My husband loved Earl Grey. I prefer herbal teas, such as hibiscus or spearmint. Hibiscus, with a touch of honey is good cold.
I sometimes drink green tea usually combined with jasmine, peach, ginger etc. I use a tea infuser made of metal (however a good one would be made of some kind of plastic material, as metals change the taste of tea). I also had rooibos tea (red tea) with chocolate - this was really great. I avoid drinking black tea; even though I like the taste, to me has a more intense effect than coffee. However in order to prepare tea you really need a teapot so that water vapor don't leave the infusion volume along with taste and scent. Other things include getting the water temperature right, the infusion time right (as it varies between various kind of tea plants), having good infusion dishes ...
I enjoy my tea, from strong blacks to mellow greens and whites, anything goes at least for once. I use empty filter bags that I fill up with whatever I have on hand at the moment. Right now it would be either a green tea with lemon grass and ginger or a black with orange blossom, and orange zest
This thread has caused much pondering on my part, to the point of Googling for more info. Coffee has Sweet Maria's that not only sells coffee beans and all the coffee paraphernalia, but also has a virtual library of info on coffee types, how to roast, how to store, how to brew, how to... you get the idea. Is there an equivalent site for tea? "Googling" - don'tcha just love the English language? I don't know which is funnier, the word itself, or the fact you all know what I'm talking about! Google on!
Just don't forget the 'G'—otherwise you'd be spending all your time oogling ("stare in a lecherous manner")—which opens a whole 'nother can of worms. Ahem...speaking of TEA, my wife makes large jars of 'solar-brewed' iced-tea (from teabags) all summer long. Nothing fancy, but on a hot day, a tall glass of iced sun tea tastes mighty good! No sugar. Maybe lemon. She is also an herbal tea drinker (hot).
I love sun tea. When I lived in Egypt, we used to make it all the time. You know it doesn't take long to brew that tea when the temperature is at least 100 degrees.
I drink quit a bit of Ice Tea during the day. When it is cooler I will drink hot tea. My grandmother taught me about hot tea.
I haven't yet developed a sense of best or favorite sources but most of the vendor sites will have varying amounts of information. http://ratetea.com/ seems like it may be a good general resource.
So I picked up a sample box of Twinings black tea - English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey, and Lady Grey. Also picked up a box of Twinings Chai. I've learned much - 1 bag, 8 oz. boiling water, steep 3-5 minutes. I've been splitting the difference at four minutes. I used to drop the bag into a 12-14 oz. mug, add the boiling water to the top, and never take the bag out; I wanted stronger tea. I found out that if you want stronger tea, add more tea, not more time. It's amazing how good a properly brewed cup of tea can taste! I'm starting to enjoy this. And just like my coffee - black, no milk, cream, sugar or other "impurities". The mall has a Teavana shop that I've been into, but have yet to make a purchase. I'll wait and see if I really get hooked before making a buy. I was actually surprised at the wide selection Wegmans has, to include loose leaf. That's where I picked up the Chai. A couple of years ago a buddy of mine introduced me to Lapsang Souchong. Love the smell, but wasn't "into" teas back then. I'll have to see if I can find more.
I'm a tea drinker, and for the ease of it, I really like the Bigelow teas, Constant Comment, Lemon Lift, and most of the Stash teas. I find them tasty enough, and no running around, the grocery store has them.
This morning I'm drinking a chocolate truffle tea from Teavana. It's nice and subtle, though I'd prefer more chocolate. I've also discovered a great spiced apple cider tea that is great on its own, but excellent when mixed with zingerber ginger tea!
I am an iced tea drinker. A gallon or two a day. Recently switched from sugar to artificial sweetener after thinking about how much sugar I was consuming. I have never been much for hot tea unless I have a cold and then I just grab a bag of lipton and put it in a mug. I like it ok and have had good hot tea in the past. I just don't want to bother with all the hardware. Nothing against anyone but my buddies wouldn't be so kind if they spied a pretty little tea pot in the kitchen. I sure don't want my nickname to go from Big Kev to little tea pot. It is bad enough the flack I get talking about my shaving. Coffee black but I don't drink it too often.