How sweet do you drink your tea?

[Geila]

I've always had my tea plain but I'm trying to switch from coffee to black tea and I want to get the true English tea experience of having it with milk and sugar. The two teas I'm starting with are English Breakfast and Chai. I'm using coconut milk in lieu of dairy and brown sugar because I like the taste. I'm wondering how much sugar is customary because I don't know if it's supposed to actually sweeten it (like I do with my coffee) or just to cut the bitterness a bit so that you don't really taste the sugar.

Tea connoisseurs, weigh in!

[razz]

Cannot handle tea with sugar but need the milk which may sweeten the black tea that I drink by the pots full. Three pots a day usually and little else to drink except some water on warm days.

[Geila]

Cannot handle tea with sugar but need the milk which may sweeten the black tea that I drink by the pots full. Three pots a day usually and little else to drink except some water on warm days.

Wow, three pots! You don't get any negative effects from the caffeine?

[Tussiemussies]

I only use stevia to sweeten my tea, I would say it is equal in taste to 2 tsp. of sugar...:)

[treehugger]

I think this is completely a personal preference thing, not a "should be this way" thing. Especially since you are already changing the milk and sugar types from "traditional English tea" - not that there's anything wrong with that! I prefer my all my tea unsweetened (love English Breakfast and Earl Grey), except for spiced chai, which I have never had unsweetened, and therefore, sweetened tastes right to me. That said, I only sweeten it enough so that it tastes good to me. What would be the point of sweetening it past that point?

Have fun experimenting until you get it just right for you.

Kara

[Geila]

I only use stevia to sweeten my tea, I would say it is equal in taste to 2 tsp. of sugar...:)

Is that 2 tsp. of sugar per cup?

[razz]

I cannot handle the caffeine from coffee so my tea is very weak. One teabag in over a quart of water = to 1.7 litres of water.

Actually in thinking about it, I realize that I have reduced one pot since DH is no longer drinking tea with me - OK, two pots full of tea a day of weak tea. i use Brooke Bond looseleaf tea, BTW, and the flavour is so much better.

[Suzanne]

I don't put any sugar at all into my English tea, but I do use milk. I like English Breakfast, Yorkshire Gold, and Barry's Gold the most; Pitco Tips is also good but not quite in the same class.

[Geila]

I think this is completely a personal preference thing, not a "should be this way" thing. Especially since you are already changing the milk and sugar types from "traditional English tea" - not that there's anything wrong with that! I prefer my all my tea unsweetened (love English Breakfast and Earl Grey), except for spiced chai, which I have never had unsweetened, and therefore, sweetened tastes right to me. That said, I only sweeten it enough so that it tastes good to me. What would be the point of sweetening it past that point?

Have fun experimenting until you get it just right for you.

Kara

The reason I ask is that the flavor of tea is so much more delicate than coffee - especially the dark french roast that I'm using right now! It has always seemed to me that milk and sugar overpowers the tea and I can't really taste the tea anymore. But I would like to taste the traditional style and see if maybe I just haven't given it a chance to grow on me.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I am currently drinking a decaf English breakfast black tea, with a quite a bit of half and half, no sugar. By the way even decaf black tea has some caffeine, just a much smaller amount. I seldom do the sweetened tea thing. Like Earl Grey a lot. Like Chais (usually without sugar). There was a time I was drinking tea with coconut milk all the time, but it's a strong flavor, coconut milk may be healtheir but I prefer cream or half and half really, much more mellow. I've done the teaballs and stuff, but I've gotten lazy, teabags are just SO much easier. Roobios is a totally caffeine free tea that can stand up to adding milk/cream, it comes now in chai as well.

A true English tea experience though: maybe Earl Grey (and not decaf!), cream, some white sugar stirred in with a spoon (or a sugar cube), in a real teacup, with a scone ...

[Miss Cellane]

I don't think there's a set rule. Most people I know use either one or two teaspoons of sugar in a cup of tea. You know, "one lump or two?" from the days when sugar came in lumps or cubes. Certainly some people put in more sugar than that, if they like. And there are people like me, who use no milk or sugar at all in their tea.

When I was in England, sometimes tea would be served with the milk already in it, but sugar was left up to the individual tea drinker.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Watergoddess,

Yes the 2 tsp. of stevia gives it the flavor of 2 tsp of sugar. I get my stevia from iherb and it is processed to take out the licorice flavor. I also add lemon. DH makes it for me and it comes out really good. I drink it iced and drink quite a lot every day...

[julia]

I'm Northern English and drink my many cups of standard tea each day without sugar - and so do all my friends and family. I would say it's fairly unusual to meet someone who takes sugar, and I actually don't have any sugar in my home - on the rare occasion that someone visits who needs sugar, I have to run out to the shops, which are luckily just around the corner. It used to be very common for people I knew to ask for coffee when visiting each other, and this would usually mean instant coffee, but now that people have a taste for 'real' coffee from coffee shops made with a proper espresso machine, most people I know seem to go for tea at home.

Incidentally, no one I know would have anything like cream or half-and-half in their tea, and the poshest hotels when serving afternoon tea just give a jug of milk, usually semi-skimmed, although I'm sure people could have cream if they asked. I'm very fond of posh afternoon teas, so I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on these matters :-)

[Tussiemussies]

My grandmother was Irish and always drank milk and sugar in their tea. He was Irish too. She used to say this is the Irosh way of drinking tea. Don't know if that is true and it could just have been the region they were from. When I have hot tea I put cream in it and it is so good as a treat!

[IshbelRobertson]

I am Scots.

I make tea in a brown betty teapot. Loose leaf tea. A spoonful for each person, plus 'one for the pot'.

Boil water. Warm the pot by swirling boiling water and then discard. Put in the loose leaf tea, then pour over the boiling water. Allow tea to steep for a few minutes. Either add milk first (my preferred method) pour on the tea. Or then add milk. I never add sugar, or cream.

[Kestrel]

Stevia and sugar are definitely not equal in strength! At least I don't think so! At at least not the stevia powder I buy. We use one scant teaspoon stevia per half gallon of tea, and it's "just sweet", if that's a way to describe it. That would be about 1/8 t stevia per cup.

When I was using real sugar it was about 1/4 cup sugar per half gallon tea. The same with xylitol, tho to me it's not quite 1:1 with sugar. Or the taste is somewhat different, but it's just as good. Which would be about 1-1/2 t sugar per cup. More or less. So for me, approx 1.5 t sugar per 1 c tea. But I haven't used real sugar in so long I'm not sure ...

We use Red Rose decaf tea, 6 teabags steeped in "boiling" water to make 1/2 gallon tea. That's the strength we like it.

[Tussiemussies]

My DH uses 6 tea bags microwaved in a 4 c measuring cup and that goes into a half of a gallon container with water with one whole lemon squeezed and then 2 rounded tsp. of stevia. I love his version along with Dunkin Donuts, which is a treat for me....:)

[Tiam]

I only drink chai and I drink it sweet. Probably two teaspoons per 12 to 16 oz.

[Wildflower]

My DH uses 6 tea bags microwaved in a 4 c measuring cup and that goes into a half of a gallon container with water with one whole lemon squeezed and then 2 rounded tsp. of stevia. I love his version along with Dunkin Donuts, which is a treat for me....:)

I am curious as to what brand of tea bags your DH uses?

[Wildflower]

I add sugar and skim milk to coffee, as it is just too bitter for me without. I like my tea plain though, as I feel milk and sugar overwhelms its more subtle taste....

[rosarugosa]

I like Darjeeling with lemon, and no sweetener.

[Tussiemussies]

I am curious as to what brand of tea bags your DH uses?

Hi Wildflower, we just use the cheap Lipton brand! :). But it has to be filtered water! LOL
And we let the tea steep until it is very dark....

[Wildflower]

Hi Wildflower, we just use the cheap Lipton brand! :). But it has to be filtered water! LOL
And we let the tea steep until it is very dark....

Thanks, Tussie! :) Lipton is awesome. I love their green tea too.

I grew up living about a mile away from a Lipton factory. We could smell the wonderful aroma of tea on humid days when there was a breeze. Heavenly!

[Geila]

It's great to hear from a Scot and a Brit! And interesting to note that you guys don't use sugar.

I did my little trials and found that English Breakfast with milk and just a bit of sugar (about 1/2 tsp. per cup) was very good and tasted creamy and sweet enough to feel like dessert to me. Same thing with Chai, although that one took a little bit more sugar but I like the taste too. So I think this will be my new "treat" when I want something luxurious and indulgent. :)

[Kestrel]

I don't drink dairy, but might consider trying almond milk ... do you think that would substitute well?

[Rosemary]

I use unsweetened almond milk (and don't add any sweetener). Unsweetened soy milk sometimes as well. I like both, particularly in chai.
After using these for a few months I had to use dairy milk when we were traveling over the holidays, and did not like it at all.

[readaholic713]

I always drink my tea black unless it's iced. I like a little sugar in my iced tea.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks, Tussie! :) Lipton is awesome. I love their green tea too.

I grew up living about a mile away from a Lipton factory. We could smell the wonderful aroma of tea on humid days when there was a breeze. Heavenly!


That is so nice wildflower that you had a company not too far from you that actually smelled good, instead of the horrible pollution that most get.:)

I love Lipton green tea too...:)

[Mrs-M]

It all depends on what kind of tea I'm drinking. With stronger teas, I like a little honey, maybe 1/3 teaspoon, whereas with certain flavoured teas, no honey required, but I do love my cream with tea!

[Gregg]

Most of my tea consumption is iced tea with no sweetener. Hope all my family in the South doesn't see that!

[IshbelRobertson]

I have never taken to drinking cold tea, especially sweet cold tea! I think it's a British thing. But then the idea of cream in tea does not compute either!

Interestingly lots of places which are former British colonies, like Malta, cyprus and Singapore will offer you tea made with evaporated milk.

[dado potato]

Like treehugger and Tiam, I will sweeten chai with sugar. Chai is my beverage of choice when ice-fishing... I pull it in my sled out on the ice in an insulated bottle, along with my ice auger, fishing tackle, and seat.

DW appreciates clover honey in her green tea... I often make a pot when are home together in the afternoon. I bring hers sweetened with honey, but I drink mine neat. It is not "frugal", but most of our teas come in tins from Peet's.

The current selections are:
Jasmine Downy Pearls (green)
Lion Mountain Keemun
First Flush Darjeeling Namring Estate (black, for chai)

[Geila]

It is not "frugal", but most of our teas come in tins from Peet's.

The current selections are:
Jasmine Downy Pearls (green)
Lion Mountain Keemun
First Flush Darjeeling Namring Estate (black, for chai)

I like to think that it is frugal because having high quality food and drinks available at home means that I'm rarely tempted to eat or drink out and the cost is much less. So if you phrase it right, Peet's is quite frugal! :)

Do you guys notice a big difference between loose leaf and tea bags? Usually it's just me drinking tea (sometimes dh) and it often seems like not worth making with loose leaf because I'm just making the one cup so I always buy the tea bags. Am I missing out?

[IshbelRobertson]

I ALWAYS use loose leaf teas. hate the powdery stuff in tea bags, even good quality teas like Twining's teas.

[cdttmm]

I ALWAYS use loose leaf teas. hate the powdery stuff in tea bags, even good quality teas like Twining's teas.

I'm with you, Ishbel. The only bagged tea I will drink on purpose is Harney & Sons and that's only because I haven't been able to find the flavor I like in loose leaf form. When I am desperate (often when traveling) and I have to buy tea at Starbucks, which uses Tazo teas, I am reminded why I pay a premium for high quality loose leaf tea.

[Geila]

Like treehugger and Tiam, I will sweeten chai with sugar. Chai is my beverage of choice when ice-fishing... I pull it in my sled out on the ice in an insulated bottle, along with my ice auger, fishing tackle, and seat.

DW appreciates clover honey in her green tea... I often make a pot when are home together in the afternoon. I bring hers sweetened with honey, but I drink mine neat. It is not "frugal", but most of our teas come in tins from Peet's.

The current selections are:
Jasmine Downy Pearls (green)
Lion Mountain Keemun
First Flush Darjeeling Namring Estate (black, for chai)

dado potato - that Lion Mountain Keemun sounds great! I'm going to try it very soon. You've inspired me to start exploring loose leaf.

[BarbieGirl]

In the past I've used artificial sweeteners for my tea. Now, I want to get away from that poison and have been trying to drink tea without sweeteners. I do love lemon, but occasionally have tea with milk, a nod to my English born great grandparents. One of my nicest and earliest memories is when I visited my great grandparents and went to tea. I can still remember drinking out of a fancy cup!

[Chickpea]

Yorkshire Tea is my favourite brand in the UK; its v strong. I like my tea strong and milky but no sugar. My boyf has 4-5 sugars in his tea! sets my teeth on edge. He likes it black and strong (theres a middle eastern variety he likes) with no milk.