start her out on? Something fairly mild for someone whose current beverage choices are Pepsi, milk, water, orange juice and red Kool-aid?

thank you

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Oct 13th, '05, 08:28
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by LavenderPekoe » Oct 13th, '05, 08:28

I would try some of the flavored teas, maybe start with the holiday teas since they are really good for fall. Citron green and Apricot green are lovely and mild. I would start with brewing the tea a little weak and go stronger and stronger until she gets used to it. Personally, I hate bitterness, so I brew it a bit weaker.
Last edited by LavenderPekoe on Nov 8th, '05, 14:11, edited 1 time in total.
Teas for trade:

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Oct 13th, '05, 08:46
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by teaspoon » Oct 13th, '05, 08:46

Hey there, welcome!

Recommendations for your daughter, huh? Personally, I would recommend starting with flavored teas, especially vanilla, and add some sugar. That's what I used to drink a lot when I was younger. There are those who will tell you that adding sugar and/or cream is sacrelige, but that's nonsense, especially when dealing with a kid (though I don't know how old your daughter actually is).

Once she's hooked, she may want to try teas without added flavors, and/or start adding less sugar. If she's anything like me, that is ;)

Hope this helps!

~teaspoon
"My sister and I have this wish before we die...
Tea in the Sahara with you."
~The Police, "Tea in the Sahara"

I am the size of 1 tsp.

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Oct 13th, '05, 11:31
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by chris » Oct 13th, '05, 11:31

I second "the brilliant" teaspoon's recommendation. Flavored teas are always a nice "gateway" tea to get a drinker familiar with gourmet tea. Depending on your daughter's age or sensitivity to caffeine, I'd also recommend herbal "fruit teas" such as the berry blues, pina colada, etc.. These are a great caffeine-free alternative!

Hope this helps,

Chris
Adagio Maestro

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Oct 13th, '05, 22:10
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by Dronak » Oct 13th, '05, 22:10

It seems like people here have different tastes than people I know personally. Most people I've talked to aren't big fans of flavored teas. We generally agree that these teas always smell better than they taste. And to me, the taste is kind of a cross between black tea and herbal tea. It seems like it can't decide which one it is and the combination usually doesn't work that well for my tastebuds. I almost always have to sweeten it to make it taste better to me. The one main exception is chai tea because some rather strongly flavored spices are typically used in it. (And Earl Grey, I suppose, but that's commonly classified as black.) But if a lot of people suggest flavored teas, there's certainly no harm in giving them a try. I just wanted to provide a different opinion, sticking to regular teas. I grew up with regular old black tea, sweetened and with milk. Over time, I dropped the additions, almost never using milk and only using sugar when I feel the tea needs sweetening.

Do you have a preference for the black or green end of the spectrum? I find that black teas generally have stronger flavors than greens. I would think that for blacks, you could use almost any common variety, say Ceylon, Assam, Keemun, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey, etc., possibly steeping it for a little less time than normal to lighten the flavor a bit, and add some sugar or honey to help sweeten it up to your daughter's tastes. You can add milk, too, if you like, just try not to add so much that you start masking the taste of the tea. Oolongs are usually pretty nice, being basically in between blacks and greens. I'm not very familiar with them, but they usually have a nice taste. I believe the tea served in Chinese restaurants is normally an oolong tea. Greens tend to be lighter flavored, as I noted, but also tend to be kind of grassy since they're not processed much. Some people like that, others, not so much. White teas are practically unprocessed and of the couple I've tried, they had rather light flavors, but were pretty good. I think the first one I tried was White Peony and it was very nice; it actually had more flavor than I was expecting because I had heard that the flavors of white teas are usually subtle. I would guess that the white end is about as light as you can get, almost making flavored water.

I think the main tips, regardless of the tea you choose, are things other said -- steep/brew the tea for a bit less time than usual to help lighten up the flavor, and add sugar, milk, honey, lemon to help bring it more to your duaghter's taste. As she gets used to it, you can start easing off the additions. I wouldn't really recommend additions for non-black teas, from what I've read those types are all supposed to be drunk straight, but I suppose you can do whatever you like.

P.S. -- Herbals aren't strictly teas, but they can make nice drinks, like chris says. They're a completely different class, but some fruit herbal could be good if your daughter likes fruits and juices.

Oct 14th, '05, 22:55

by Maria » Oct 14th, '05, 22:55

I introduced my kids to French Carmel Creme Brulee by Teas of the world. Now I have a 6yr old, a 3yr old and a 19th month old and my little bit absolutely loves this tea. She will sit with me for at least half an hour and drink her tea. Even my two boys love to sit and take tea with me. This is a black tea and is considered a dessert tea. I think its wonderful that you want to introduce your daughter to the timeless custom of taking tea. At our shop we have quite a few mothers and there teenage daughters come in for tea. At an age where you think they just want to break away sharing a pot of tea together sure does help build a bridge.

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Oct 15th, '05, 22:00
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by PeteVu » Oct 15th, '05, 22:00

i was born and raised on jasmine tea. after my first sip of lung ching i felt the need to try every other tea in existance.
There are four advantages to green tea... Its beauty, its taste, its aroma, and its health benefits. Learn to enjoy the first three and you'll forget you drank it for the fourth. ^^

Oct 22nd, '05, 10:43
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Joined: Oct 13th, '05, 05:07

Tea for my darling daughter

by topaz » Oct 22nd, '05, 10:43

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Most of you might assume that my daughter is a teenager or younger. She's actually 33. Of course to her mother of almost 54 that is young. But she's just not very adventurous in her eating or drinking habits. It's just occurred to me that one of the things I need to do is to quiz her on what she thinks she might not like about tea.

Jasmine and chamomile and rooibos berry are my current teas.

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