How do you take it.....?

[Elliot]

As to commercial tea available I think that Twinings has to be the best of the commonly available ones.

My preference is for Whitards of Chelsea, but although they have shops in Europe I don't know if there expansion has gone across the Atlantic.

As to tea bags like PG or Tetley - in my snobbish opinion these are teas designed to mirror the taste of the tea drunk by the working classes in old houses (i.e. the rebrewed soggy remains of decent tea drunk by those upstairs!). As has been posted above its a northern thing (if ever you're in England try drinking the Yorkshire Tea brand and see what I mean - [I see flames coming])!

 

[Murph]

You must work Dog Watch? I get up before strapping into my patrol car, and down my 32 oz of hot tea. That gets me going. Later I add caffine as needed. I try to limit my caffine after 1900 hrs though. I love donuts, I just never eat them in uniform (and seldom out of it as well).

Originally posted by Midnight Knight:
Okay...confession time...

I'm one of the rare police officers in the USA that DOES NOT drink coffee, tea, or much of anything caffienated!
Shocking...but true...
I am not much of a donut eater either...I prefer cinnamon rolls
I grew up in a traditional Latter Day Saints (Mormon) family which frowned on stimulants of any kind. I converted to Catholicism when I married my wife but I just don't seem to have the inclination to start imbibing the stuff...
Oh well...pass me the lemonade...

Midnight Knight
PS: My lovely wife is addicted to Cherry Coke and Cherry 7UP...now there is this insidious concoction at the local store called "Fusion" which is some sort of cherry flavored DR Pepper. Poor lass is completely enthralled with this brew. She may need an intervention and deprogramming!

 

[Murph]

Not a Brit, but IMO the best here is Twinings, go for English or Irish Breakfast tea. You can find PG in specialty stores. Try Whole Foods Market for a great selection of teas.

Elliot: What's wrong with Yorkshire tea?

 

[Gallowglass]

Originally posted by Murph:
Not a Brit, but IMO the best here is Twinings, go for English or Irish Breakfast tea. You can find PG in specialty stores. Try Whole Foods Market for a great selection of teas.

Elliot: What's wrong with Yorkshire tea?

Ahem, speaking on behalf of my adopted home in Gods Own Country (Yorkshire for the heathens) I believe Master Elliot is what is known as a "Soft Southern Jessie" and therefore doesn't truly appreciate a decent "mash"...

Mind you, having in my trainee days on the Railway been subjected to some mugs of tea that tasted like they had been stewing since the Rocket's maiden journey , I have some sympathy. And whilst a "lad", I had no chance of getting cofee, as no self respecting english workman EVER drank anything but tea...

 

[trader jim]

this morning after getting off the computer i was watching the telle. i broke into one of those great WWII black and white British western desert
tank war movies i didnt get the title - question -
how do you do a genuine WESTERN DESERT BRUE UP???

 

[Uncle Bob]

Originally posted by trader jim:
... my tasts have now changed and i realy enjoy good tea!! and i consider Lipton as rubbish!!! thank you.

Well,my mother was born in Glasgow and my father held dual citzenship until WWII so I will offer their opinion on American teas.

Tommy Lipton was some kind of cousin, but my great uncle Jack Freeman declined to work for him as he was a bit peculiar. As to the tea today, rubbish is too kind. Lipton invented the teabag as a way to use the tea "dust" that would otherwise be thrown out.

As to commeercial teabags in the USA consider Salada. It is darjeeling and doesn't have the bitter fines you get in Lipton or supermarket blends. Unfortunately it is not available in Texas.

 

[mshoen]

You must work Dog Watch? I get up before strapping into my patrol car, and down my 32 oz of hot tea. That gets me going. Later I add caffine as needed. I try to limit my caffine after 1900 hrs though. I love donuts, I just never eat them in uniform (and seldom out of it as well).

Actually since promoting to sergeant I have worked on every shift and then some. Being the low man on the totem pole gives the Powers-that-be carte blanche to monkey with my schedule. As far as getting through the day all I need is good cold water. Besides, caffiene aggravates my high blood pressure. We are not as young as we use to be y'know.

 

[RabidVargr]

Dog watch? Is she cute? mmmmmmmm....

Game nights when I had a F2F group:
Melloyellow for me, then it progresses to shots of vodka with a chaser of coke, and then an Uff-da of Captain's silver, and then after that it's water, coke, water, water, water, followed by water.
If I'm GM:
Vodka, straight, maybe a coke later.

Work:
expresso (got my own machine!!), then coke or coffee, depending on which retard made the coffee. If I'm the retard, it's pretty good, if the pinkies did it, I'll go with a coke.

Off duty: coke, expresso, or coffee with bailey's.

RV

 

[Elliot]

Yah, like Murph old boy - what's wrong with Yorkshire Tea?

Well as my friend from the North said nothing, one just does not know how to take a good 'mash'.

Its just that those of us who count the Normans as our ancestors and who cease work at 4 for tea and crumpets consider it a rather strong, unaesthetic drink not fitting of a gentleman.

Those course types from the North who drink tea from mugs and not from granny's Wedgewood, however, just don't understand, don't ya know.

Tally Ho

Elliot

 

[Simon Jester]

Originally posted by Nurd_boy:
and I must be the only guy that ever got near the military (I was BOTH USCGR and USN) that never took up coffee or smoking coffin nails....beer, on the other hand, WELLLL, that's another story

I started drinking coffee (well, sugar and creamer with just enough coffee to dissolve the whole mess) when I entered the Navy, and it kept me going for my whole tour, but as soon as I was discharged I stopped drinking it. In the eleven years since my discharge (gods, has it been that long?) I don't think I've had more than more then five or six cups of coffee total. I do like a cup of hot lipton tea, though. I've never been able to taste any difference in the various types of teas, with the exception of green tea. Never could learn to stomache that stuff.

As for my go-juice of choice, I used to like PepsiCo's Josta Cola (guarana-based carbonated drink) before they stopped making it. Now I make do with either Sobe Lightning, Mello Yello or a 30/70 mix of Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew I call Throatrip.

The most nauseating mix I've ever heard of, and never quite had the intestinal fortitude to try myself, was some friend's mixing of 1 gallon of Sunny Delight, at least one 2-Liter bottle of Jolt Cola and a full 30-count box of powdered No-Doze pep-pills. They used this witches brew to wash down boxes of sugar-powdered and chocolate-covered minidonuts. They called this their Sunday-Morning-Go-To-GameCon Continental Breakfast.

Simon Jester

 

[gardclan]

Originally posted by Nurd_boy:
and I must be the only guy that ever got near the military (I was BOTH USCGR and USN) that never took up coffee or smoking coffin nails....beer, on the other hand, WELLLL, that's another story

I managed not to start on coffee while in the army. For some reason going to college (at the same time as the wife), working third shift, and helping to raise three kids made a believer out of me. I did drink tea from when I was very young though. Our preferred brands were Salada or Red Rose.

My family always took the tea hot wth milk and sugar. I never realy thought this to be weird until I was in the army and found out how many of my fellow yanks just don't drink tea that way. I guess plain or sugar only is common.

I now drink either, based largely on my mood and the company I'm with at the time. I'm not normally inclined to drink an entire pot of coffee, so the usual fare is tea unless I have visitors. If its hot tea, then Twinnings Earl Grey is the norm.

We do keep alot of iced herbal tea around though. The wife is fond of Red Rose, and we've always got at least two boxes of Celestial Seasonings around the house somewhere. The fridge always holds about two gallons or so of the stuff.

Originally posted by Simon Jester:
The most nauseating mix I've ever heard of, and never quite had the intestinal fortitude to try myself, was some friend's mixing of 1 gallon of Sunny Delight, at least one 2-Liter bottle of Jolt Cola and a full 30-count box of powdered No-Doze pep-pills.

And I thought coffee with chocolate covered espresso beans was bad! Does this stuff bubble and froth of its own accord?

 

[kafka47]

Strong brew, with Columbian coffee as the base with either Keynan or Ethopian coffee with organic 2% milk (believe or not organic milk is better - otherwise, I get an intolerant reaction - making me think that I am pasturized (Canadian method) intolerant).

The best coffee that I have had is in Vienna at the Hotel Sachar (along with a slice of cake, naturally). Worse coffee is to be found in the Czech Republic, where Turkish coffee made from instant is the rule!

 

[Nurd_boy]

GAAK !!
some of this goop you guys talk about I wouldn't use to clean grease off an axle bearing..it might damage the metal !!!

 

[Shadow Bear]

Coca Cola Classic.

Its only the Real Thing for me!!!

 

[Murph]

Dammit Elliot, now I have to clean tea off of my keyboard! Wedgewood indeed sir.

 

[James Bolivar DiGriz]

Must first bathe with Shower Shock caffeinated soap (see thinkgeek.com). Then it's a pot of freshly ground coffee. This is followed by a 20 oz. White Chocolate latte (sometimes with a shot of caramel) on the way to work. Caffeinated mints then cover the "coffee breath" during meetings. A 16 oz. Mountain Dew for Lunch. Sometimes a Red Bull for the ride home. Always double bergamot Earl Grey to ease me into the evening. On weekends it's the Ground espresso bean milkshakes and chocolate covered beans.

I stopped using No-Doz and Vivarin (alternating for maximum effect since one was stimucin and the other caffeine) when I got off night shifts. They upset my stomach.

The best coffee I have had has been in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico at the Krystal. It was strong and smooth (and the aroma mixed well with the early morning ocean air). Not being at work probably made it taste better, too.

 

[TJP]

Originally posted by Gallowglass:
giving up smoking (the first of three attempts so far; current one has lasted eighteen months so far thank god)

Here's a tip of the hat for you Gallowglass, from another ex-smoker (one pack of Camels a day was my fare). I quit about 2 years ago, it wasn't easy and I also had many false starts and lapses, but eventually I made it. Hang in there man, you can do it! May the force be with you.

BTW, as I quit smoking I more-or-less had to quit coffee as well (couldn't drink a cup of coffee without smoking a cigarette with it...).

 

[Murph]

Twinings China Black or Prince of Wales tea with a shot of Amaretto di Saronno added makes a very nice nightcap.

 

[Murph]

Check out this weeks and last weeks User Friendly for some caffine humor: www.userfriendly.org

 

[lord irial]

Caffiene intolerant, here. Can't drink it without getting the shakes and saying good-bye to my ability to sleep for 24-36 hours. Not in a happy way, either.