Tea and Coffee~

[Clear Tranquil]

So now I have my own place and I'm not spending most of my time holed up in one room anymore I've found myself being quite active at being in and out of the kitchen using different appliances, since I don't have to worry about finding strange men in their underpants there anymore 

The appliance in question here is a kettle and the main purpose it's used for (hot water for your teas/coffeee~) I've found I have the breathing space to make and enjoy hot drinks more often so I'm looking for some suggestions on good tea, etc.

I'm a milk/cream and sugar/sweetener person but I'm up for trying to cut back on the sweet stuff to start with (especially if the tea/coffee is already sweet >_>) so feel free to post if a particular brand is better with or without milk, etc.

So far I've acquired your typical Tetley and gold roast while doing groceries but I also found/bought this -

Assam (Twinnings)- Rich, malty, amber tea

Only had one cup so far but it was nice enough =)

Also for discussions sake, discuss whether you prefer your tea/coffee with food/meals or not, whether you've noticed any health benefits or the like (green teas or such), etc~

[Grefter]

Tea itself tends to have very little added to it so it is functionally very similar to just having a cup of water with your meals, that is the primary health benefit from it.   Highly recommend trying teas without the sugar and milk, you get used to it fairly quickly and opens up a whole range of other teas you can try out.

If you aren't branching out in to special types of teas (loose leaf stuff from specialty stores), Lipton and Twinings both do an okay Green tea (prefer Lipton myself, but favour their English Breakfast as well).

I tend to be a purist and not go too much with different flavour blends, but the Ciatos had a pretty nice Caramel one when I was in Vancouver.

If you liked Assam you might want to try some kind of Chai as well, I found Assam had a decently strong aftertaste with what I tried and the aftertaste of Chai is a pretty heavy kick.  Not my normal taste, but worth having in a collection I find.

[Idun]

I do loose leaf teas, and if they're fragrant/flowers, I blend them myself. -This can be affordable- especially if you have a tea tumbler that makes one cup of tea. I always find that enough unless I have company. Many many good combinations, like apple/vanilla, blueberry/cinnamon. No sugar or cream here, my tea is just tea. I can't suggest specific brands, but I -do- find that chamomile tea has really calmed either a sore throat or my nerves. This summer is composed of a consistent cup of chamomile/day for my upcoming exams.

Coffee? I put everything in coffee and ruin it. I actually don't process caffeine well, and the 'effect' of morning coffee slightly hits me in the mid-noon or late evening time. I think Jim is a coffee fiend and adds nothing, likes it black or something. Benefits of drinking coffee? Warming my icicle hands during the winter! d=  I don't normally drink coffee with a meal - its flavor is a bit too distinct, then you have coffee-morning-breath and teeth. Sugarless gum solves this.

If I'm having a cold dinner, no tea, warm dinner, possibly tea.

[Yoshiken]

I have tea a -lot-. I think I'm generally on about 8-10 cups a day atm.
I mostly have the standard.. is it Breakfast Tea? Yeah. Have that with milk but no sugar.
I also have some Lapsang Souchong, which is incredible if exhausted but is definitely something to try before buying, because it's very hit-and-miss. (Generally with one sugar and a little milk there.)
Lady Grey is another one that's fantastic, a citrus tea that's best with a tiny bit of milk.
I've also got Ceylon but, honestly, it's not that different to Breakfast tea.
I've had green tea before, and that's amazing (and I totally need to pick some up again sometime soon.) Also tried Assam, but didn't think -too- much of it - not bad, but not amazing.

As for coffee, don't have coffee much, and I tend to put a lot of milk/sugar into it. The taste's a little too strong for me generally, but it's fine if I can sweeten it a bit (a lot) and don't have it too often.

[Luther Lansfeld]

Jasmine tea is extraordinary without any additions or with a tad of sugar. Earl Grey/Lady Grey is pretty amazing too. Chai is great with sugar and milk. I also really dig flavored loose leaf teas -- no specific recommendation, I'd just try to find a loose leaf tea store and smell and see what you like.

[Jo'ou Ranbu]

Earl Grey is godly. Have you tried boldo tea? It's very strong, but quite sharp - best when you're dealing with stuff like hangovers or stomach aches. I'm pretty partial to black tea and green tea as well. And, as Ciato noted, loose leaf tea is also wonderful. Try some oolong when you have the chance~

EDIT: No sugar, no milk all the way for me, though. Tea with sides is basically sacrilege for me.

[Grefter]

Bah to Greys.  If I wanted strong fragrant tea I would get Darjeeling, it at least has some taste to back it up instead of just being perfume water with no balls to it.

Lapsang Souchong is fantastic if you are into strong bitter teas, but would easy into it (take your generic tea black first).  Doing it with milk or sugar sort of seems like defeating the purpose to me, but whatever works for you I guess.

[NotMiki]

Don't listen to Grefter.  He eats Marmite.  Lapsang Souchong tastes like someone dumped ashes in your mouth.  Earl Grey is great, and I have yet to find an Earl Grey I like better than Twinings.  Anyway, I drink a ton of tea, usually without milk.  If you're making loose leaf tea, any kind of tea with whole leaves instead of chopped ones will be good without milk.  If the tea leaves are chopped, you get too many large, bitter particles to have it without milk.  Assam you can have with or without milk.  A nice workaday black tea for the morning.  Darjeeling is great, but you should not drink it with milk.  Really, any kind of looseleaf green tea is lovely.  Chinese greens (especially gunpowder) tend to have more body and a darker flavor than Japanese ones.  I like 'em both, and they're all worth trying.  The ideal temperature to brew green tea is 82 degrees or so Celsius.  If you brew them at boiling, they become too bitter.  If you want a noncaffienated tea to drink at night, Celestial Seasonings' Sleepytime is really fantastic.

[Grefter]

Hey man I explicitly waited until someone else brought it up.  I like the taste of ash in my mouth, it goes with the smell of napalm in the morning.  I love it but it isn't for someone just starting to branch out in teas.

If you want a strong black that doesn't taste like it was made on an open fire then Irish Breakfast.  It would actually be my first suggestion for anyone looking to get into a more bitter flavour over Lapsang Souchong.  It is pretty much English Breakfast jacked up to 11.  Goes much better with milk.

[Luther Lansfeld]

Irish Breakfast is very nice. Darjeeling is a little too strong for my tastes, although I can see its appeal.

[NotMiki]

Darjeeling is a little too strong for my tastes, although I can see its appeal.

Next time you have some, try brewing it at a temperature lower than boiling.  I usually brew it at 200F, and it makes a big difference.