I go to an Asian grocery on my lunch break sometimes because it is close to my work and a good place to buy snacks and tea. I’ve got a longtime addiction to Lapsang Souchong and thought I might find some there, but they don’t have it. I’ve been stuck with mail-ordering it from online. I’ve been sticking with Taylor’s of Harrogate because they’re good and also because I used to shop in one of their bricks-and-mortar stores when I was in York and so they’re kind of a nostalgia brand for me. Lapsang aside, I have found other teas there that I like.
I’ve recently become a fan three different teas from the Taiwanese brand Tradition,. The one is a Barley tea which I find very satisfying and refreshing at the same time. The other two are flavored green teas. One has crushed rose petals in it, the other lavender. I’d started out with the rose green tea because I used to sometimes get Rose Pouchong (but Sainsbury’s house-brand, not Twinings) and I kind of missed it. The Rose Green, while being a green rather than a black tea, is a pretty good substitute. It’s a delicate flavor and not at all bitter like some greens are. When I saw the Lavendar, I thought I’d give that a try since I’d been so happy with the Rose. It’s just as good; subtle and herby and very mellow.
So, my tea preferences have been kind of oddball lately. I’m still into the rooibos, really digging the barley, and sometimes having floral-infused green tea. I’ve also got some lemon-ginger from Stash that makes a nice iced tea, especially with a little bit of sugar and lemon juice.
Also, I am irrationally annoyed by the word “tisane.” I know it’s the proper word for “hot drinks made from water with stuff that is not actual tea leaves steeped in it” but for some reason it just seems prissy and pretentious to me. It could be the assonance between tisane and prissy, or it could be the online Self Made Experts who get so awfully uppity about smacking down folks who use the term “herbal tea,” which I think was the usual name for this kind of drink before the Internet happened. The chances are very good that I’ll go on being a philistine and calling stuff like my lemon-ginger tea and the barley tea “tea” or “herbal tea.” I’m not sure I could bring myself to come correct and get in the tisane line.