who sweetens your green or white?
To each his own! Don’t listen to the tea snobs – you know what you like, you shouldn’t have to apologize for it.
or to each his own…but I must say if its a really expensive green or white tea your money worth and effort in buying a high grade tea is the flavor of the leaves. I do not want to be mean by saying do whatever you want and fill it up with junk that mask a probably a good taste all by itself, after all good tea is something not to be ruined or money badly spent.
But Nick I have often seen some black teas described as being able to take sugar. However it seems clear that you consider this not to be appropriate for any green or white tea….unless it is…iced?
Iced teas that are teas made versatile and enjoyed in a varied way or ready to make or drink teas. Now i don not know exactly what teas you got but I made a generalization concerning high quality teas and proper consumption and low grade teas that can be enjoyed any way. But, don’t let me stop you on how to enjoy tea, if whatever you bought is of high grade then definitely its best to enjoy it by itself. Its like buying french wine or caviar and then mixing it with something that throws off the taste or character.
When i first started drinking tea I would always lightly sweeten it to bring out the flavours. I used to add 1 tsp of rock sugar per cup. Then i weened off it a bit and started to only add 1/2 tsp. Although there are some teas I still like half sweet (1/2 tsp.), there are many I take with no sweetener. It all depends on what you’re in the mood for, the teas I do sweeten are usually flavoured, nothing earthy. Try some of your teas without sweetener. Its a bit of an acquired taste but you’ll be surprised how you learn to like it without sweetener. I wouldn’t get worried about how people say you’re “supposed” to drink tea, because to enjoy it, it should taste the way you like it to. By adding sugar, you aren’t changing the actual tea or undoing any of the health benefits.
When I first started drinking looseleaf tea, I always added sugar. I also had mostly blended teas, like they sell at David’s etc. Then, over time, I started gravitating towards to the more “pure” teas. If they were flavoured, then minimally so.
Anyhow, I do think “to each his own” but don’t be afraid to experiment. Try it without sugar, see how you like it and then add some until you think it is just right. Also, I find different types react better to various sweeteners. I have a bunch that do really well with agave, and others that react better to honey or sugar (rooibos vs chamomile for instance)
So do what feels right in the moment. Over time, you will see your preferences changing… I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen in love with a tea and then hated it six months later, or vice versa. but that’s part of what is so great about tea! :)
On a side note, changing the steep times and water temperature can also make a big difference.
I don’t think there are any faux pas in the tea world, you should take your tea how you enjoy it and don’t let snooty people give you grief.
I have noticed that some green teas can be bitter but haven’t noticed it so much with the white. You could also try switching around to something that is naturally more sweet but whatever. I used to drink oolong tea with soymilk and I still do that sometimes. I hardly ever sweeten anything unless it’s dreadfully bitter. But then I also realized that sometimes my brewing methods were incorrect and that was making my tea more bitter.
But the bottom line – your tea should be a pleasurable experience for YOU, drink it however you like!
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