Why do you drink tea?

68 Replies
Lynxiebrat said

Love the answers!

I drink tea for many of the same reasons as others do:

I’ve mostly given up drinking soda/pop. Once in a while I will have some but there is no longer any real craving for it. (Except for A&W’s Cream soda. Mmmmm! ) I used to drink coffee on occasion when I was a teen and in my early 20’s, then I discovered that after drinking coffee my stomach would cramp up. Thought maybe it was the cream/milk, so I cut that out….(Would get ice cubes if it was still too hot.) but tummy kept cramping, so I tried different varieties thinking maybe some of it was too intense, until I got to where even drinking the powdered International House Vanilla flavored coffee (Which had so little coffee in it!) I was cramping up even with that….so I made the decision to just avoid coffee completely. I never drank it often enough to get addicted, thank the gods. My addiction was actually to Mountain Dew for the longest time.
So around the time I started on my loose leaf tea journey, I started cutting back on the pop, then challenged myself to not buy any for the summer. With exception of the occasional bottle/can I managed to avoid it. And now like I said above, I rarely drink it, (Basically amounts to about once or twice every other week.)

I do love the variety of tea, I know that isn’t a reason, but actually it is. I love variety in many things, such as music, movies, and books. I love being able to look in my cupboard and see a variety of teas. Some whites, greens, herbals….(I do most of my tea drinking in the late afternoon/early evening so I tend to not have tea with alot or sometimes any caffeine. On the rare times I am up early, I do have a small selection of black teas and 1 Mate tea (And now that I mention it I’m craving it. Grrrr.)
It’s comforting to me too, helps me chill out from working, relax. Sometimes it helps me focus on writing, but since I already suffer from insomnia, I try to be careful about the caffeine. The only type of tea that I have not really liked much (with exceptions of a few.) is Oolongs, but that is my next tea mission to find more Oolongs that I like. (The 1st was green teas, then whites, now oolongs.) When I have new teas to try I get that giddy, excited feeling. And feel so dispointed when 1 doesn’t work out.

Grace said

variety lover here too!

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cuppaT said

Thank you, Lynxiegrl. Steepster went down earlier today (it does that quite often for some reason) when I attempted to reply to Misty Peak Teas, whose sentiments I do not feel are incorrect so much as looking at the question from a different perspective (and we’re not discussing mushrooms, wine or bugs — we’re talking about tea).

I have a hard time drinking enough water each day so, like others here, I used to drink a lot of sodas and coffee. These beverages, with their attendant sugars, aspartame, caffeine, etc. were beginning to cause me serious medical issues. I began drinking tea because it helped me drink more liquids while cutting down on the sugar and caffeine; and the varieties of tea (green, black, oolong, flavored, herbal — the list is endless when you figure in different blends, estates and countries) kept (and keep) me from getting bored and going back to my old bad habits. I’ve yet to drink a tea I disliked enough to dump.

Therefore, I stand by my answer, although perhaps it was overly succinct. I suppose I could’ve come up with something a bit (or even a lot) more high-minded and spiritual, but it wouldn’t have been my first thought. I do agree with everyone else who has posted on this thread, though. Tea is special. The endless flavors and varieties, the teaware, the recipes and rituals, and connecting with others who share my obsession are now an important part of my daily life.

Very well said. The variety in that aspect and the recipes, rituals, and ways we can connect with others through tea are such a beauty of this…leaf!

It is beautiful to discuss tea in all manners, to go from the farmers, to the languages, to the mists of the mountains, then down to the organisms in the dirt….but I also have loved the simplicity of tea. After all, it is just a leaf. No more or less of a leaf then a dandelion leaf or a spinach leaf. Learning to appreciate these “normal” or “everyday” pieces, allows us the mindfulness and appreciation to so much more. Tea allows this.

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Lynxiebrat said

LOL…I know…I was going bat-crap-crazy earlier today and Monday I think while Steepster was down. I have a hard time just drinking water, unflavored, plain water, but one of my challenges this year is to increase my intake, even if i am using flavors somewhat…I hope by the time summer rolls around I’ll be drinking about 5-8 glasses worth a day…..(Though that won’t really work at work. lol.)

darky said

if u drink plain water or, tea its the same but with tea u give your tastebuds some fun to :)

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BoxerMama said

I started because I was overweight and my skin was bad. So, in an effort to cut as many calories as possible I cut coffee which in turn cut cream. My skin cleared up completely and I’m almost at my goal weight. Obviously tea wasn’t the only contributing factor, but it helped! :)

Denny said

clear skin ftw!

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Coffee is mentioned a lot.

I was never much of a coffee drinker. So I am curious, does one “switch” from coffee to tea, or do they simply add it to their list of beverages they enjoy?

BoxerMama said

I only drink coffee about once a month, and when I do it’s espresso. I drink about five 15oz cups of tea per day, including my espresso days.

tperez said

I was a coffee drinker, and I still drink some a few times a week. I tend to really take my time and relax with tea, and the coffee is there when I need an energy kick or when I’m in a hurry :P

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Sillyvicen said

Well I kicked my soda habit. Tea taste better than plain water and doesn’t hurt my kidneys like soda did. Theanine is my friend. Tea taste good. A tea habit is better for me than a cigarette habit.

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I’ve been a tea drinker since I was little. I remember sitting around my grandma’s kitchen drinking tea with my aunts and my mom and my Oma. Years later, we’re all still alive and well and enjoy our tea times when I visit. I got into loose tea several years ago, and started blending around the same time. I just love the variety and how comforting tea is for me. Maybe it’s the childhood memories or the little rituals I’ve established – pick out my tea in the AM, and while taking breaks throughout the day.

I used to drink coffee regularly, but it really messes with my stomach. I still enjoy a little espresso every now and then (only when my dad makes it, he doesn’t burn it like most places) and coffee once in a while, if it’s “weak” enough.

But tea? I cannot live without it!

Comfortable is a great word.

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Dr Jim said

This is really a two-part answer. I started drinking a lot of tea as a replacement for coffee at work (I was drinking 6-8 cups a day at one point). I like walking around with a cup in my hand but the coffee was too rough for my stomach.

The second answer is why I switched from supermarket tea to the high quality teas we discuss on steepster. This is largely a replacement for wine, which my doctor wanted me to reduce. There is the same intellectual pleasure of finding a really fine tea and examining its taste components. My tasting notes (which I’m not yet posting on steepster since I want to calibrate my ratings) read like wine tasting notes, though I’m trying to eliminate terms like “nose” and “bouquet” :)

Plus, of course, it just tastes so darn good!

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yssah said

it is a delight <3

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john12 said

Well, I have to drink something. Water is boring, soda isn’t good for you and juice has too many calories. Tea doesn’t have any calories, isn’t bad for you as far as I can tell and it tastes good.

Great way to put it, yeah.

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