I liked what Ice Hellion asked me in the comments of my last post so much that I decided to wax philosophic on what sort of tea I drink at what time of day. The simplest way to describe it is that I start my day as dark as possible and go gradually lighter.
I enjoy black teas with a lot of tannins, so I'll almost always go for a strong Assam or simple Ceylon at the outset. I've played with making my own blends and will continue to do so. Although I've heard a lot about using Keemun to soften other black teas, I haven't yet tried it. I will soon and let you know my experience as it develops.
Another goal I have is to find more black teas that were either grown in Africa or Indonesia. For a while I was drinking a Java Santosa either alone or to lighten the darker Assams I like.
Something Alex said in the comments was that he really liked the Ceylon from Nuwara. I cannot agree more. I've tried and liked many different Ceylons, but the higher elevations seem to produce the very best of Sri Lanka. The very best I've had was from the plantation called 'Lover's Leap'.
Why always start the day with black tea? Maybe it's because I'm a reformed coffee drinker, and I still associate starting the morning with as much of a kick as possible. I don't think it's only the caffeine levels either. I've read that some Oolong and green teas have as much caffeine as black. I love the effect of caffeine and my body's certainly come to expect it. Nevertheless, I think I also like the heavy, bitter taste that startles me awake.
Interesting as usual.
ReplyDeleteI have no preference regarding my drink in the morning (I can go for tea or not :P).
I don't know why. When I was younger, I often heard old people saying black tea has less caffeine than green tea and milder than green tea to the stomach. It was not backed up by scientific study. But I often indeed feel black tea milder. I wonder if it's because I use less leaf in black tea or it's just mental effect. But yesterday I had some black tea using a lot of leaves and it was very strong :-0
ReplyDeleteAlways black in the morning, without fail. I am convinced it's what I need to kick start my day. Cannot imagine beginning it with green. Old habits die hard.
ReplyDeleteI don't like strong teas though, like Assam. A Ceylon, a Darjeeling will start me off nicely. Nothing too heavy, to easy me into life upright, and out of bed.
J>