I want to start drinking tea as a healthy beverage. Problem is that most of the ones I've tried are terribly bitter and gross and I can't taste anything other than that. I have no idea what kinds they were, just whatever my sister was drinking. I don't like bitter tasting beverages (coffee, beer, etc) so I don't drink any of it, so I know nothing about them, so I need lots of advice on where I can start!

SO any advice for me? Sweeter teas to ease into it, ways to sweeten them (like agave nectar or raw sugar, right?), difference between herbal teas and green teas and black teas, caffeine differences (my stomach is very sensitive to caffeine so I can't drink, say, English Breakfast), health benefits, tips on brewing (if you brew your own, like equipment and tea leaf sources and stuff), anything!

Thanks so much guys!

Herbal teas with hibiscus in them can taste pretty sweet, as do blueberry teas. I usually put 2 spoonfuls of sugar in mine, but you can also put honey & lemon (especially good when you are sick as those are both good for your immune system), milk, or sugar like you mentioned. Depending on where you live, you could try going to a tea shop like Teavana and sampling different teas to see what you like best. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the ideas! I did try some hibiscus tea at work today (Tazo's "Passion" flavor) and it smelled wonderful, but the taste was just so subtle that it threw me off. I'm so used to super sugary drinks like orange juice and apple juice that the subtle flavors are so confusing. Adding sugar didn't seem to help and just covered the flavor with sugar water. Would putting in two teabags help make the flavor stronger? I'd wean off from there. I think using honey or agave to add actual flavor other than just straight sugar would help too.

Thanks again for the input! I'll also look and see if there are any tea shops in my area. I didn't even know those were a thing in the USA?? lmao

I usually drink my green tea with agave syrup or honey c:

Usually tea tastes bitter because it's been oversteeped. Make sure you read the directions for each tea to get an ideal steeping time. I personally don't even steep my green tea for more than a minute-minute and a half. If a tea isn't strong enough, put more tea in; don't increase the steeping time.

Since you are sensitive to caffeine, I wouldn't try anything stronger than green tea. Look into trying white tea - it's extremely light (usually shouldn't be steeped over a minute) and has almost no caffeine. There are a lot of great health benefits, but white tea can be fairly expensive.

I rarely sweeten my tea because I get the problem you mentioned earlier (turns more into sugar water), but when I do it's with a spoonful of honey. That being said, if you are used to sweet drinks then just adjust the sweetener level over time.

If you have issues with caffeine then you may want to say away from anything black tea based as those will likely have higher concentrations of caffeine in them.

Green tea does have some caffeine, but it's minimal though.

As for teas, have you tried herbals( chamomile, for instance) or fruit teas. I've found fruit teas and herbal teas tend to be more mild in taste. Also, as others have mentioned if the bitter taste throws you off, you can always sweeten it with a bit of honey. That's what I usually do when the taste of a particular tea is too bitter for my palette.

If you can't handle much caffeine, but enjoy the taste of teas such as English Breakfast or Earl Grey (my personal favourite), a lot of brands will carry decaf varieties. They will still have a little caffeine in them, but it's a tiny fraction of what the regular variety has.

With herbal teas, you have to steep them longer than normal - about six minutes - for the flavours to come out properly. Alternatively, you can always use two teabags, if you want it extra strong. Steeping your tea longer than recommended can turn the flavour and make it taste bitter, so it's better to use two bags rather than over-steep. My husband isn't much of a tea drinker either, but he will drink herbal teas if they're made really strong and loaded up with sugar. =P

Personally I'm not a huge fan of Tazo teas; I find most of their herbals have a bit of a strange aftertaste (might just be me, though?). I drink mostly Twinning's myself, but don't be afraid to sample all sorts of different brands before deciding you definitively don't like something. Just because you didn't like that flavour in one brand, doesn't mean you won't like it in a different one. Also, try and pick up some sample packs if you're afraid of wasting too much money buying box after box.

And yeah, definitely check out some specialty tea shops; they're usually pricey, but can be worth it. Some will offer to let you sample a tea before you buy, and (at least at the ones here) you can buy as large or small a quantity as you want. Though most will be loose-leaf, so you should pick up a tea infuser if you decide to go that route. This is also another good option if you want to make your tea stronger; the more tea you stuff in the infuser, the stronger it'll be. =P

Thanks for your input, everyone! :) I'm such a tea noob that every bit of advice helps, no matter how basic it is.

I honestly didn't even know that you had to take the teabag out of the water when it was finished steeping OTL I will add two teabags next time though and see if that helps!

I love fruity flavors and having little to no caffeine makes them perfect! (Sucks that the flavorful ones will hurt my stomach, though) The taste of herbal teas might be too subtle for me, so I think I might use two bags to make the flavor stronger and then wean off from there. Thanks for the advice!

I noticed that on Tazo's website, how they have decaf versions of the more popular flavors. That will help a lot! Taxi is just the brand we carry at work so I've just been trying them out, but I will shop around for others. My boyfriend drinks mostly green teas but he also likes the more subtle and less sweet flavors, so his brands might not be too much help! I actually found a Teavana in a mall in my area so I will take a look there as well. If I find some brews I really enjoy I might invest in some equipment :) Thanks for your advice!

How do you feel about iced tea? Fruit infused water is nice and so it seltzer. Teavana is not that great. I'd check out Asian markets and independent tea and coffee shops which will be less overpriced and have better quality things. I recommend fruity Korean teas as well as the creamy nutty ones. c:

I put honey in all my teas.....so tasty

Most of the stuff that makes really good tea grows like a weed if you let it. Chamomile, raspberry and mint for example, are easy to grow almost anywhere in the world. Keep them in containers or walled flower beds so they don't take over your(and your neighbor's) garden, and steep the new leaves fresh. You'd be surprised how much better the flavor is..., and they make your yard smell so nice. I also prefer a touch of honey in my tea. Processed sugar is just too sweet for most light teas.

For a sweet, caffeine free tea, I'd got with an herbal tea (like peppermint) and you can add agave nectar to taste. Agave is nice because it's already liquid so you don't have to wait for it to dissolve. Its like honey but with a less distinct taste.

For a tea you can drink straight (without adding any cream or sugar) that will taste sweet and not to strong, I definitely recommend chamomile or chrysanthemum. (Chrysanthemum is my favorite but it's not so easy to get your hands on some good quality flowers)

I recently found this like cinnamon vanilla tea that's extremely good on its own. It's supposedly for good skin but I mostly just drink it because it's yum and extremely warming.

Had to edit, sorry if you got double-pinged!!!

I don't like iced tea, I think I don't like black tea flavors unless they have a really distinct flavor (cinnamon, etc). Fruit-infused water is delicious and a wonderful idea, but I don't need motivation drinking more water, plus it's getting chilly and I want to try more hot beverages :) I've never been to Teavana before, so I will check it out, but I like your suggestions too! I always like to support independent shops, so I will search for more of those. Thanks!!

Thanks for the steeping advice! I like the idea of eventually growing my own stuff. The raspberry and mint sound wonderful! I haven't tried chamomile yet but I will soon. I'll have to look into steeping my own :) Thank you!

Herbal teas smell and taste WONDERFUL, but they're sooo subtle that I need a flavor boost just to be able to get used to them haha. I much prefer agave nectar over honey, it's vegan and I just plain dislike the taste of honey. I tried it in tea earlier this week and it was too strong and was so sweet it practically burned the back of my throat and just left an awful aftertaste. No needless to say I'll go with agave LOL. Thanks for your advice!

Those sound amazing! Brand names plz??? I'm going to try some chamomile soon. I've been sampling the teas we have at work and I definitely prefer the herbal teas over green teas. The black tea flavors sound so yummy but I wouldn't dare try them because the caffeine amount is astronomical lmao

I'm not sure the brand name of the chamomile I've been drinking lately, but it is a chamomile+mint blend that is really soothing and lovely before bed. The cinnamon vanilla one though is by Yogi. For chrysanthemum flowers I go to any local Chinese grocer and buy a bag of dried flowers that I boil with water.

Another one of my favorites is Thyme. You can just get thyme from the market and lay it out in front of a window for a few days to dry out and then you boil it. It's excellent with milk and a small amount of sugar - especially in the winter!

You're welcome! I think you'll enjoy iced green tea with agave once it warms up where you are. Passion tea could be your go-to hot tea because it's sweet and tart. :)

I was wondering about those kinds of herbs and if they went well with teas. What about rosemary? I love the smell and taste of rosemary and it'd be cool to find a flavor pairing with it ? And I've heard of Yogi, I'll have to try them out!!

So you pretty much just boil the herbs/flowers in water? Or do you have a steeper? Is it really that simple??

That's one of the fun parts about tea <: You can make your own blend to fit in your own personal favorite flavors!

Once the flowers/herbs are properly dried out, you can just put it in a pot of water and bring it to a boil for a few minutes. Then I use a strainer (to make sure no leaves or anything get into my cup) and pour it from the pot to a cup and then ta-da!

Experiment to find the method that makes the flavor you like the best. Boiling the leaves/flowers/roots/bark can extract the most flavor but can damage the volatile oils or bring out the bitterness in some ingredients. Poring boiling hot water over the ingredients in a strainer, or in a cheesecloth steeping bag and letting them sit in the hot water for a few minutes before removing is a popular method, it's best to cover the cup or keep the lid on the teapot while steeping, 'cause those volatile oils evaporate. Putting the herbs in a big clear jar of water and letting it sit in the sun for a few days is good for strong but not bitter tea for icing. It really is that easy.
Some plants have medicinal properties, (Like chamomile is great at relaxing you, but it is also a mild laxative in larger amounts, and can have really bad side effects if you are allergic to ragweed pollen.) so grab an herbal so you know which plants might be harmful/beneficial, and steep away!

Teas are bitter for because it has been steeped for too long or because when it was brewed the temperature of the water was too high, although there is a type of yellow tea that is supposed to be bitter that I enjoy. In China, teas are very much "alive". You don't want to scald the leaves.

I drink loose leaf teas, not tea bags. So my recommendation is to try a red tea (aka black tea). Their flavor is usually quite strong, and there is very little caffeine compared to green tea. Use about 2 tablespoons of tea leaves into a ceramic teapot, pour water that is about 208-212F or 98-100C (green tea requires lower temperature) into the pot. Make sure the water doesn't entirely cover the spout area to allow the tea to breath. Cap the teapot. Let it steep for about 45 seconds and pour it out (too long and the flavor will be a bit overpowering and bitter). Most people don't want loose leaves when they're drinking so strain the leaves when you are pouring or use a teapot with a built in strainer.

Red tea is nice because it maintains its strong flavor even after several infusions. Each time you steep with the same batch of leaves, add about 5-10 seconds to the steeping time. Random fact: The older red tea leaves are, the better and more valuable they are.

If you prefer to make your tea sweeter, you can use honey or rock sugar.

There is soooooo much tea knowledge. So much I want to write but I'm not sure what you're looking for. I get most of my teas from China, but Teavana also provide good loose leaf teas.

You could also try to brew a simple fruit tea, by cutting some fruits and steeping them in a tea infuser, but it might be better to just eat the fruits. ;D