What was the tea that made you fall in love with tea?

82 Replies
Alana237 said

I have always been a tea drinker, but the only stuff we ever had in the house was PG Tips. I adored it really strong with milk and sugar but for my 14th birthday my parents bought me a tetsubin and these tiny little teacups with some jasmine silver needles loose leaf from some place called Gift of The Orient. I slowly became more interested in loose leaf teas, branching out to my local Whittard of Chelsea tea. When I discovered Steepster (my grandma found it, actually – she came over one day in great excitement because she had found an article in the paper about Steepster she thought I would like) I started to become obssessed with everything about tea.

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kuanyin said

I have drank tea occasionally forever, I thought Constant Comment and Earl Grey were both heavenly. Much later, I was fond of green jasmine and usually had boxes of that and other Celestial Seasonings and herbal remedies sitting in a cabinet collecting dust. I liked it, but hardly ever actually drank it. Coffee would be my love and my addiction. A few years ago, a trip past a Teavana store intrigued me and later, when I found Teavana online, I got some. I just checked, my first order was four years ago and it was for Strawberry Slender Puer and Blueberry Bliss roibos. The same month I got some roibos and a teapot from Adagio. It rolled from there, but hit total obsession about a year ago when I quit coffee. I finally recognized/admitted that coffee was adversely affecting my blood sugar. Only the strongest of black teas does that to me, and even then, it is much easier to regulate.

Kuanyin, are you diabetic? I have type 1 and have been warned about caffeine in the past. I’ve never noticed my tea consumption affecting me, but I’ve never been a coffee drinker so that would explain it.

MaddHatter said

I am also curious, what sort of sweetners are you using, as this will adversly effect your blood sugar levels… but that is off topic, I find coffee to make me “nutty” and when a friend mentioned that for every cup of coffee people need to drink 8-9 cups of water, so not worth the effort to stay healthy… and now I drink tea.

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Tamara Fox said

Easy! That Paradise Tea that Borders bookstores used to sell, before they switched to Seattle’s Best for their cafe. I love Seattle’s Best, and the tea is much better than Starbucks, but that Paradise tea used to bring me in daily. And, I always bought a book to go with it. Hmmmm, maybe that’s what Borders did wrong ;)

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MaddHatter said

Hmmm, I am not sure which tea was the switch for me. I have been back and forth between tea and coffee for years, but I think it was DavidsTea that has convinced me I enjoy tea far more. Each time I walk into that store I am like a kid in a candy store and end up leaving with at least two tins of tea.

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I always loved orange pekoe by red rose… since as long as I can remember but I think it was around high-school that I began appreciating it, of course, then I hadn’t tried looseleaf yet. It was my friend’s gift of earl grey rooibos and Egyptian Chamomile that switched me over and started me lusting after tea. That was about three years ago, and it has been building ever since! (my obsession)
The first time I ever tried a tisane, around the same time, was at my neighbours… it was a fruit mix that turned into a hot berry cider. Delicious! but I can’t recall the brand. I was pretty broke at the time so it took awhile for my wallet to allow me a true exploration! now I build it into my budget!

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I absolutely LOVED reading all the stories! My “tea” enlightenment moment came on a trip to Chicago anf my first visit to Todd and Hollands with my sister. The smell alone was wonderful but they had a cherry tea that I couldn’t get enough of. I have tasted 100’s of teas since then…and that is still one of my ultimate faves!

LefTea said

I love Todd and Holland! They’re right down the street from me.

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MaddHatter said

I’ve been pondering this question for a while now, and I know there are teas that I have always enjoyed; but it was not until my brother’s passion for loose leaf became “catchy” that my enjoyment for tea really took off.

I know that Stash Moroccan Mint Green Tea, and Ginger Peach Green Tea (with Macha) have always been a favourite, but I do know that when I purchased Tuscan Orange from Murchie’s with my brother that there was no looking back. But that was over a year ago. It took walking into DAVIDsTEA on a whim with a friend and buying the tea of the month Movie Night, for my passion to really take root.

Since then I have noticed, I am picky about black teas, accepting of green teas (so long as they are flavoured) and finding that Oolongs and Rooibos are by far my favourites, I can’t pick just one!

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Stephanie said

Genmaicha served at sushi restaurants was my gateway tea. I loved that toasty flavor! So unique. Imagine—brown rice and green (powdered!) tea together! It was like eating and drinking in one.

Then, from there, I moved on to a brief obsession with premium matcha.

Now I think I’m harboring a burgeoning oolong fixation.

Daniil said

I recently tried genmaicha iced, oh what a treat, made me wonder if I’d enjoy more Japanese teas (I am more into Chinese teas)

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Siberia said

This tea I bought in Moscow called “Sir John” – it was lightly smokey (much lighter than lapsang), but also had a sweet fruitiness. The whole blend was awesome. Also Silver Needles, because it stands on end and I enjoyed the novelty. Now I think oolongs and single-estate Darjeelings are where it’s at.

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Dawn said

I loved tea as long as I can remember but it wasn’t until I went to London that I understood the difference between Lipton and loose tea. I’ve recently discovered oolong tea. I now enjoy trying new teas and educating family and friends.

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