Software
Houzz Logo Print
deegw

Flavored hot tea suggestions

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

It's that time of year when I have to give up my ice water habit because it makes me too cold.

I'm apparently not great at picking out tea. Most of my choices taste terrible to me. Right now I am drinking a lemon ginger that's fine but not good.

Not fond of berry, floral, peach or vanilla flavors. I like citrus, mint, plain black and green tea, etc.

Tazo Zen tea (green tea, lemon verbena, spearmint and lemon grass) is a favorite but it has too much caffeine for all-day drinking.

Comments (27)

  • 4 years ago

    My two faves:

    Mighty Leaf Tea Chamomile Citrus

    Republic of Tea Decaf Mango Ceylon Black Tea

  • 4 years ago

    I was gonna recommend Tazo Zen tea. :) (I like it for iced tea actually, especially when I don't want to be kept up late, because it seems low caffeine.)


    Alas you are a caffeine lightweight! If you want no caffeine, how about good old Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime?

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Not so into the fruity flavors myself, but Tazo had a pear & green tea I used to like. Green Jasmine and Earl Grey are my faves. I used to be able to get decaf Jasmine green tea at Trader Joe's and Aldi but both stopped carrying it awhile back.

    Since I really dislike plain green tea, what I've been doing is making a quart of fridge tea with 2 decaf green teabags and 1 ginger/turmeric - both from TJ's. I've also made decaf green with a couple of crushed cardamom pods added.

    Hubby likes Red Zinger - an oldie but a goodie, IMO. Celestial Seasonings has a number of 'Zingers' that are all caffeine free. They have an apple spice one that's tasty too.

    And I just remembered that TJ's has a seasonal decaf green tea modeled after Celestial Seasonings' 'Candy Cane Lane', which I really like. TJ's is called 'Candy Cane'.

  • 4 years ago

    My favorites are Hojicha Japanese roasted green tea (from leaves - not powder), which I drink plain, and for black tea, I like Fancy Keemun, which I buy at a specialty tea shop. I usually drink that plain as well, but it is also good with sweetener, whereas Hojicha is not.

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I’m a firmly fruity and herbal tea person myself but my favorite for the past two years has been Republic of Tea’s Cuppa Cake. I use a teaspoon of splenda and either a slice of lemon or a tsp of (King Arthur) powdered lemon juice and it is an absolute treat!

  • 4 years ago

    I don't drink herbal teas, especially ones with cinnamon spices, but DH likes Tazo Wild Sweet Orange, Stash Meyer Lemon, and one I just bought, Stash Mango Passionfruit, which he really likes. They all seem to have the same base of rose hips, hibiscus, and lemongrass.

  • 4 years ago

    I like Tazo green tea with ginger a lot. Mostly I stick with Earl Gray, though there are some brands where the bergamot gets overwhelming. Trader Joe's has a ginger pear white tea that is my go-to when I'm sick.


    I use Twinings Lady Gray for iced tea, flavored with lemon and orange as well as the bergamot of Earl Gray (but a lot less of that). Their Prince of Wales tea is very neutral and mild.


    None of those are low in caffeine, though.


    I mostly use herbal teas in small quantities to flavor green/black iced tea. I like Tealyra's Lovely Lemongrass (it has strawberry but citrus and lemongrass dominate).

  • 4 years ago

    Chia, Good Earth's original is cinnamon which is always good.

  • 4 years ago

    Stash has a decar Chocoloate Hazelnut that is different. And Republic Of Tea has a peppermint chocolate decaf.

  • 4 years ago

    I love Celestial Seasonings "Lemon Zinger". I add 1 teaspoon sugar.

  • 4 years ago




  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Interesting, I had that blue butterly pea flower (?!) tea at the cafe at the Gardner museum. It was good. Had no idea I was being beautified, but that explains a lot. 😂


    This thread reminds me I have lot of teas I have to throw out, to make room to try all of these and then throw them out. Do you keep 20yr old teabags "in case someone who visits likes pumpkin spice green tea?" They never do. Have you noticed?

  • 4 years ago

    Love Paris from Harney and Sons.


    Paris tea

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    I like the fruity ones so I'm not much help, but I don't drink caffeinated teas unless I'm getting a migraine. So you might look for decaf versions of the ones you like. Caffeine is tasteless so there really isn't much flavor difference between them. I do like Numi and Tazos and Bigelow and Yogi teas. Just beware that celestial seasonings is not organic, in case that matters to you.

  • 4 years ago

    Mtn, I keep drinking it and drinking it….and yet I am still not beautiful. Sigh. But it is one of the few fruity hot teas I like. Usually I only like iced fruit teas. 🤷🏻‍♀️

  • 4 years ago

    I keep plain ol’ Twinings Earl Grey decaf on hand for a cup of hot tea. I’m not a fan of herbal teas.


    For butterfly pea flower consumption, I prefer Empress gin. 😁

    deegw thanked bbstx
  • 4 years ago

    I drink Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice black tea. It’s strongly flavored and quite delicious. I find the sachets more flavorful than the regular tea bags. I’m completely addicted!

    deegw thanked lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    My favorites: Tazo wild sweet orange, Celestial Seasonings lemon zinger and Bengal spice, Harney and Sons hot cinnamon spice, Twinings Earl Grey

    deegw thanked texanjana
  • 4 years ago

    Celestial Seasonings Peppermint in the morning, Celestial Seasonings Chamomile in the evening and coffee in between.

    deegw thanked blfenton
  • 4 years ago

    I’m also a big fan of Tazo Zen. 😀 I also drink Tazo Dream, it has notes of almond and anise. I find it very soothing. My favorite Chamomile, is Revolution Tea Golden Chamomile, it is nicely blended with a touch of mint and marigold. I am seeking a new favorite mint, I really like TJ’s but they are too far away.

    deegw thanked localeater
  • 4 years ago

    My favorite evening tea is Stash decaf Vanilla Chai. Teabags stay stored in the wood tea box for about 2 years then tossed.

    deegw thanked Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
  • 4 years ago

    Once in an extremely lovely setting, I had a pot of herbal tea with a slice of lemon, lime, orange, and sprig of rosemary. It was heaven on earth. The tea, the setting, the company ❤️

    When I returned home I made a poor imitation using lemongrass tea as the base. Just this week I bought the fruits and herb to start making it again, but I can’t get the loose lemongrass tea. I’ll be looking for a substitute.

    All that to say, you might want to jazz up any basic herbal tea to make it extraordinary.

    deegw thanked hhireno
  • 4 years ago

    I've been a tea drinker since I was a child. Some of my favorite memories are visiting my grandmother, who was always the first one up. As soon as I heard her moving around, I'd join her in the kitchen where she'd make me a cup of tea. We'd sit and sip our tea while eating cinnamon toast or sometimes toast and honey and have the most lovely chats, just the two of us. We'd have about an hour before the rest of the household started to rouse themselves and wander into the kitchen.


    Having said that, I have a cupboard full of different teas, but I always come back to plain old Liptons. I just love it. Maybe it's because it triggers those childhood memories, but I've yet to find anything that I like better. Now, I do drink those others teas now and then and my current favorites are Twinnings Peppermint, Stash Ginger Peach, Revolution Pear White Tea, and surprisingly since I don't generally care for lavender, a Provence Tea with Lavender. Good Earth used to make a tea called Cocoa Tango that had notes of chocolate and chili pepper that was my absolute favorite, but they discontinued it to my everlasting disappointment. I have five tea bags left that I am hoarding.


    The other day I saw a display of fall teas by Bigelow and made an impulse purchase of salted caramel, pumpkin spice and caramel apple. I haven't tried the pumpkin spice or the caramel apple yet, but the salted caramel was good. I would have liked it to be more strongly flavored of salted caramel which is why I'm calling it good rather than great.

    deegw thanked Rosie
  • 4 years ago

    I go with my basic Bigelow Constant Comment tea. I get a lift every morning from smelling the spice scent on the foil container the tea bag comes in.

  • 4 years ago

    We have Bigelow and Wegmans teas in winter. But my go to in winter is Korean yuja tea (its like a citrus, honey and ginger marmalade you add to hot water). I had a conference in Korea a few years back and they had this on the coffee table. It is so delicious and great for winter cold and flu season too. I always stock up in fall for when someone has a cold. The honey is soothing for sore throats. You can also use in summer as a spritzer.

  • 4 years ago

    These are my 2 current fsvorites, both caffeine free. I typically use 2 bags in a larger cup as I like the more robust flavor. I also loke some of the Harney & Sons, but since using Vadahm teas, I havent bought that brand in a while.