Tea

[rwb0481]

On my last outing I took along some tea to try something different. It was Twinings Prince of Wales tea and I've gotta say I loved it. I usually drink coffee and lots of it on my camping/expo trips, but wanted something a little lighter this time. Now I grew up in the deep south so the only tea I knew of was cold and had enough sugar to assure a diabetic coma, so this was a nice change of pace!

Do any of you folks drink hot tea on camping/overlanding trips? I bought this at REI: http://www.rei.com/product/768513 and for the price it's a really well made product that did a fine job. Does anyone here drink that loose tea? I haven't tried that yet.

 

[desertgirl66]

Desertdude & I are both tea drinkers and the one thing that makes tea really good as opposed to just good, is really good filtered water, and make the water hot!

We use organic English Breakfast tea mostly and in the evening Green Tea or Peppermint tea.

So civilized!

 

[rwb0481]

So civilized!

Haha, I did feel quite proper!

 

[James86004]

Ever since our good friends owned a tea shop in Flagstaff (Tea & Sympathy, which is now closed), we have been tea fanatics.

Loose tea is generally the better quality tea - they put the lesser quality in the tea bags.

Tea is like wine, you just have to try the different types to find what you like, and from what source. I prefer mine black and straight, unless it is iced, then I prefer sweet tea. I hate the fruity kinds.

The local supply of loose tea is pretty hit or miss. Oriental markets usually have a good selection, although you may have trouble reading the labels!

We have good luck with Lupcia teas.

As desert girl says, the water you use makes a difference.

 

[TeriAnn]

I consider tea to be one of the essential food groups.

I usually drink loose tea at home. This is because I perceive the flavour to be a little more complex and full bodied. The tea balls seem to work well on teas with larger leaves but let the leaves of small leaf blends go through their seams. So I tend to use a small strainer when I pour a pot of loose leaf tea.

On the trail I use tea bags. Easier, quicker, less gear to carry and keep clean between cups of tea. There is enough space above my rear door to fit a box of tea so I made a tea cabinet above my rig's rear door. I got the idea from someone who used that space for a cabinet to store rolled up maps. It holds up to 7 boxes of tea or 4 boxes of tea and a couple boxes of pasta.

On the trail I like to wake up to a cuppa English Breakfast tea (AKA British breakfast tea). Its a rich full bodied tea that stands up well to the addition of some milk or half & half.

Darjeeling tea has rich complex flavours. It is not as strong as English breakfast and does not stand up to milk as well, but it does have a wonderful flavour. It make a great afternoon sipping tea.

A interesting tea you might try is Ginger Peach tea, a blend made by The Republic Of Tea. It is a black tea blend with pieces of dried peach and a little ginger. I love the flavour and it too stands up well to the addition of some milk. Its priced at about twice that of other tea boxes but has 50 tea bags instead of the 20 or 25 bags the other boxes usually contain.

http://www.republicoftea.com

One word of caution, tea as well as coffee are diuretics and drinking a lot of tea can actually leave you dehydrated. I've found it best to limit my desert trip tea drinking to about 2 cups in the morning and maybe one in the late afternoon or evening. That and to drink a lot of water in between.

 

[mountainpete]

I love a good green tea when camping. Not the stuff you get at Starbucks, but one I found at a Chinese tea shop. The tea is in bags, but the leaves are mixed with roasted rice which gives it a much more full-bodied flavor and muchh stronger smell.

My wife loves fruity and mint teas, but I just can't stand them. She also now has an addition to a tea drink called a "London Fog" (I actually call it a Toronto Smog). It's also called a Vanilla Misto at some coffee shops.

It's an Earl Grey or Breakfast tea bag steeped in steamed milk with a shot of vanilla syrup. I think she already has a little bottle of syrup ready for our next trip!

Pete

 

[Rallyroo]

I prefer mine black and straight, unless it is iced, then I prefer sweet tea.

I'm like that too.

As for me, I'm a tea drinker. I don't drink coffee.

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

My favoriut tea is Pu-Ehr... it's got a kick like coffee, and a robust and earthy flavor to it. You can get it in cakes or loose leaf, and it is an oh-so-good way to start the day. Don't drink to much of it though, or you'll have one serious case of the jitters!

 

[Cabrito]

For us tea is a big part of our daily intake. My HNLP (heterosexual nondenominational life partner) worked at a tea specialty shop when I met her. We learned a lot about tea.
Like others have said – Loose leaf rocks! We use small screened tea baskets. MSR makes a nice one that you can almost do coffee in and fits many different sized cups and bottles, but it is expensive.

When traveling we always bring our loose leaf – sometimes I even do it cowboy style and just throw the leaves in the cup, but it gets pretty bitter.
Brew time is also important to get the taste you like. Four minutes for black and oolong and three for green and white. The green and white will get bitter after three minutes. We are super dorks and actually use a timer.

My favorite tea is TenRen brand Oolong which has a tasty roasted flavor.

but one I found at a Chinese tea shop. The tea is in bags, but the leaves are mixed with roasted rice which gives it a much more full-bodied flavor and muchh stronger smell.

The green tea with roasted rice is a traditional Japanese tea that is often served in Japanese restaurants. It’s called Genmaicha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genmaicha – this is a super yummy tea, look for the little pieces of pop corn.

and make the water hot - and in the evening Green Tea or Peppermint tea.

While really hot water is fine for black and oolong teas, green and white teas can be burned by boiling water and lose some of their delicate flavor. We always splash a little cold water over the leaves in the cup before adding the hot water.

Tea is like wine, you just have to try the different types to find what you like, and from what source. Asian markets usually have a good selection, although you may have trouble reading the labels!

x2 for me on that statement by James.

Now as far as the caffeine goes, there are basically three levels.
Black has most, followed by oolong, followed by green/white.
To put it in perspective with coffee, black tea has about half as much caffeine per cup. http://www.stashtea.com/caffeine.htm – You might find some minor discrepancies with the ratio but this is a good guideline.

Can you tell that we are into our tea? I drink between two and four cups of oolong per day.

They say that green tea is an antioxidant.

-m

 

[James86004]

We bought these insulated cups at Sportsmen's Warehouse that have a built in strainer for loose tea leaves. I can't recall off the top of my head what brand they are. They work great out in the field. They are just like those fancy commuter coffee cups you see everywhere, except they have a lift out basket that nests nicely inside.

 

[Connie]

How did you ever manage field repairs before if you didn't have tea????? As Martyn, Graham, or NickT will tell you, the first thing to do when something goes wrong is sit down and have a cup of tea. A person can work out most any problem while drinking tea. :coffeedrink:

Rooibos is one of my favorites.

 

[Harald Hansen]

I drink tea every day. I even did this before I got my first Land Rover. Honest!

 

[DontPanic42]

For general drinking, I get Canadian tea. Specfically, King Cole from Barbour's in Sussex, NB. I gave some to a friend who had worked in the UK for 4 years and she said it was the first good "cuppa" she had since coming back to the states. Red Rose is acceptable if you get the Canadian version with the double size muslin bags for pots. The American product just isn't the same. Fortunately, I have friends and relatives who are Maritimers that keep me well stocked.

 

[Mike_rupp]

I used to drink tea everyday until I moved to Seattle. The cold misty days here just demand something stronger.

I still occasionally drink tea though. My favorite brand is Barry's Tea, which is Irish Breakfast. It's similar to English Breakfast but has a slightly malty flavor.

I make my tea in a French Press, just like making coffee. Get the water boiling and then let it rest for a minute or so and then pour over the tea leaves and let steep for 4 minutes or so. Just make sure to get the tea separated from the leaves once it is done steeping or the tea will become bitter.

 

[rwb0481]

How did you ever manage field repairs before if you didn't have tea????? As Martyn, Graham, or NickT will tell you, the first thing to do when something goes wrong is sit down and have a cup of tea.

Well, that doesn't apply to me. You see I drive a Toyota. Haha.. J/K!

There is a shop in town that sells loose leaf tea and I have found my favorite so far and by far. Lapsang Souchong. Man that stuff is good!