Tea Tastes Change with the Seasons?

[Aphroditea]

I wanted to entitle this post Can I Drink White Tea After Labor Day?, but then I realized it wasn't entirely descriptive of this post and that there may now be a younger generation that doesn't even understand the reference!!

Anyway, I have noticed that when the weather is cool/cold I tend to prefer chai in the morning. As the weather warms up, or around autumn, I tend to drink darjeeling or yunnan. When it is particularly hot I like my black tea to be minty or fruity (whether hot or iced).

I have noticed this most with the blacks I drink in the morning more so than the green/white/yellow I may have around lunch time. But, I imagine I am not the only one whose tea pallette seems to change with the seasons. Does yours? If so, how? Color me curious!

[auggy]

I have recently noticed that since it has gotten cold, I prefer my after work tea to be black instead of the previously typical oolong or green. Though this could be because I have lots of nice black teas at home but less variety in the others currently. But I do think it is because of the weather.

[Cinnamon Kitty]

I find that as the weather gets colder, I drink more darker, richer teas, like roasted oolongs and blacks. This summer, looking back, I drank a lot of lighter, fruitier teas both hot and iced. During autumn, I plunged into Nilgiris and fell in love with Adagio's chestnut black tea. The fruity teas that I enjoyed in the warm weather just didn't seem to taste as good as it got colder. I still drink and crave sencha all year though.

[xine]

I agree- with cooler weather I am partial to black teas,and 'seasonal' flavors like hazelnut and chestnut, Adagio's Valentines, and pumpkin spice. Cinnamon Kitty, Nilgiri sounds good right about now too! I have a package somewhere, perhaps lost in my move, which I should try to dig out.

I still enjoy oolong year round; when it does get warmer, my tea consumption does go down and part of it takes form via fresh iced tea, fruity flavors, and green and white teas.

[chingwa]

i like my greens year-round... It's practically the only tea I drink now, save for Puhehr or Guk-Bo at Dim Sum.


... I don't know, maybe I'm just boring.

[tenuki]

Yes.

[Sydney]

I think of it in different terms. I enjoy my wide range of teas year 'round, but lean heavier on greens during the warmer months of the year simply because the greens are fresher.

[TaiPing Hou Kui]

Im pretty much stick to Japanese greens whether hot or cold........I recently got to thinking how my tea consumption lessens in the summer as it is hard to want to boil water on a 85 degree evening.....but I have recently been turned onto "ice brewing" my Jap. greens right in my kyusu which is great becuase I dont have to neglect my beautiful teaware just becuase of the temperature.

-Nick

[PolyhymnianMuse]

I think of it in different terms. I enjoy my wide range of teas year 'round, but lean heavier on greens during the warmer months of the year simply because the greens are fresher.

I think padre got it the best. Obviously there are different seasons of tea, different types of tea are harvested at different times throughout the year. Thats how I would look at it, I dont so much drink certain teas depending on the weather in my neck of the woods, but I do follow the seasons of tea in that I will tend to drink more japanese green teas when 'tis the season, and cut back on those and drink more winter oolongs for instance when that season comes around.

[Aphroditea]

I guess I have two trends in my teas that are driven by different things. The weather seems to determine what I am going to drink with my blacks teas and somewhat my oolongs (I prefer darker in winter). But then I also have certain teas in their peak times. That is obviously going to more true of greens, whites, yellows and oolongs. Black doesn't have a season in that sense.

So, I can see where you guys who drink mostly green will be more heavily influenced by growing seasons than will those who also or only drink blacks.

That was a very interesting point. Thanks for bringing it up, Padre and Poly!

[linnefaulk]

Up until this year, I pretty much frank the same green tea, iced. It got too cold this winter and I tried some of the tea lattes at Starbucks. Now I want to try lots of different flavors. But I seem to go for the cookie flavored ones like mint and chocolate and vanilla. I wonder if the spring will see me enjoying more flowery types?

[Bubba_tea]

Greens are cooling - Hongs are warming - so I think you're following nature! I love yan cha and hong cha in winter and lighter floral oolongs in spring summer. Stouts in winter, pilsners / ales in summer too!