Tea, honey, and Brita...

Hey everyone, first time posting here. I hope I've landed in the right group! 🙂 So, here’s the deal: I’ve never really been a tea person. But, as I’m gradually moving away from the idea of eating and drinking only what tastes good and shifting toward what’s actually good *for* me, I started sipping on tea. I don't drink coffee, and I used to drink a ton of soda, which I was really trying to cut back on. The problem was, I can't stand plain water or sparkling water either, and I just didn't know what else to turn to. 😕 That's basically how I stumbled upon tea.

Anyway, after the initial struggle of getting used to the taste, here I am about a month or two later, happily drinking tea all day—usually 2 to 3 liters a day. My absolute favorites are peppermint and chamomile; I can drink them almost completely plain (I don't even need lemon or honey). I can't stand bitter flavors, so I was honestly a bit horrified when I tried green tea... it was just awful. 😲 How on earth can anyone drink that and actually enjoy it? 😱 Also, if I add one small teaspoon of honey to half a liter of tea, is that going to be high in calories? I've found so much conflicting info about calories in honey. 😕 Some sources say a spoonful is about 60 calories, while others claim honey is a total calorie bomb. What kind of honey do you guys use? What should I look for when I'm buying it? Can tea actually be bad for me? If so, which types? And is 2 to 3 liters a day considered too much? Finally, could anyone recommend some other teas that aren't bitter, just something smooth and tasty? 😍

One last thing: do you use a Brita or some other way to filter your water? I bought an electric kettle—you know, the kind with the heating element at the bottom—and within just a day or two, it was already covered in limescale. It's terrible. I looked at Brita filters ranging from the 240ml size up to $200.. 😱 Honestly, I don't see much difference between them besides the design (some are narrower, some wider) and the capacity (maybe a half-liter difference, which seems negligible).

Sorry for the massive wall of text; my brain is just jumping from one thought to the next. I don't have anyone else to ask, and whenever I try to look things up, I either get exaggerated claims or answers that just don't sound convincing. There's so much junk info online... the funniest stuff is when they claim some random tea can cure a cold, fix heart issues, ward off the evil eye, calm your nerves, help with male infertility, AND soothe gum inflammation all at once. 😕 😬

I suspect the price of those carafes might just depend on how old the specific models are,
though I can't be certain. If you happen to pass by that little boutique tea shop over near the corner—you know, the one with the hunting horn logo? They carry all sorts of things, including white and green teas 😬 so maybe give those a shot
if you get a chance. There's also that specialty shop over in the older part of town that focuses on really aromatic, fine loose-leaf varieties
. I'm guessing you might be used to just grabbing tea bags from the grocery store, 🙂 but honestly, you should try some of these loose-leaf options 😬 because you'll really notice the difference
once you do. I suppose they could be a bit much for some people because of the caffeine content, though I think there are plenty of herbal options without any of that
. Have you thought about honey?
Just a heads-up, though: don't add it while the water is still boiling, since it might lose its nutritional benefits
. Enjoy!
👍

A hundred grams of honey packs about 320 calories, which means a single teaspoon—roughly 6 grams—will land you somewhere around 20 calories.
Feel free to stir a teaspoon of honey into your green tea, but I wouldn't go overboard with the green tea throughout the day because of the caffeine content (just keep in mind it hits you much like coffee does). Having two cups a day is actually recommended for some of the beneficial compounds, but if you drink more than that, you might find it hard to get a good night's sleep.
As for your concerns about the pitcher, the design doesn't matter nearly as much as the filters themselves. Just remember that you'll need to swap those filters out every month. My advice? Find a pitcher that fits your budget and pick up a multi-pack of three or four filters at a big-box retailer like Walmart or Target; buying them in bulk is always cheaper. Personally, I find that tea tastes much better when made with filtered water, and it even gives the green tea a cleaner, brighter look.

I have such a deep love for tea. Green tea is definitely my 👍 , though I have to say black tea is a very close second. I always prefer drinking them without any added sugar, maybe just a tiny bit of honey or a squeeze of lemon if I'm feeling fancy.

bluecrane16: Honestly, I don't get how you don't find it bitter... for me, it's absolutely overwhelming. Even just the smell alone is kind of off-putting. I haven't figured out how to get used to it yet.

*Brenda Smith*: Thanks! That's really helpful info! I’ll definitely head over there to check it out. I've never actually used loose-leaf tea (I didn't even know that was what they called 😬), and honestly, I'm too lazy to deal with all the straining. I thought about just getting those tea balls where you put the leaves inside... Also, I had no idea you shouldn't put honey directly into boiling water. Got it—I'll make sure to wait a few minutes before adding it.

ironsurfer8: Those calories are basically negligible. By the way, regarding the honey, I read somewhere that you shouldn't add anything at all because it ruins the tea's natural properties. For example, I can drink mint tea plain, but if I add just a tiny bit of honey... I feel like I'd need to add two huge tablespoons to an equal amount of green tea to balance it out. Hmm... I don't know. I have a whole box left, so I'll try using more honey next time. Oh, and I saw Brita filters for $130-$48 in a three-pack. A clerk told me you're supposed to swap them out every month or so. It doesn't seem like much money considering what you get out of it. So, spending about $20 is fine for a Brita... unless I can find a better deal somewhere.

I am a total tea fanatic😍
I always drink mine plain because anything else just ruins the flavor—I really want to taste what's actually in the cup. The only exception is during the summer when I can handle iced tea, and even then, only if it's sweetened with brown sugar.👍 No lemon or anything else for me.
You know, I didn't used to be much of a tea drinker, but eventually, the craving just hit me naturally and now I love it. There are so many incredible varieties out there; once you dive in, you realize just how much enjoyment you can find.🙂
I strictly stick to loose-leaf tea. The quality is miles ahead of the bagged stuff, and it adds this whole new dimension to the experience—it becomes a little ritual.😍
If you’re stuck using tea bags and think green tea tastes gross, the best version is Lipton(or whatever the name is on those premium boxes🤔, you know what I mean? Those fancy bags are okay, but if you find their loose-leaf version, grab it immediately because it's amazing. That standard bagged green tea just doesn't have the punch it should.
My two absolute favorites are Himalayan Ganesh and jasmine tea... mostly because of the aroma and the taste. Ginger is wonderful, cranberry is great too... honestly, almost any tea works for me (except sage😬).😍

P.S. I never squeeze lemon into hot tea because the heat kills off all the vitamins.🙂

Oh, thanks for the heads-up! Quick question though—are those Himalayan Ganesh, Jasmine, and the Ginger Cranberry blends actually strong? Like, are we talking heavy-duty stuff similar to green tea? I’m really hoping they aren't super bitter... 😲 I was reading the other day that sage can be pretty intense and you shouldn't overdo it; apparently, it's even better just used as a mouthwash. I'm being extra cautious with my tea selection lately. By the way, do you usually strain yours through a sieve, or do you just grab one of those little metal infuser balls?

Does anyone happen to know where I can find some decent jasmine tea? 🙂
Anyway—there’s green tea, there’s black... but when I drink a liter of green and a liter of black tea in one day, I could sleep for ten days straight without waking up. 😬
Someone mentioned Lipton earlier... they're fine, though I haven't seen them in many stores lately. 😢 Twings are also quite good... unfortunately, Celestial Seasoning is impossible to find here. 😢 And there are actually some green teas out there that aren't bitter. 🙂 I personally have about 30 different varieties (all sorts of greens 😬) plus another 42 kinds of everything else. 😬 Yeah, I'm not exactly normal—at least, that's what people tell me.

😲 Seriously, which green teas aren't bitter? I feel like I have to beg for this info! Okay, fine, I’m begging—just tell me the names so I can go grab some myself! 🙂 😍 Where on earth do you even keep all those boxes, haha... and how much tea are you actually drinking every day if you have that many varieties lying around? Does black tea taste just as bitter?

Twings aren't bitter at all. They have that Green Tea Selection line in tea bags—lemon, orange, jasmine, you name it... Personally, I’m a big fan of the mint one. For the most part, they're just really light and refreshing, zero bitterness involved. You can pick them up pretty much anywhere.

If you pour boiling water straight onto green tea, it’s going to taste bitter. You really should let the water cool down just a bit first—otherwise, the flavor turns into a muddy mess (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating😵, but you can definitely taste the difference). You might want to try white tea, too. Since it's air-dried, the flavor is much smoother. Just remember: don't steep green tea for more than three minutes, and keep white tea to about one or two.

Black tea has a much bolder flavor since it undergoes a longer fermentation process than green tea, so you’ll probably find it a bit more bitter.

Hmm... gunpowder isn't bitter at all—at least not to me. Twings mint isn't bitter either, and then there are some teas from the Green Tea Selection... Harmony, Walnut, Rose of the Orient, Geisha, Bamboo Shoots, Genmaicha—they are all quite mild in my opinion. Though, I suspect you might not care much for Jasmine Green, Cactus Fig, or Chun Mee Moon Palace... White tea is excellent to me, but if you aren't a tea lover, you might not enjoy it; it feels like a sin to ruin white tea with honey or anything else. Jade Pearl 😍 is what I adore 🙂 $23 It’s 50 grams, but personally, it's worth every penny 🙂 They are jasmine flowers tucked into green tea spheres (or so the label says, though I suspect it's actually white tea—and they likely botched the name, it should be Dragon Pearls).
As for black teas... hmmm. I'm not sure what to recommend since I prefer stronger varieties, like Prince of Wales in the box 😍, but perhaps you could try an English Breakfast with milk? That isn't bitter in the slightest. Or maybe an Indian Chai with spices 😍 Have you tried Earl Grey?
Then there's Rooibos. Plain, I can't stand it—it's probably the only tea besides Lipton I truly dislike—but with anything else, it's absolutely wonderful. White chocolate is great (my favorite), or Twings African Tunda (delicious, even in bags), or Christmas Cookies (a favorite, though I'm not sure if they still carry it)...
Or Mate with lemon? I find it sooo delicious (anyway), though some people find it revolting 😬 I also like lavender and Lapacho—though my sister tells me Lapacho tastes like someone dipped their feet in it 😬
The only thing I haven't tried yet is Oolong, but I intend to buy some 😁

Honestly, I’ve only recently started getting into the whole tea scene myself... I used to have this silly little philosophy where I’d only reach for a cup whenever I was feeling under the weather! 🙄

Right now, I’m sticking strictly to green tea, though I have to admit it tasted pretty bitter to me when I first started. But then I figured out a better way to brew it... though now I’m sitting here wondering, did my palate actually adjust to the bitterness, or am I just getting better at making it?
I read somewhere that you shouldn't just dump green tea leaves into boiling water right away; you really need to let the water cool down just a bit first... so now, once I drop the tea in, I make sure to steep it for a MAXIMUM of two minutes... and that's when it tastes absolutely perfect! It seems to me that the longer it sits in there, the more bitter the green tea becomes.

Does anyone else pick up their tea supplies from the Green Tea Selection? I’ve only ever tried three different kinds, even though they have like... a million options... does anyone have any good recommendations? 🙂

brighteagle38, take a look at my previous post 🙂—those were mostly selections from the Green Tea Selection 🙂
so, tell me what your absolute favorite is, and I might be able to offer a recommendation 🙂))
oh, and if anyone happens to be a fan of cherry, definitely pick up some "Japanese Cherry" green tea if you spot it at the tea shop 😁

So I just skimmed through all the posts... 😳 my bad!

See, since I'm still such a newbie when it comes to the whole tea world, I haven't quite figured out my specific tastes yet, but one thing is for sure: I definitely lean toward the lighter, more delicate flavors... I usually steer clear of black teas right off the bat... though, I have to admit, I might be being a little bit biased there since I haven't actually sat down and really given them a fair shot... It’s just that I tend to pass on them simply because I assume they're going to be way too bitter (and therefore just plain 🙄 😬
), you know?

About a year ago, I came across this absolutely incredible green tea from India—I can't recall the exact brand name right now—and it's still my absolute favorite to this day... but unfortunately, you just can't find it here in the States... what a bummer, right?
🙂Thanks so much, Eric Brown3! There are some seriously great suggestions in this thread, so now I just need to get moving and start tasting everything!

brighteagle38 said:Does anyone actually shop at Green Tea Selection? I've only tried three varieties out of their... what feels like a million... options. Any recommendations? 🙂

The Harmony green tea is incredible—light, easy to drink, and smells amazing. It honestly felt like a drug to me, though now I’m struggling with insomnia...😬
And, unlike most other green teas, this blend won't turn bitter if you leave it sitting in the teapot too long...

@ brighteagle38 - stomach pearl 😍

Honestly just 😉

Give green teas a fair shot, because once you get hooked, there’s really no turning back 😁

Ugh, thanks so much for all the advice, everyone! I’ve got everything written down now. I’m planning to head out and pick some stuff up either tomorrow or the day after. And thank you for the link! Also, just a quick update—I’ve finally stopped adding honey to my herbal teas (like chamomile and mint), and honestly, it tastes great! I don't even miss the sweetness. Now, I just need to mentally prepare myself for the bitterness of green and black teas, haha... I mean, I can't really wrap my head around how something bitter could actually be refreshing, but hey, I'll follow the logic: if it's good for me, I'll do it. Just thinking about that bitter taste gives me the chills, oh man... But yeah, I totally wasn't paying attention to the two-minute rule. I'm going to try steeping them for a shorter time today and make sure the water isn't boiling hot, just letting it sit for a bit instead.. 🤔