Boy, for a Tea Snob, I'm a Serious Wimp

[omorka]

Having knocked several canisters over, I decided to rearrange the tea shelf today. In doing so, I catalogued all the different teas I had on the shelf (not counting the two large canisters of hot chocolate, which technically belong on the next shelf down, but that shelf is too crowded to move them). I'm arbitrarily deciding to list Earl Gray with nothing in it but the bergamot as a standard tea, but any Earl Gray-oid tea that actually has other stuff in it (sweet orange or lemon oils, orange peel, etc.) as a flavored tea. I know this is not consistent, but I'd list Lapsang Souchong as a standard tea, and I figured it and the Earl were about even as far as "extra junk" goes.

So, herewith, my tea shelf:


Standard Teas:
All-Day Breakfast Keemun Oolong (RoT, loose)
Assam (Harrods, loose)
Darjeeling (Harrods, loose)
Earl Grey (Taylors, teabags)
Earl Grey (Twinings, teabags)
Earl Greyer (Republic of Tea, hereafter RoT, loose and teabags)
English Breakfast (Twinings, teabags)
Irish Breakfast (Twinings, teabags)
Luzianne (family-sized teabags, only for iced)
Luzianne Decaf (family-sized teabags, only for iced)
Prince of Wales (Twinings, teabags)


Flavored Teas:
Blackberry Sage (RoT, loose)
Bodum's Best (Bodum, loose*)
Cherry Vanilla (Bigelow, teabags)
Cinnamon Plum (RoT, loose and teabags)
Constant Comment (Bigelow, teabags)**
Constant Comment (Bigelow, teabags)
Empress Grey (Stash, loose)
Ginger Peach (RoT, loose and teabags)
Lady Grey (Twinings, teabags)
Mango Ceylon (RoT, teabags)
Morning Thunder (Celestial Seasonings, hereafter CS, teabags)
Nutcracker Sweet (CS, teabags)
Orange Spice (Whole Foods, loose)
Raspberry Quince (RoT, loose)
Republic Chai (RoT, loose and teabags)
Tazo Chai (Tazo [obviously], teabags)
Vanilla Almond, (RoT, loose)

* this one came free with a teapot, and I haven't worked up the courage to actually try it yet
** I would really like to get a box of loose tea for this, but I can't find it anywhere


Herbal Teas:
Black Cherry Berry (CS, teabags)
Breathe Easy (Traditional Medicinals, hereafter TM, teabags)
Christmas Eve (Stash, loose)
Cold Care PM (TM, teabags)
Echinacea Plus (TM, teabags)
Gingerbread Spice (CS, teabags)
G**** Cold Care (TM, teabags)
Harvest Moon (RoT, loose)
Mandarin Orange Spice (CS, teabags)
Mate Latte (RoT, loose)
Passion (Tazo, teabags)
Republic Red Chai (RoT, teabags)
Safari Sunset (RoT, teabags)
Throat Coat (TM, teabags)


I don't have any green teas at all right now. I should probably endeavor to fix that, but I don't really like the mouth feel of most greens, and I'm indifferent about the flavor.

I also don't have a jasmine right now. That's a problem. I wonder if the Antoine's on Taft would have a good jasmine oolong.

It appears that I am the Republic of Tea's bitch. That's probably not too inaccurate, actually. Considering that bibulb doesn't drink most of these things - I'm working through all of these more or less by myself. (Occasionally I can talk DM into a cuppa when he comes over, but that's not too often, these days.)

There's actually a little room left on the second layer of the shelf. What do I want to fill that with? Anybody have any suggestions?

Comments

[bassfingers.livejournal.com]

No mint teas?

[omorka.livejournal.com]

The Christmas Eve is a hibiscus-mint blend, and most of the medicinals have peppermint in them. But, for the most part, no - peppermint has an unsettling effect on my stomach, and spearmint teas always taste "toasted" to me, for some reason.

(Sorry about the first post. Preview is my friend . . .)