I’m a big tea drinker, and I’m lucky not to live too far from the Kent & Sussex Tea and Coffee Co. where I can go and pick up orders or order online. They have hundreds of different blends but the ones I’ve tried have all been great. Particular favourites as Orange Pekoe, Earl Grey, Darjeeling and Lapsang Souchongs.
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Tea is fairly at the top of things to drink that hydrates, I find when it’s in the warmer months that I crave a good brew.
Yorkshire two bag in a mug is mostly the rule, but I do enjoy a decent earl grey and a Chai.
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Will look out for that - tried Thompson’s Irish breakfast tea recently, but it was rather weak, the signature blend was worse.
I’d always assumed that caffeine containing drinks dehydrate due to the diuretic effect, though so long as I drink it fast enough I guess I’ll be more hydrated than not! Better than water alone if drinking to excess I suspect - certainly don’t want water intoxication though perhaps too much of any liquid could do the same.
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Clipper is our choice for everyday tea drinking too, I refuse to buy any tea in plastic bags that can’t be composted.
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My favourite is a nice strong malty Assam with plenty of milk. I just can’t enjoy the more delicately flavoured teas, less still Earl Grey or anything herbal. When we are on holiday overseas, the tea bags come with us, as anything labelled ‘English Breakfast’ always seems insipid and tasteless.
I did come across some ‘interesting’ teas in India and Nepal. I’m guessing it was the British who taught them to drink it with milk, but there, they put the tea, and then the milk, into boiling water before serving. I’m told this was a method of killing off any bugs in the milk which was also introduced by the Brits. Once used to it, I eventually grew to like this tea, and to some extent, some of the more unusual concoctions I came across.
Common throughout India is spiced tea, which may have a little lump of cinnamon, a couple of cloves, cardamom seeds or other spices in it.
Then there’s Tibetan salt tea, as drunk by many Buddhist people in N. India and Nepal. Made with well brewed Chinese tea, this has salt, not sugar, and (it usually rancid) yak’s butter instead of milk. The ingredients are all poured into a narrow wooden vessel and churned vigorously with a plunger to emulsify and mix in the butter, then reheated. This usually tastes as vile as it sounds, although on a couple of occasions I’ve found it to taste quite nice when prepared properly in someone’s home.
Even more bizarre was Kashmiri red tea. Lots of leaves, boiled for hours and hours until it turns a strange red colour. Then used as a concentrate, with a small amount added to water and milk and reheated. Quite horrible.
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Yes, I also suffered this on a trip to Nepal during the weeks after our 2 litres of Highland Park were exhausted. As you say, pretty vile, but so often the only thing going.
I found that if you’re on the major tourist trails such as the walk to Everest base camp, such things are pretty poor, as is quite a bit of the food. Further off the beaten track, the local fare is usually better, as one might expect. You certainly learn to appreciate your duty free ration, although I did quite enjoy some of the Tibetan millet beer.
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I’m a big fan of Clipper tea too. Either the Fairtrade (black and brown box) or the organic (green box). A friend brought some over for me a few years ago and I’ve never used anything else since. I like tea very strong, made with filtered water, a tiny dash of fresh low-fat milk and a level teaspoon of sugar. It is heavenly - in fact, my avatar is a cup of the stuff!
Sean
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I need coffee to get me going in the morning, but in the afternoon Earl Grey tea is essential. Either with milk or lemon…
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I think they were on offer in Waitrose and I tried Brew Tea Co English Breakfast tea bags. Rather unappealing yellow box packaging and very full tea bags which brews quite slowly and produces a really pleasant cuppa. A bit too expensive on non discounted pricing but otherwise recommended.
Peter
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I just got my regular weekly email from the Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company. They are saying that all their tea bags are now 100% biodegradable
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Invariably when I get up in the morning, except when abroad on holiday, a pint of Indian tea with milk (skimmed). Made with reabag in mug, boiling water, brew for a few mins, teabag out, add milk.
3-4 pints of tea in the evening on work days, about half the time same tea as the morning, otherwise Chinese tea, when my go-to is a green tea with ginseng, tending to start with a charge of the pellets and then just top the mug with hot water when down to the leaves, 2 or 3 times.
Always from a bone china pint mug (anything smaller is too much topping up). I am convinced it tastes different from bone china (but have never blind tested…!)
We have a rather fine nice bone china teaset that we sometimes get out on when we are doing nothing in particular and fancy “afternoon tea”, when other teas may feature (e.g) we have a few Darjeeling choices,
Sometimes for variation I’ll have a different Chinese tea (e.g. jasmine): we’ve always got a choice in the house.
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Yep, in fact to they dissolve in water, just taking seconds if the water is boiling 
Same here, other than China/Japan where their teas are nice as they are. Not tried India or Ceylon (In terms of tea names I still think of Sri Lanka by that name).
Tetley Decaf Green 
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There needs to be far more awareness of this - we discussed it on the old forum I recall - took me by complete surprise that they’d been putting plastic in tea bags for ages.
Hate to think how many I put in food recycling or the compost bin without knowing.
I may not have switched to non-plastic ones yet, but the fact most people don’t know shows how big companies take us for granted.
I’m sceptical about the phrase ‘biodegradable’ now having found out many such things do not break down to natural compounds just inperceptibly small plastic ones.
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I need to try some decent earl grey again as I never took to it, but did quite enjoy a bergamot flavoured teapigs blnd a few years ago.