Inventory: tea

I took an inventory of my tea drawer, and it turns out that I have fourteen different kinds of tea.  I drink them at different times for different reasons and fixed in different ways; here’s an explanation of my tea whims.  (Note: An asterisk indicates loose leaf tea, which means I use a tea infuser instead of a tea bag.)

Blended Black Teas

• PG Tips.  The strongest, most caffeinated type of tea, PG Tips is good every morning with milk and sugar.
• Awake (Tazo).  An acceptable, slightly less hearty and more flavorful alternative to PG Tips, Awake tea is what I often order at Starbucks instead of their Earl Grey.
• Barry’s Irish Gold.  First introduced to me in Ireland, Barry’s is a good breakfast tea or a mid-afternoon pick-me-up with sugar and a lot of milk.
• Earl Greyer (Republic of Tea).  This is a strictly afternoon or evening tea for me, since Earl Gray tastes lighter somehow than other blends.
• All Day Breakfast Tea (Republic of Tea).*  I discovered this tea in a plastic bag inside a differently labeled tin while poking through my drawer, so I guess I’ll give it a try.  It smelled heavy on the assam, which is nice for breakfast.
• Angelina Breakfast Tea.*  This is a French tea blend, brought to me as a souvenir from France but which I rarely drink because I don’t have the right brewing equipment (need fill-your-own tea bags).
• Irish Breakfast (Harney & Sons).*  As I’m almost out of Barry’s, I’ll soon make the switch to this breakfast tea, alternating mostly between Irish Breakfast and PG Tips.
• Russian Country (Harney & Sons).*  Another infrequently drunk tea, Russian country is bitter even with sweetener, so I would drink it in the morning or not at all.

Flavored Black Teas

• Rishi Masala Chai (Republic of Tea).*  Chai is for rare afternoon or evening occasions as a substitute to placate a sweet tooth; usually I prefer chai as a tea latte from Starbucks.
• Vanilla Bean (Republic of Tea).*  A favorite from Central Market, this vanilla bean tea is good in place of Earl Gray as a lighter, sweeter afternoon brew.
• Hot Cinnamon Sunset (Harney & Sons).*  The one tea I drink black, this cinnamon tea is naturally very sweet and has enough cinnamon to make your lips sting.

Herbal Teas

• Chamomile (Twinings).  When I’m sick.  With honey.
• Hot Apple Cider (Republic of Tea).  A seasonal tea, it really does taste like apple cider, but, as with all herbal teas, contains no calories.
• Pumpkin and Ginger (Republic of Tea).  This tea tastes like Autumn, or Holidays, and is good in the afternoon or evenings.

My husband once asked me, “When have you ever not had a stock of tea?”  Well, I’ve never not had a stock of tea, but I didn’t realize until recently just how extensive my options were.  For someone who loathes making decisions, I’m surprisingly good at choosing tea.