Great Christmas Gift
This is my all time favortie tea. I get the bags, which I think are just as good as the loose, and way less work. If you have a tea drinking friend this would make a nice gift. I'm on the way to have a cup and chill out before Mass.
8 comments:
Tazo is good tea -- I like their holiday blend a good deal. It's called Joy and is a blend of black, green, and white teas. Very yummy.
But it isn't the best bagged tea. The best bagged tea I've ever had is Chombe tea from Malawi. It's available online. I was introduced to it by a friend from Malawi, and it is the best tasting tea I have ever drank. I have a little cache of the tea at home, which I guard jealously and use judiciously.
For daily drinking purposes, I like good old Lipton tea -- purchased in bulk from Costco. A little goat milk, a little Stevia, and it is quite good.
Tazo - is that an American brand?
For my part I am a Twinings afficionado but am willing to test other mixes...
Mark,
Liptons for daily use at work - I'm with you on that one. I don't know what Stevia is though.
Kirk,
Stevia is plant with very sweet, but non-caloric, leaves. You can buy the plants just about everywhere now -- we get ours at Wal-Mart in the Spring. The leaves can be used in salads, deserts, etc., in place of sugar. For example, I chop up the leaves into little pieces and sprinkle them over sliced strawberries instead of using sugar.
Stevia can also be purchased in a processed form, crystalized like sugar. It comes in little packets and can be used like granulated sugar in tea, on oatmeal, etc.
I like to use Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners because it is a natural product. And it tastes better than Splenda or Equal, for example.
Another very good natural sweetener is Agave, but it does have calories.
Coca-Cola is working on formulating a diet soft drink with Stevia.
Thanks Mark. I don't think we have that here in Germany but I shall tell AGA about it. He tries not to take sugar because his family has a history of diabetes whereas I have sugar all the time!
I am with you when it comes to using natural products. Isn't it amazing that, when you think about it, God provides everything for us - even sweeteners for our tea!
Very true, Kirk. Stevia is much better than the artificial stuff -- it tastes better, has a better texture, and doesn't have a fake aftertaste. The leaves are better than the granulated form, but in tea, the granulated form works better.
I would be surprised if you weren't able to order Stevia over the internet. Try it, I think you and your friend will be quite happy with it.
Off topic, I see that you are in Germany. How do you like it there? I am studying German on my own -- I know about three words that I can string together, but I am a great fan of German culture (except for the scary bits, of course). I envy you being able to be there...I hope to travel there someday, and visit my great-grandfather's village in Franconia.
Mark - I've never tried the Tazo holiday blend. It's on my list. Probably can find it at Starbucks.
I really should use Stevia instead of Splenda. Equal isn't even on the radar .. Bleh!
Kirk - I'll send you some Tazo as soon as we get plowed out again.
And to both of you - Lipton tastes like dishwater to me. I just can't abide it...
Well, I wouldn't say that Lipton was the best tea on the market, but it is a perfectly decent tea for daily consumption, particularly if it is doctored with a little milk and a little sweetener. I agree it is no Tazo or Chombe, but I don't think it is all that bad.
Plus, I like having different levels of tea for drinking -- everyday tea and special tea for when I want a treat.
You should try out the Tazo Joy blend, it is very good, particularly if brewed with a cinnamon stick and some cloves.
I agree with you about Equal -- yuck. Splenda is pretty good, but isn't as good as Stevia or Agave.
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