Your Morning Cuppa

I’m guilty of having coffee before tea, on most days. However, as I keep waking up later and later for class, I haven’t had time to make coffee, and I’ll just throw a bag into my travel mug and go. I’ve had a lot of terribly over steeped tea in the early morning. Or mid morning depending on how late I’ve overslept.

I love blacks in the morning – anything from English Breakfast, to Irish Breakfast, to Earl Grey. If I’m not feeling well, Peppermint is a good wake-me-up as well.

Also a strong black morning person – normally an Assam, but Kenya works well for me too if I have time to steap it properly.

I have to start the day with cold water because I need to take medication soon after waking up. But after sleeping, I tend to have a very dull tongue. (Matches with my dull head, I suppose). Drinking a really nice cuppa would be wasted first thing in the morning because I can’t really taste it. So, the very first cuppa is whatever mass-market black tea happens to be in the house. Right now, that’s Red Rose. After that, it’s game on.

I have a rather disagreeable stomach and I have found that black teas tend to irritate my stomach more than other kinds. I find any sort of light, citrusy tea is good for the morning.

I also like to mix hot brewed tea with orange juice. In colder months I will use orange-flavored black teas, like Bigelow’s Constant Comment, and mix them with orange juice. The juice sweetens the tea and makes it much more fruity, while the tea subtly adds a richer depth to the flavor of the orange juice.

I always start the day with coffee- old habits die hard. Usually two cups then once I’m ready to go for the day I have a cup of green. I wonder if Twinings Irish Breakfast would be a good replacement for coffee? I’ve thought of trying that or Stash’s Irish Breakfast. But I suppose strength doesn’t matter, b/c it’s the smaller amount of caffeine that I would need to adjust to. Wondering too if tea like Red Rose is similar to something like english breakfast tea or if it’s weaker. Anyone know?

Matcha is now OFFICALLY my morning cuppa… only 1/2 bowl though.

Usually Yorkshire Tea, though sometimes Yorkshire Gold or some Earl Grey variant. This morning it’s Caykur Tomurcuk Earl Grey, which is lovely. :9

While it depends on what I have on hand, I tend to go for Oolong most of the time, and I drink several steepings through the morning.

(If I’m honest I also drink Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast tea quite a bit in the morning as well, because it’s the best damned bagged tea ever made).

You call them Dragon Balls too! LOL! I’m not really adventurous in the morning and go for the old standby of chocolate chip flavored tea. Yeah, I’m a flavored tea person, but I also love oolongs and black teas.