active tea drinkers-- i need your help!

[shintoji]

alright so heres the deal! ive been trying to enjoy tea for a while now, and ive tried all different kinds. normally it smells just wonderful, but when i actually drink it it just tastes like hot water! im not very used to picking up subtle tastes, so i want to know what you guys would suggest for someone who prefers bold flavors! any specific ways to prepare it or certian flavors/blends? feel free to link me to specific ones you buy online and would reccomend!! thanks pony people

[rosierjay]

i would first try the teas you have again, but steep the tea for longer. that will normally make the flavor stronger.

[Pheasant]

i would first try the teas you have again, but steep the tea for longer. that will normally make the flavor stronger.

I agree - in my experience, most teas need to steep for 5-10 minutes.

Good Earth makes a Sweet 'N' Spicy tea that has a bold flavor, you can buy it in most grocery stores. :>

[shintoji]

i would first try the teas you have again, but steep the tea for longer. that will normally make the flavor stronger.

I agree - in my experience, most teas need to steep for 5-10 minutes.

Good Earth makes a Sweet 'N' Spicy tea that has a bold flavor, you can buy it in most grocery stores. :>

thank you both for your responses!! ill certianly try that next time i make some. just to make sure im doing it right, steeping is just basically leaving the bag in the cup and occasionally lifting it, right?

[aluke]

Try double bagging or an extra scoop if loose leaf. Also make sure you let it steep (yes, that means letting it sit in the hot water) and drink while hot. Though, take note of the temperature to make sure you don't burn the leaves either. I can't remember off hand what the recommended temps were, but a white tea can't withstand the same heat as a black tea for example.

It would help to know what brands you are trying. I remember finding a lot of the generic US brands to be lackluster, like Tetley. Specialty stores like Teavana or David's Tea should pack a lot more flavour (if you want a fancier tea that is). If you want a green tea, I'd highly recommend going for an Asian imported one than an American brand. For red/black, I swear by Red Rose, but I don't think it's sold in the US.

In the end, you can also just not be a tea person. I like the smell of freshly ground and brewed coffee, but I loathe the taste.

[ringwraith10]

I let it steep fooooorever. I actually keep the tea bag in the mug while I'm drinking. I know that's not common practice, but my tea ends up having a really strong flavor.

[aintnobuffalo]

I agree with with the steep longer and/or with more leaves and at a higher temperature. I also find that adding sugar or honey sometimes brings out more flavor. For my friends who don't like tea but get dragged long into my tea time, they preferred robbios for some reason. They strongly agreed that sweetening it makes its flavor more that leaf water to them. Is there a place that serves tea near you? You could try tea prepare by experts and ask for recommendations.

[kasin]

This is a fun topic

If you like bold you might prefer Chi teas, I buy the Trader Joes brand (its cheap but decent, not the best I've had, but not bad) its black tea with West Asian spices like cinnamon and cardamom added, smells nice too, a little like mulling spice. (Actually Ill bet it would taste pretty good steeped in some hot cider or hot red wine....Ill try that this winter!)

You might also like Earl Grey tea, another stronger flavor. My favorite is by "Good Young Co." a Taiwanese brand you can find in Asian groceries. I cant find it online right now, but this is a link to their Oolong tea so you can see what the boxes look like: http://steepster.com/teas/traditions-slash-good-young-co/29658-taiwan-oolong-tea

A lot of people that are not big tea drinkers like milk teas better, you can just add cream to your regular tea (a darker brew will hold up better) or you can buy powdered mixes that are handy for the office or travel. (milk tea is almost always with a black tea) The instant ones have sugar added too.
Here is my favorite instant chi milk tea: http://shop.khanapakana.com/quik-tea-cardamom-chai-instant-tea-10-pouches-8-5-oz-240-grams/

Green tea I buy the big bulk box from Costco, my in laws are Chinese and very picky (elitist! my MIL brings her own tea to Chinese resturants so they wont serve her "dish water".... she is a difficult woman) about tea and they actually like this one! All other tea they dont trust me to buy since I'm "the American" We love tea however so they keep our family well stocked with mostly Oolong which has a slightly stronger flavor too. I wish I could tell you brands, but I cant read the lables on the tins

[melodys_angel]

Steep it longer or use 2 teabags instead of 1 (or twice as much loose tea).

Word of warning--certain teas go bitter if you steep for 'too' long so don't steep forever.

[tikibirds]

I've had plenty of cups go bitter because I forgot about my cup of tea.

AS for bold flavors, I would ignore most berry flavors. To me they never really have a flavor. Chai teas and licorice spice have strong flavors but you need to like chai (kinda cinamon-y) and Licorice (this one is naturally very sweet).

[Roseprincess1]

try some sugar in the raw or simple syrup instead of white sugar.. both of them have a much subtler flavor and wont mask the tea flavor so harshly

[Leave a Whisper]

Sounds like you need to let it steep more. I would suggest Chai tea, Bengal Spice, Zingers and Lemon Tea.

[Sugar]

Tisanes are my current favourite, and my tippy-top fave is Stash Wild Raspberry Hibiscus.  It definitely doesn't taste like hot water - very zippy, in fact.   They do a great Salted Caramel Mate, and a really pleasant Liquorice Spice, too.  Viva bolder tastes!

(If you like, pm me, and I'll send you a variety of tisanes and teas - I'm always happy to enable fellow tea drinkers! )

[Beldarna]

Mint teas are usually strong flavoured. I drink a green mint tea at work that only need to seep a minute or two or it gets too bitter and strong. At home I drink mostly black teas, a loose cherry ang ginger tea and lemontea in bag. The latter can sit in the cup forever basically and I've notised eating chocolate (either nutella or candy) really brings out the flavor.
Also, the temperature is kind of important. I have a waterboiler where I can decide which temperature I want which is very helpful.

Also, I found this by google:

Below Boiling Water Temperature
White and green teas have delicate leaves, and therefore require below boiling water temperatures between 170 and 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Too high of a temperature will cook the leaves and ruin their delicate flavors.

Medium Boil Temperature
Oolong teas should be brewed at temperatures between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit

Full Boil Temperatures
Black and Herbal teas brew best at a full boil temperatures 208 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

https://www.twoleavestea.com/water-temperature/

[ghouldilocks]

I agree with everyone else who has said to steep for longer - if you'd like it to be very strong, you could also try it builders style with some Liptons or something, or just buy Builders Tea if there's a Commonwealth import shop near you that carries it (although you can buy it online, I'm sure, if not).

Personally, I'm a Twinings girl, and I love their mint tea when I'm in the mood for something herbal, but I'm also a huge fan of their Darjeeling. Earl Grey is good as well, or you could try an Irish Breakfast Tea steeped a while. I believe ginger teas are fairly strong as well, just the nature of the ginger, but I haven't tried any myself.