Tea drinkers i have a question

[AlCzervik]

I stopped drinking coffee about 2 weeks ago, after 20 years i seem to have lost my taste for it after being really sick for a week. My question is, does tea stain your teeth as much as coffee? Ane can you reccomend a good Earl Grey, i've been drinking Bigelow brand.

[RagingInMiami]

1. You should get in the habit of drinking green tea

I was an avid coffee drinker and I still enjoy an espresso every now and then, but I now drink green tea everyday. It's got loads of antioxidants and not nearly as much caffeine as coffee.

[AlCzervik]

2. ok, i'm to the world of tea

will the box say Green Tea right on it and do you know of a good brand?

[Done]

7. I buy green tea that comes from China.

You may have to go to an Asian food store to get it. Some times I find it at Big Lots.

[RagingInMiami]

8. There are a bunch of different brands and I have yet to settle on one

The boxes always say "green tea" on them, but sometimes they come with added flavors like "honey lemon ginseng" or whatever. Be careful with the added ginseng, cause it will cause your blood pressure to increase.
Green tea, without the ginseng, supposedly makes your blood pressure go down. It's also been known to help you lose weight.

[greyfox]

22. How odd and cool...

I JUST got off the phone asking my wife to bring home some green tea -- she said "Okay but you won;t drink it"... she says it is awful tasting and I will hate it. Others have told me it is good for many things i.e. cancer, weight loss, etc.

What say ye? Any way to FIX the taste of it? Or is it bad?

[RagingInMiami]

30. Like many things, it's an acquired taste

How many people thought beer or coffee tasted good the first time around?

[greyfox]

35. DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER!!!!!

I got some -- small box was $4 -- I have tried milk, sugar, splenda, cinammon... and still this is the awfullest stuff I have EVER put to my lips!! MY GAWD!!!! Why didn't someone warn me! HAhaha... I spent 3 years in Japan and, when I opened the box, the aroma (of we dare call it that) took me right back to the island!!! The taste? Well, I can get the same from dirty dishwasher left-overs I am sure... my GAWD!!!!

[Done]

3. Tea stains your teeth, but that can be dealt with.

I drink green tea everyday. Much better than those cans of corn syrup.

[tjwmason]

4. No and yes

No it doesn't stain as much as coffee.

Yes, the only true Earl Grey is Twinnings; they were given the receipe by Earl Grey (a British diplomat who got it from China). Other producers can chuck in pretty much anything they like.

I second the motion on green tea; Japanese Sencha being my favourite.

[AlCzervik]

5. ok, twinnings i've seen at the supermarket, i will pick some up

along with the green tea. thanks for the info!

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. I like Constant Comment

As far as the teeth stain question, I just asked my dentist last week and he said he thought they were both about the same. He did say that some dentists thinks if you put sugar in your drink, your teeth are more likely to stain, but he hadn't seen any research on that yet.

[amazona]

9. not as much as coffee but it does stain

You will still need to get cleanings and/or if you are using older, you will need to use Night Flite or another system if you want your teeth to get really white.

Bigelow Earl Grey is good enough for me, so maybe I'm not very picky. The green tea recommended by another poster is good too, however, I saw a follow-up study that says that black tea has the same cancer-preventing qualities as green tea. It was just by chance that green tea was studied first. Or so I heard, I don't have a link, so do your own research.

[politicat]

10. If you like the Bergomot in Earl Grey, you might try Earl Green.

It's a green tea flavored with bergomot to get the classic Earl Grey flavor. This one's pretty good. http://www.englishteastore.com/1mt-egg.html

Personally, I'm an oolong fan, which is about halfway between a green and a black. Blacks also contain antioxidants as well as tannins, which tannins have a possible link to preventing obesity. (Rats given tannin supplimentation in their diet but allowed to feed freely gained less weight than those not getting tannins.)

The basic concept is tea is good for you. Drink what you like, and no, it's not as bad for your teeth.

Pcat

[bleedingheart]

11. The tannins in tea have been said to prevent tooth decay

so a little staining might be worth it...

teadrinking bleedingheart...

[ldf]

24. my very first KIDNEY STONE

per the urologist, was the result of tannin from tea. i drank a lot of tea.

plus, it got stuck in the small tube between the kidney and the bladder. required several days in the hospital, and a jackhammer resulting in lots of blood, to get rid of.

ain't been the same since.

;(

[SKKY]

12. I really like Green Tea, so that's what I would recommend...

...but black tea, chai, and Oolong are also very good. I started drinking tea on my first trip to Japan last year (1 of 5 I made in 2004) and got hooked. I feel much better when I drink tea vice coffee.

[AlCzervik]

14. i dont miss the coffee at all whcih surprises me

even now. I started drinking coffee when i was 17 and i'm 37 now. When i was sick over the holidays for some reason the smell of it made want to throw up so my husband went out and got me a bunch of different teas and i got hooked, it makes me feel better and i notice my stomach doesn't have that feel you get from drinking coffee all the time.

[SKKY]

15. I missed it quite a bit, but not having coffee around made it much...

...easier. See, let me explain something. I've been drinking coffee sine I was, like, 8 or 9. And from day 1 I loved it. So, it's taking some getting used to, but I do know that I feel much, much better physically having given up coffee for tea. Being in the military, I still require a cafein enhancment to make up for the lack of sleep, and tea fills the bill nicely. Plus, medical studies have shown that tea has strong anticarcenogenic properties.

[tjwmason]

16. I need coffee

Totally contradicting the national stereotype of the English. Without coffee I wouldn't get out of the door in the morning, but if I have any after lunch time (roughly) I can't get to sleep at all. So I coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon.

I gave up caffeine during Lent once, and my then flat-mate suffered the consequences...

[henslee]

13. Mix it up. I like herbal teas. Iced green tea with a spearmint sprig is

a great thing to keep in the fridge. There are many diff. grades of green tea -- super g ood for you. So is Yerba Mate and it will keep you wired and has more anti-oxidants than green tea. I got sort of addicted to it but backed off and can't do it every day. Peppermint really hits the spot sometimes. Chamomile is my favorite at night great with a little lemon when feeling sickie and it reminds me of my first girlfriend. I like buying tea loose if I can from a reliable fresh source but bags are okay.

[China_cat]

17. I don't know about the staining

since I haven't had any coffee in about 40 years.

But for a place to get good teas...of all kinds...Stash Tea.
http://stashtea.com/

[Shakespeare]

18. Oooh, an opportunity to plug my favorite online premium tea site!

I've been buying from these folks since 1998, when the founder, a Swede named Jergen Link, was still operating out of his garage. Martha Stewart discovered him & featured the site on her show, and his business has (deservedly) grown exponentially since then. In addition to their teas, they have a great deal of information that any novice will appreciate.

They sell the best teas I've ever had, including the BEST Earl Grey (far better than Twinings), several premium jasmine green teas, delicate white teas--and on and on. I think I'll go make a cup of Yin Hao jasmine green right now, in fact....

If you love good tea, give them a try. You will NOT regret it.

http://www.specialteas.com

[gypsy11]

21. I love jasmine green tea

Yum!
Great link too! Thanks.

[winston61]

19. two very fine vendors

Try www.portorico.com or John Harney Teas. I buy from Porto Rico because they are less expensive than Harney. Both sell very fine teas. The Earl Grey Supreme from Harney is superior. Get yourself a good tea pot and there is nothing like a well made cup of tea. Just heaven.

[musiclawyer]

20. Change it up

This is what I have in my house

Plain green

a kombuch green

black

fruit herbals

mints of various types '

chamomile

pau d'arco


The kombuch and pau d'arco are my workhorses, and probably the best for you. They are delicious aand super immune boosters/alkaliners I haven't been sick in 5 years and I have kids bringing home a lot of stuff. I don't like black and fruity teas but guests often do.

[Debi]

23. Celestial Seasonings has some good herb and fruit teas

w/out caffeine and then some decaffeinated teas (morning thunder) and gin sing teas as well. You can buy samplers to help choose what you like.

Am I naive about Celestial Seasonings? Are they a good brand?

[ALago1]

25. I'm a tea novice and I like 'em

My fave flavor is "Sleepytime" :)

[Debi]

27. Yes, great for colds and upset stomachs (or just to destress)

I am a lemon zinger fan as well (especially iced in the summer).

Thanks :hi:

[GumboYaYa]

26. I'm drinking Green tea right now.

Green tea does stain your teeth, but the anti-carcinogen effects more than make up for hat. Lately I have been drinking a lot of white tea. It has more buds and is less proceesed than other teas like Green, oolong etc. It is a very mellow tea that is very enjoyable. Apparently, b/c it is less processed, it also has more anti-carcinogens than other teas.

ON EDIT

Also, you if you are getting into tea, you have to get one of those cups with the strainer that fits the cup. It makes it so easy to steep your tea with loose tea. I prefer loose tea to bags.

[johnnie]

28. Daily Green tea drinker here also

I drink all kinds though. Regular tea has half the caffeine typically. I too am an ex coffee drinker for about a year and a half now.
I drink "standard" green teas daily, but have a lot of different types at home. I just got a great blend of ceylon blend imported from Sri Lanka.
It won't stain your teeth as bad as coffee does. But I smoke too, so I don't really notice the difference.

[seg4527]

29. dar jeeling

green teas are okay, but i like black teas better.

and i'm sure some of the other tea drinkers are going to have my ass for this...but lipton makes this mandarin orange green tea, which is pretty good.

[maxsolomon]

31. add milk, or rinse with water after drinking tea

otherwise, yes it will stain your teeth.

but no calories!

[Sanity Claws]

32. Earl Grey brands

I like Twinings and Tazo the most.
Twinings also make a Lady Grey. I think it's a nice variation on the Earl Grey.

[skygazer]

33. Twinings

I've tried them all but I like Twining's the best. I don't know about the staining.

[u4ic]

34. Ridgways Organic Earl Grey

is the best Earl Grey I've ever had. We just get it at the local drug store (London Drugs).

[DrZeeLit]

36. Adagio.com -- great tea company. All types. Excellent service.

I recently purchased their product: IngenuiTea, and loved it! So, I bought it for several Christmas presents. Even my 78 year old mom loves it.

Adagio believes in "loose tea" and they have many informational booklets available about tea.

Just sos ya know, I get no kickback from them. tea hee.