Why do you drink tea?

I used to drink coffee until I realized that it was what was causing my upset stomach around 11 am every morning. Tea doesn’t affect me that way.

At the time of my switch, I loved teas but I really needed something strong to get me going in the morning, so I drank coffee in the mornings and enjoyed teas later in the day… now I drink tea all day every day.

I love that it is not only refreshing and quenches my thirst, but it tastes amazing, and calms me. I drink it because I love it! I love the unique complexity of tea, something I can’t find with something ordinary… I suppose if I were to be a drinker of alcohol, I might find a similar complexity in fine wines and other liquor, but, that’s not my thing.

Well, I started to drink purely for the health benefits… and not the legit ones, the hype. The 1st oolong I bought (because it was the cheapest in the shop, I admit) was Shui Xian… it’s still not an oolong I like. I liked mint so I added mint to cover the taste. Now that I actually know more about tea and how to steep it, I drink tea because I love it. I try every tea I can get my hands on (w/ a few exceptions), but if there’s something I don’t like, I move on. I acknowledge and appreciate the health benefits of tea (which is why I only drink herbals mixed w/ true tea), but it really boils (haha) down to I love how it tastes and I was looking for a calorie and artificial sweetener free beverage to replace my water intake. I just have no motivation to drink anything that has no flavor. Now that I’m learning more about tea I’m learning more about the culture of different teas- I’ve always had a passion for different cultures and love that tea fits in well!

I couldn’t agree with you more. I love tea too and I’ve been drinking tea all my life now. Not so much coffee but being the son of Indian parents in London I have to have a good cup of Indian chai to get me going in the morning. But do you think that “teabag” teas misrepresent the full charachteristics of tea?

I used to drink a lot of soda pop. When I started watching my calorie intake, I had to drink something else that didn’t have as much sugar/calories. So I started drinking tea because I wasn’t drinking enough water, and also because it wasn’t full of meaningless calories.
It tastes really good and it helped me loose a few pounds too. I don’t really have to watch my weight anymore, but tea is certainly my favorite drink now.

I still drink coffee… If I need to start my day with caffeine, tea just doesn’t feel right. I started drinking tea as an alternative to coffee because my stomach was getting upset by it and I was drinking so much of it. So I switched to black tea bags…. and it just escalated from there. I still get upset stomach from tea and coffee, but I still love both.

And honestly, nothing feels better than drinking oolong or white tea after eating a meal. My body just feels so much better. Whether it’s just hype benefits or not, it really benefits me (: .

I used to drink lots of coffee and espresso. I was overweight, unhealthy, diabetic, and really grumpy (according to my wife who is never wrong). We took a trip to Hawaii to visit my son. He is a body builder (also in Navy) and he and his wife are tea drinkers. I starting walking, eating better, and drinking loads of tea. To make a long story short, I have lost around 90 pounds to date, diabetes is gone, and my doctor can’t believe it. I feel great and intend to drink tea the rest of my life. To me, its a life change.

I drink coffee still :) I have 2 cups when I wake up and can’t quite function without it. I love good beans, but I pretty much have 2 or 3 varieties at hand and leave it at that. Tea is totally another story :)

I love tea for SO many reasons.

I love the ritual of preparing it. I love measuring the tea and water, heating the tea pot, heating the water, waiting for it to steep just the right amount. I love beautiful tea ware, beautiful tea leaves and beautiful additions! Even my lazy tea bags get a nice cup and good honey :)

I love the time it takes to enjoy tea. I love stepping back from my busy schedule and being in my own tea world for a little bit. Ahhhh – that feels better. I find it very hard to rush a cup of tea. It just seems made for sipping to me.

I love the history of tea. I love reading about it and how it relates to civilization and culture. I love that so many of the characters I adore in the books I read drink tea. I love that many of the cultures I find so interesting have a long history of drinking tea.

I’m a foodie and I love relating to it much like wine or cheese – seeing how the terroir shapes the flavors, how the grower make a difference…how creative you can be with blending, additions, flavorings, herbs…

I love the people who drink tea :) I’ve found so many people that I like enormously here on Steepster :)

and…I love how it tastes! It gives me so much pleasure to drink a cup of tea.

Hmm…Why do I drink tea? Well, it’s in part family tradition. Coffee has never been something that was readily available at my house growing up. Both of my parents are tea drinkers. My mother is addicted to tea, she drinks it like its water, and rarely has an empty cup. My dad fills a huge like 50 oz mug of it before work daily which is refilled at least once. My sisters and I are all tea drinkers. Is it a learned trait? If so, its one that I am glad was instilled!

As an adult, my tea habit has become a bit of an obsession. (This website is quite the enabler!) My tea cabinet runneth over and I have resorted to storing some of the teas under the sink. :P

To me, tea has a comforting quality that coffee could never hope to match. The flavor options and varieties are incredible. And in complexity, coffee can’t even begin to measure up. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do think there is a time and a place for coffee, such as when you are needing to stay up all night to finish that 12 page term paper or when insomnia has been kicking your butt all night and you have got to be at work at some ungodly hour. Hmm, so perhaps coffee is a more utilitarian beverage. In my opinion, tea wins, no question.

I was raised on it by my great grandmother. We used to visit her almost every other week from when I was very young, and she would always make a pot. If she didn’t, I would spend the whole time complaining that we hadn’t had tea yet.

She had this perfect tiny cup and saucer set that she used to serve the children with; always tea with a bit of money and milk. Later she bought me a small cup and saucer, as well as a personal teapot (the teapot later broke, and my mother gifted me with the personal teapot that my great grandmother gave HER).

I like coffee or a latte in the morning and coffee at lunch in the winter but never at night unless it is with chocolate dessert.

But I drink tea at night to relax, it is better than wine or whiskey. It is now one of my “comfort” foods. I enjoy the different flavors and varieties.

My one exception is I hate anything with hibiscus flower added, can’t stand the stuff.

I may switch to tea in the morning as coffee doesn’t set to well with my new meds after open heart surgery.