[quietserena]

i got into the habit of having a cup of tea several times during the day. however, the tea i'm drinking is decaf black tea and i'm thinking i should be drinking something a little better for me...

i'm super sensitive to caffeine at least at the moment and so are my girls. i can't do green or white teas for that reason. i tried rooibos but it didin't sit well with me - something about a pine like taste really turns me off. i can't do most herbal tea blends because they give me heartburn - hibiscus i think sits poorly with me. i tried some single herbs but those also.. don't quite do it. (mint is too minty, chamomile too flowery, corriander isn't too bad but it always makes me think of doughnuts)

raspberry leaf seems to do ok (though it reminds me of being pregnant) and so does linden. someone recommended i try blackberry leaf. so, as I was about to order it, i figured i'd make a big order and ask what other herbs will give a relatively neutral tasting tea (in my context at least) and won't harm me if i drink several cups a day? bonus points if they have some good benefit! thanks!

 

[cristeen]

Rose hips and nettles in a blend are both nice and have some excellent health properties.

Personally I've never noticed a pine taste with rooibos, was it straight or in a blend? You may want to try another brand and see how you like it... I drink it in blends all the time - Trader Joes has an orange Rooibos blend that is nice. I don't think I've ever had it straight, actually.

 

[quietserena]

It was straight. I'm finding that a few people out there taste that same thing I do but it's not very common. How odd!

Nettles and rose hips sound like a good idea! I have a whole list of herbs that I'm ordering from MRH and those two were on there already.

Tonight we had linden and nettles and a little bit of peppermint and it was not bad. Not so toothpaste minty as I've had before so maybe I just need to 'layer' the tea and not go for single herbs...

I did notice that MRH has a blend that's blackberry and linder and something else which appealed to me. It's on the list too.

I fear that this will be an expensive order! But they're good guys so I don't mind.

 

[tanyalynn]

If decaf black is okay, have you tried decaf green?

 

[425lisamarie]

I really like rose hip, too. To my suprise so does DH!

 

[kjbrown92]

I love rooibas tea and have never noticed a pine taste either. There's a caramel one at Teavana (loose leaf) that's absolutely wonderful. It's made with hazelnuts (so dairy free). I also have a lemon one that is great, and a peppermint. We have plain but not very often because it's really boring. The caramel one is super as iced tea. DD2 drinks it all the time with me (she can't have the lemon one though). She's actually intolerant to black tea, so we made the switch to red tea, and now I won't go back to black tea.

 

[tinybutterfly]

Celestial Seasonings has a decaffienated Mandarin Orange Spice ( it tastes like orange pekoe) that is very good.

 

[RunnerDuck]

Chiming in to say I don't like rooiboos, either. I don't know what it is about it but I have tried a lot of blends with it and I hated all of them. It's a sharp taste to me... I don't know if I would say piney... but I don't like it.

Some teas I like... the Yogi line has an aztec cocoa spice (or is it mayan?) , a tahitian vanilla, and a thai coconut something or other - I like those. Celestial Seasonings has a decaf black thai something or other which is good - I don't normally like black tea but I like that one. I also love CS's Christmas flavors, LOL - i have a stash of sugar cookie sleigh ride...

CS's flavored green and white teas are good - and low in caffeine, though not caffeine free (one of the greens has only 15mg a cup or something...) - and they do have some decaf flavored ones as well.

Salads has some flavored decaf greens though I haven't tried them yet - I have some in my pantry though. I'm weaning down on the caffeine... for the 9,000th time in my life...

Don't know about health benefits of any of these - I figure most anything is healthier than swigging diet pepsi all day long though which is my other vice so...

eta - I also really like mint with a little sugar and milk - but not plain - have you tried it that way?

 

[mumkimum]

The yogi tea mayan cocoa spice is one of my favorites, and I like the mexican sweet chili too. They're both very spicy teas.

Lavender teas - especially blended with other flowers (I think harney and sons has something that's lavender/chamomile/something else) are pretty nice and might be worth trying out. Its somewhat less flowery than other floral teas.

 

[Lisoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez If decaf black is okay, have you tried decaf green?

I was thinking the same thing. I have a decaf green tea that I love but can't remember the brand - it's yummy hot or iced.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunnerDuck Chiming in to say I don't like rooiboos, either. I don't know what it is about it but I have tried a lot of blends with it and I hated all of them. It's a sharp taste to me... I don't know if I would say piney... but I don't like it.

I think rooiboos tastes like what smoking a pipe would taste like. I can't stand it. I agree - it's not a piney taste, but blah....

 

[mamadelbosque]

Most of Celestial Seasonings teas are decaf, and are very yummy... personally I like the various zingers - red, yellow, wild berry, etc. And another vote for decaf green - my dad has green tea every morning and goes back and forth between drinking caffeine or not fairly often. He drinks decaf green tea when hes in one of his anti-caffien ruts

 

[sunnygir1]

Nettles, raspberry leaf, and ginger are all good and good for you. Catnip may be too sweet for you, but you could try it. Oatstraw, alfalfa. I dislike licorice tea, but licorice is very good for you if you like it. I love red clover.

I'm not sure what the issue with decaf black tea is (as long as it is naturally rather than chemically decaffeinated) and same with decaf green.

If hibiscus bothers your stomach, rose hips might too, but they are good for you and quite tasty if you can use them.

Peppermint gives me heartburn, but you said you don't like mint anyway.

Lemon? A slice of lemon in hot water is yummy.

 

[RunnerDuck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque Most of Celestial Seasonings teas are decaf, and are very yummy... personally I like the various zingers - red, yellow, wild berry, etc. And another vote for decaf green - my dad has green tea every morning and goes back and forth between drinking caffeine or not fairly often. He drinks decaf green tea when hes in one of his anti-caffien ruts

What's cool about the zingers is they will all brew cold... so you can just stick them in a jar of water, stick them in the fridge, and drink it later. I like to put some in a container in the freezer when I go out for a walk in the summer... then I come home to freezing cold fruity yumminess when I am all hot and sweaty.

mumkimum - had to go to Whole Paycheck today and I picked up some of the chili tea on your suggestion - we'll see how I like it.

 

[Jojo F.]

Hey mama!!

Mmmm, ginger

I really like rosehip too.

Black elderberry is yummy but, it smells funny. It does NOT taste how it smells, thank heavens!!

Dandelion root is good if you like coffee, it's similar.

And I LOVE chai. You could get it decaffeinated.

Traditional Medicinals has a Mother's Milk tea I really like. A touch of mint but, it is not a strong flavor in the mix.

Oh, our local herb shop has amazing herbal blends like vanilla/orange/cranberry, etc. Soooo yummy!!

 

[quietserena]

Some great ideas here! Thanks ladies!

My problem with black tea is the mineral leaching. I don't get it as bad as with coffee but I find that while I drink black tea, I also have to supplement with at least Mg if not upping all the minerals or else I get an eye twitch. But, that'll drive a person a lil kooky!

I have given up on all the conventional 'flavored' teas because all the flavors seem to be artificial. DH still drinking blueberry flavored something or other but even that now turns my stomach. Oh and all those Zingers are hibiscus based and upset my stomach. Bleh! Who knew that hibiscus could be that much trouble!

Decaf green tea just doesn't provide me with the same kind of comfort as black does though I have it occasionally often with some toasted rice. It's hard to find (at least ime) a decaf green that is still worth anything.

I have so many things to try though! This thread has been very interesting! I did find out (did i mention this already?) that MRH has a blen with blackberry leaves and linden so I'm going to try some of that too.

Yay!

:

 

[RunnerDuck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by quietserena Decaf green tea just doesn't provide me with the same kind of comfort as black does though I have it occasionally often with some toasted rice. It's hard to find (at least ime) a decaf green that is still worth anything.

I had green tea with rice at a friends house once and it was SO GOOD - but I could never find it to purchase. Her husband bought it and he couldn't remember where! They were in little circle shaped tea bags in a fancy schmancy tin...

 

[quietserena]

Oh I just toast my own rice - it's not very hard. Just put some rice in a pan over medium to medium high heat and shake the pan kind of like for popcorn. Some of them pop like popcorn actually!

Actually, that is kind of a nice tea by itself, toasted rice.

If you're looking to buy commercially prepared green tea with roasted rice, look for genmaicha.

 

[sunnygir1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RunnerDuck I had green tea with rice at a friends house once and it was SO GOOD - but I could never find it to purchase. Her husband bought it and he couldn't remember where! They were in little circle shaped tea bags in a fancy schmancy tin...

Genmai cha is the type of Japanese green tea with toasted brown rice. You should be able to find it, or maybe special order it, at a food co-op. I know that Choice makes one that is good.

OP, I like barley or root coffee substitutes...maybe you'd like them. They have ingredients like roasted barley, roasted beet root, roasted chicory root, roasted dandelion root, etc. Some of them are kind of sweet-ish because of the barley. I liked the Celestial Seasonings one Roastaroma. A friend of mine used to make the best barley coffee ever, but I don't know how he did it.

 

[Harmony08]

Black tea has a lot to be said for it! Google health benefits of black tea and you'll get a ton of info. It lowers LDL among other things. If you enjoy it why stop?

 

[RunnerDuck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnygir1 Genmai cha is the type of Japanese green tea with toasted brown rice. You should be able to find it, or maybe special order it, at a food co-op. I know that Choice makes one that is good. OP, I like barley or root coffee substitutes...maybe you'd like them. They have ingredients like roasted barley, roasted beet root, roasted chicory root, roasted dandelion root, etc. Some of them are kind of sweet-ish because of the barley. I liked the Celestial Seasonings one Roastaroma. A friend of mine used to make the best barley coffee ever, but I don't know how he did it.

Roastaroma is yummy. So is Almond Sunset which is also barley and chicory full...