Taliana said:
I love real chai... i make it myself. Or chai baught in india is the best.
What is 'chai'? I thought that was just the word for 'tea' in Hebrew, Farsi, Arabic, and a couple other Middle-Eastern languages. Starbucks uses that term for some of its products, but I don't think it has a specific definition.
My family makes incredible tea that is a mix of Twinings of London's Earl Grey and Sadaf's Special Blend. Both are tea + bergamot flavor, although Sadaf uses pure Ceylon tea and Twinings uses a mix of different teas. Mix the loose teas together about half and half, brew with the lid down for about ten to twenty minutes, and dilute it with water to serve a number of people. Guys: you just got the directions for the most incredible tea in the world.
The second best: In the picturesque Shawangunk Mountains, there is a
Mountain House where me and my friends used to pretend we were patrons on our youthful rock climbing excursions. Exhausted from a full day of climbing, we would enter the House to drink free tea and biscuits, and try to fake our way into the dining hall to eat some of the most incredible food imaginable. I don't know if it was the fact that we were already dehydrated or what, but that was, and still is, one of my favorite teas. I found out the secret after drinking a few beers with one of the room service guys, and now I brew it for when me and my friends go hiking or hunting, and I especially tend to crave it in the fall. The secret (drumroll please): Orange Pekoe black tea with a tiny bit of
Monarda didyma (like one leaf per pot of tea for 10-20 people) brewed really really strong.
There are many other teas that I am a fan of. For all of these, in my opinion, Twinings is the best brand:
English Breakfast, which is a mix of Kenyan and Assam black teas, is a great morning tea due to its strength and darkness. This is for me a classic, good tea anytime.
English Afternoon, which is a medium dark blend of Keemun and Ceylon, is a great afternoon tea.
Lapsang Souchong is a great tea with a very strong, very smoky flavor. I think it goes great with a joint or in the fall while burning an incense. This is actually one of my favorites, but it makes some people gag because it has a very strong tea flavor.
I'm a black tea kinda guy, but I can definitely appreciate a good green tea. Tazo Tea has some awesome greens, though its a bit expensive. China Green Tips is top quality Chinese green, and Matcha is top quality Japanese green, with a bit of green melon to mellow the taste. I really like Om too, its from the Himalayas and is a mix of green and black, plus its organic. I find Tazo too expensive for regular use, so for green tea I go to a Chinese food joint and ask how much for some of the tea they always have on tap.
In the summer I drink Yerba Mate when most other people drink coffee, it has a nice kick and tastes summery.
Ummm, yeah, I like tea. Hey, its better than soda. I almost forgot, I take the English teas with a bit of cream and sugar, the Mohonk tea with a bit of milk and a little sugar, my family tea just sugar, and all east Asian teas and green teas I don't mess around with.
