Tea...a beverage that puts the "steam" in Steampunk.

[Sgt.Whatshisname]

Tea, Iced, with a splash of something to fortify it, and you.

or a Mint julep , which needs no fortifying, if made correctly, 2 will knock you into next week.

[psn1der]

I enjoy strong Irish breakfast tea.  What are the 'rules' about milk vs cream in your tea?  I was talking to a co-worker that grew up in London and told him I like to put cream in it every now and then.  He looked at me like I'd shot the Queen.

I'm still going to do what I like, but it'll be nice to know when I'm being a rebel.

[Evelyn Adler]

Talking of the French .........
I have just returned from France yesterday evening after a lovely couple of days in Lille.
But it must be said ...... they just can't make a decent cuppa!

Ahhhh ... there's no place like home

Finding decent tea in France is near impossible. My friend lives in France and always stocks up on tea (and the occasional tin of baked beans) when he visits England.
The French make nice coffee though. And the wine.. but that is for another topic.

I like English breakfast tea. With a drop of milk and sugar. Served in bed on a sunny Saturday morning, preferrably...

[Miss Calendula Malmesbury]

I enjoy a decent English breakfast tea, Fortnum and Mason providing my favourite blend.  I also enjoy a good Assam (I'm a strong tea girl) but that said I also am very partial to Ceylon in the afternoon. 

What are the 'rules' about milk vs cream in your tea?  I was talking to a co-worker that grew up in London and told him I like to put cream in it every now and then.  He looked at me like I'd shot the Queen.

I like milk and two sugars in mine which many tea purists would frown upon.  The general rule that I grew up with here in the UK is always milk in tea and milk or cream in coffee.  That said, always one to thumb my nose at the rules, I sometimes enjoy a spot of cream in my tea as well and so does my dad.  Behind closed doors though, of course

[Wormster]

Tea has to be served N.A.T.O. standard - well stewed with milk and two sugars!!

[psn1der]

I enjoy a decent English breakfast tea, Fortnum and Mason providing my favourite blend.  I also enjoy a good Assam (I'm a strong tea girl) but that said I also am very partial to Ceylon in the afternoon. 

What are the 'rules' about milk vs cream in your tea?  I was talking to a co-worker that grew up in London and told him I like to put cream in it every now and then.  He looked at me like I'd shot the Queen.

I like milk and two sugars in mine which many tea purists would frown upon.  The general rule that I grew up with here in the UK is always milk in tea and milk or cream in coffee.  That said, always one to thumb my nose at the rules, I sometimes enjoy a spot of cream in my tea as well and so does my dad.  Behind closed doors though, of course

So you're saying I'm not the only closet tea rebel?  Well, damn and blast!!!  I was hoping I'd started something.  There goes My 15 minutes...   

[Beatrix de Fiore]

Has anyone tried making alcoholic tea?  Iced green tea punches used to be popular in the early 19th century at community parties in South Carolina and sound like they could be really good.

Where at in South Carolina, do you know?  I ask (though I realize you made this post a few months ago) because that's where I'm from and I hadn't heard this.  I expect it was some sort of lowcountry shenanigans.  It does sound delicious, though.

I grew up drinking sweet iced tea--without lemon, and never from a mix, thank you very much--but I never drank hot tea much until I spent time living in both the Pacific Northwest and the Middle East.  Now I have about a dozen kinds of tea in my cupboard.  I definitely prefer black teas.  Irish Breakfast or a nice Assam to start the day with.  Harney & Sons also makes a blend I absolutely love, though it had to grow on me first.  It's their Paris tea, and I have to order it online, as I can't find it anywhere around here.  Absolutely worth the shipping, though.

[Tito Alba]

They tended to be named after the places whose social events they graced, refrigerators being a new invention and rather expensive for most households, so the names may give you a clue.  I've found a couple of recipes for them too, although how genuine they are to the original I can't vouch for, especially as some use tea bags that weren't invented until over 100 years after the punch was first served.

"Chatham Artillery Punch" was a morale booster for the Chatham Artillery regimental bashes (who served in the Carolinas but appears to based out of Savannah, Georgia - hey, tea is my passion not American geography ).

Recipes:
http://www.chefrick.com/chatham-artillery-punch/
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/005896.html
http://battleofolustee.org/punch.html

And the "Charleston's St. Cecilia Punch" was named after the St. Cecilia musical society in Charleston where it was served at their annual ball.

Recipes:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/charleston-punch-10000001687709/
http://www.recipe.com/st-cecilia-society-punch/

This one most definitely originates from South Carolina.

[Beatrix de Fiore]

Charleston, you say?  As I suspected--lowcountry shenanigans.    I will have to try to give it a try, anyway.  Thank you for the recipes!

[Sgt.Whatshisname]

" A Thing like that leaves them unmoved, but put the tea in the cup before the milk ,
and they go BESERK!"      

Funniest
Line
EVUH!

[sir kitto]

Earl Gray (I once drank some in his tea house) Twinings and english breakfast Tea

[Delireus]

There was a panel at the Emerald City Steampunk Expo in Wichita Kansas 2 weekends ago. It was held by a very interesting woman who brought tea and cookies for us to try. She is a Tea Master and has traveled all over the world to study tea. She pulls out this bag of tea and tells us it is the same exact tea the Queen of England drinks, for one of her best friends is the tea master to the Queen! He sent her some of the blend and she brewed us (about 10 people attended) a cup each.

I never use to drink tea often, but after I stopped drinking coke, it's all I drink now! I love it. The tea she brewed was very nice but I didn't get to add my sugar so it wasn't quite right, to me. But, it was awesome to get to drink it!

[Galina]

Normally I drink Lapsang (with milk - shocking!) but I picked up some Keemun the other day because it sounded interesting. Very nice, too, if you like China teas.

[Theophilus Saxe]

I drink Assamese or Ceylon with semi-skimmed milk and sugar. Putting full cream milk or actual cream in tea makes it too fatty for me. I can't start the day without a couple of cups, and there's nothing quite like afternoon tea on a cold winter's day, when I have nothing to do for once and can put my feet up with a cuppa and a few ginger snaps. 

[Strapped-4-Cache]

I began to acquire a taste for hot tea while my family was stationed in England in the late 70’s.  I ended up having a preference for PG Tips and, until recently, was forced to either pay outrageous prices in specialty shops or outrageous prices to order it online.  For whatever reason, the local supermarkets have begun to carry it and have saved me from spending to excess.

I prefer strong brew, usually steeped a bit longer than most would prefer.  A Welsh friend taught me to put the milk in the bottom of the cup before pouring, saying it prevented the milk from getting scalded.  The order didn’t seem to matter to me, but I’ve carried on the procedure to this day.

If I could find a store that stocks McVities Jaffa Cakes (not the other knock-off brands) I think I’d be all set.

And Flake Bars…    and Hob Nobs…   and Ribena…   

Looks like I’m gonna be craving some goodies for a while now.

[Hez]

Personally I prefer Pims to Jaffas but I can get all the hobnobs i need from the local British import shop.  Check online, there may be on in your neighbourhood.  Or at least within pilgrimage-to-stock-up range.

[Kieranfoy]

Regular black, me. Whatever brand is cheapest, really. Throw three teabags, hot water and sugar into my old metal canteen, and fill it up whenever it gets empty.

I'm half Australian. Actually drinking tea in a cultured manner (ie, properly) is for British sissies. 

Occasionlly I'll try a flavored brew, maybe some cinnamon, but I really REALLY love Earl Grey, which I occasionally splurge on (bit pricey here in the States) and very rarely will find Lapson Shouchong, which I adore beyond all resoning, but that's mostly for birthdays and Christmas, as it's crazy expensive up here.

Even with those, I still chuck 'em inna canteen. It's a working system.

[Stormcat]

I usually drink green, but I know that's not very steampunk 


Still, I prefer indian teas. Nothing like a nice chai on a cold autumn morning.

[Hez]

New favourite, Kusmi - St. Petersburg.  Lovely (and it was a Christmas present so I can't worry about the price. )
And with the Wonderland tea I also got for Christmas that brings me up to 8 blends + 2 decaf subspecies and the Rooibos Provincal that I keep on hand for a friend.

[Edmund Charles Rutherford]

I'm a bit obsessed with good tea.  My favorites (in order) are: Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast.  I do, however, find enjoyment in so many other types of teas and other herbal infusions.  One of my favorite types of black tea that I came across is Munk Tea from the island of Gotland, Sweden.  It is a modern recreation of a tea recipe written centuries ago by a monk on the island.  The recipe was discovered in an archaeological dig, and someone decided to mix up a batch.  It's amazing, but sadly can only be found for sale (to my knowledge) on the island of Gotland.  Another favorite of mine also comes from the island of Gotland, and is a local blend of herbs and flowers, which they call St. Hans Quarter blend.  It was created for the anniversary of the St. Hans Cathedral in Visby, Gotland.

That all being said, I still stick to my traditional cup of Earl Grey most often.  The best Earl Grey I have had so far was from a Russian tea company.  I purchased the box while deployed to the Middle East, and found through (bad) translation of the cyrillic on the box (my Russian is VERY poor) that it was made from 100-percent Ceylon leaves.  (Side note, I had my good friend William Howard re-translate the box upon my return to the US as his Russian is much better than mine...it was indeed 100-percent Ceylon leaves).  I have never had a smoother, more flavorful cup of Earl Grey ever. 

I drink at least 4-6 cups of tea a day, and most often it is Earl Grey.  I drink it with just a bit of sugar, and no cream.  I only add cream or milk (whichever is available, as I don't care) to Irish or English Breakfast teas (or coffee, which I drink with much less regularity now-days).  I am reminded of a man whom I respect and admire, who always ordered his tea in this fashion:

     "Earl grey, hot, black"

It was actually mainly because of him that I tried Earl Grey in the first place, and I am ever so glad I did.

[Athanor]

When it comes to tea, I guess I'm a traditionalist. Tea just isn't tea unless it's the colour of antique mahogany and drunk from a heavy ceramic mug of at least a half-pint capacity. None of your decaf or herbal concoctions, and certainly none of your iced tea (I remember my reaction when I first heard of it; "Iced tea?? What the heck is THAT??"). The first time I tried Earl Grey was on a trip to the U.S. with my first wife, who was American; her parents bought some for us because it was British and they thought I would like it. Unfortunately I didn't - but they meant well, so I was polite about it. "Well..... it's different from what I'm used to....."

 I grew up in Britain in those grim, grey - but oddly hopeful - years following the Second World War, and tea was a universal lifesaver. It was invariably brewed in a big brown teapot with loose tea - PG Tips for preference - boiling water, steeped for several minutes, then poured into chipped cups resting in saucers (often with "British Railways" inscribed on the rim), with milk and two sugars.

 Nowadays I do without the sugar, and I find teabags are convenient if I just want to make a mug for myself, but certainly not all teas are created equal. I live most of the time in Canada, where both Tetley's and Red Rose are perfectly acceptable, but I've recently been spending most of my winters on Mexico's Pacific coast, where decent British-style tea is pretty much unobtainable. However, some of the world's best coffee is grown just inland of us, so I drink lots of coffee....

I'll leave you with the recipe for "Trawler Tea", as it was described to me by an ex-fisherman friend. At the beginning of the voyage, fire up the coal stove in the galley and place a large cast-iron kettle of water on top. As soon as she boils, throw in a good double handful of loose tea and a cup or two of treacle (molasses, to Americans). Then damp the stove down a bit, and let her simmer. Give her ten minutes or so, then she should be ready. Pour out cups of tea as needed, adding more tea, treacle and water as the level in the kettle goes down, until back in port at the end of the voyage. After a final round of tea for the crew, dump the remains overboard. "That way," my friend told me, "It kind of swirls around the hull, and keeps the barnacles down."

I don't know if he was kidding me or not......

Athanor.  

[SgtPepper]

I had a nasty sore throat recently, with my throat and entire sinus so dry and painful that talking, swallowing, and breathing were a trial.  I swallowed a spoonful of honey and about five cups of earl grey with even more honey in them, and miraculously, I could, talk, breathe, even swallow with no pain whatsoever!

I'm still recovering from being sick, so I'm still drinking a lot of tea, and i think I'll continue to do so even after I'm all better.

I like jasmine, and rose tea, as well as chai.  The earl grey was okay, and your basic chinese-restaurant green tea is nice too. I usually have a dollop of honey in it. 

Last year I was given a yellow submarine tea infuser.  It was a brilliant concept but unfortunately a huge headache to clean.

[Kryss LaBryn]

Fennel tea herbal infusion is lovely for a cough or cold; the fennel soothes the throat and cough. Have it with lots of honey and between the two you'll soon feel a bit better! Liquorice tea with lots of honey helps too.

For a fever, though, nothing beats an orange and tonic! (2/3 orange juice, 1/3 tonic).

I came across the first video a while ago: it's an early WWII British instructional video on how to brew tea for all the troops. Has some good tips! And the second I'm pretty sure you've probably all seen too but it's so fun that, well, here it is. At least it doesn't seem to have popped up in this thread yet! 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Tea Making Tips (1941)

Cup Of Brown Joy - Elemental

[Edmund Charles Rutherford]

Indeed, the anise tea is great if you're feeling ill (provided the licorice flavor doesn't make you more ill).  The anise has a settling effect on one's stomach, and is therefore amazing if you have an upset tummy.  I take mine straight up, or sometimes with a little sugar.

I had not thought of a fennel infusion, however it would certainly work.  It is generally used (in my experience) as a diuretic though, so make sure you're drinking enough water to stay hydrated, and be prepared to make frequent visits to the loo.

Nice videos, by the way, Kryss!

[Skeleduck]

I love tea at Grandma's.

If I have an unsettled stomach I take a sweet ginger tea, usually brewed from chopped root. I'll happily accept a mug of 'hot brown' (how I refer to a generic mug of tea), a cup of lightly sweetened Chai or Rooibos, black or white Lapsang Souchong, or a bland of black tea and rose petals / apple crumble flavour. We have some still lingering in the pantry, I believe.