Help...new to tea and don't really like it!

[cherylromig]

If anyone has any suggestions on how to ease myself into the flavor of tea I would really appreciate the help. I want to get off of Diet Coke and start my day with some green tea. I ordered Casablanca Twist. Thanks so much!

[auggy]

Make sure you brew at the right temp. Green teas get very bitter when brewed with boiling water. I loved green tea when I lived in Japan but hated it when I came back to the US. I just thought it was the quality of tea here. Nope - I was brewing it too hot! Once I fixed that, I started liking greens again.

Good luck with your switch!

[olivierco]

There are many kinds of tea. Perhaps ordering some samplers from adagio will help you to find a tea suitable to your tastes.

[Pentox]

Try different forms of tea. If you don't like the taste of green, try something else. Like a black or oolong. Maybe try some flavored teas.

[tenuki]

I would recommend the Adagio starter set found here:

http://www.adagio.com/misc/no_risk.html ... d8d8945fad

Then getting a couple of samples. Resist the urge to buy anything other than samples for a year.

[cherylromig]

Like Milk or cream or sugar or something???? Thanks! I really want to stick with green tea.

[auggy]

I haven't personally tried adding milk or sugar to green tea since I love the taste of plain green, but I have read of others that liked a splash of milk occasionally. You can always try it. Other than that, I have no clue what could be added to make the taste work for you.

What is it about the taste you don't like? Maybe there is something you can add that will cancel the particular taste you dislike.

[olivierco]

Like Milk or cream or sugar or something???? Thanks! I really want to stick with green tea.

What kind of green tea are you drinking?

[Pentox]

Like Milk or cream or sugar or something???? Thanks! I really want to stick with green tea.

From what I have tried, milk does not go well with green tea. I'm a bit of a purist personally, but I know a few people who enjoy sugar or honey in their green tea.

What is it about the green tea that you do / don't like? Why the particular choice to stick with green?

[devites]

Sencha Premier is the best from Adagio. Frankly, I think that Casablanca Twist sucks ,but I think that is because I don't like mint teas. A big mistake when I started with tea is going to Teavana and other places that offer stale low quality tea as well as not steeping/ using right amount. Use TeaMap to find a teahouse near you. If you have one go to it and hopefully they will have samples and very informative owners that can teach you technique and what is good.

[Sydney]

The "I'll have the buffet" approach is always an option:

• Adagio Green Tea Sampler
  Adagio Sencha Premier
  Adagio White Monkey
  Den's Green Tea Kit
  Den's Fukamushi-Sencha Maki
  Long Jing from TeaSpring
  Uji Sencha Miyabi from O-Cha
  At least one or two of some other type, like yellow, white, or light oolong.

[Mary R]

"I'll have the buffet..." Padre, you crack me up.

There's some serious wisdom in the buffet approach, though. One of the things a lot of people don't like about some green teas is that they can taste 'grassy.' My father, for instance, avoids my teapot like the plague when I brew some majorly awesome pedigreed sencha. He says it tastes like lawn clippings. But when I brew some year-old, cheaper-than-dirt gunpowder, he can't get enough. He likes the smokier, nuttier profile.

To each his own...just experiment until you find it.

[GeoffK]

You could always start your day with a cup of black tea. Something that you can put some sort of creamer and sweetner in. It may be a good transition from Diet Coke and give you a starting point to explore tea.

[jim109]

Geo and Padre....hello everyone, I am new to tea and Tea Chat. During the week I have a hard time deciding between yunnan gold and keenum to start the day. Then I enjoy a green tea with toast before I go to work or on the weekends. I like green anji, gyokuru with my toast. It's nice to be here and see you all in the morning!!!! Jimn

[olivierco]

Welcome here.
Keemun, Yunnan Gold and Gyokuro: very nice choices!