Do I dare ask on a UK site? Tea or Tisane? Or Caf vs herbal/decaf?

[oldwheels]

I like coffee but my body does not. Gastric reflux kicks off if I have coffee more than a couple of times a week. Weak tea with no milk or sugar works but again in moderation.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I find it amusing @kayakerles that you think tea will be a controversial subject. That UK based posters will be upset at your choices.

 

[kayakerles]

Only slightly serious! I realize that whenever a question is asked THIS or THAT? that the answers will be all over the spectrum, people taking strong sides for this or that for whatever their personal preference is. Really silly to ask any of those questions, but we all love to justify our own choices! Mountain bike or hybrid? 26 inch wheels or 700s? Flat bars or drop bars? Reflectors only or lights only? Steel or aluminum? You tell me how good your oranges are, and I will tell you how much better my apple is, and why, 10 different ways. But that’s humans, eh?

 

[lazybloke]

Currently going through a packet of "hard water Yorkshire Tea" which is rather nice. Not sure how it differs from the stuff that "soft" northerners drink!
An occasional cup of smoky lapsang is rather nice, but steeped with a slice of lemon, never served with millk.

Sometimes i'll just pour boiling water over some sliced lemon & root ginger.

 

[kayakerles]

Lemon & ginger, YUM, LB. Such a combo. I love ginger in any form… fresh, sliced, grated, sticks, candied, etc. In curries, any way you want to use it. Add lemon… even better. My fave (VERY spicy-hot gingery flavor) is Yogi brand. I was shocked when I bothered to read the ingredients list and learned that it contains ginger root, lemon grass, licorice root, peppermint leaf, and black pepper! (all organic.) Fantastic with or without a bit of lemon. And yet I would have sworn it is just pure ground Ginger. So good. Highly recommended.

 

[theclaud]

But nothing like a strong cup of coffee now and then with some half-and-half and a bit of sugar. I

Not sure whether this refers to chips and rice or mild and bitter.

 

[nickyboy]

Not sure whether this refers to chips and rice or mild and bitter.

Mild/Bitter is known as a pint of "Mixed" up here. Chips and rice sounds wrong...surely it's Rice and chips? I was introduced to "half rice and chips"upon moving to Manchester many years ago. Initially aghast, I came to realise it was perfect for the late night post pub Chinese takeaway

 

[theclaud]

I was introduced to "half rice and chips"upon moving to Manchester many years ago.

I'd not heard of it til I moved to South Wales. I was ordering some food in a pub and thought my friend was winding me up.

 

[kayakerles]

Not sure whether this refers to chips and rice or mild and bitter.

Not quite, TC, Stateside, half-n-half refers to the best dairy you can add to a nice strong coffee, it's 1/2 whole milk & 1/2 whole cream. After having a nice coffee with 1/2 & 1/2, plain whole milk seems like white water. (Permission for all straight-black-coffee-drinkers to defend your choices!)

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, a nice strong (decaf) coffee with a bit of sugar, and a nice splash of 1/2 & 1/2 is the next best thing to a nice cuppa herbal tea! (But oh-so different!).

 

[biggs682]

Decaf tea for me 🍵

 

[KnittyNorah]

Not quite, TC, Stateside, half-n-half refers to the best dairy you can add to a nice strong coffee, it's 1/2 whole milk & 1/2 whole cream. After having a nice coffee with 1/2 & 1/2, plain whole milk seems like white water. (Permission for all straight-black-coffee-drinkers to defend your choices!)

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, a nice strong (decaf) coffee with a bit of sugar, and a nice splash of 1/2 & 1/2 is the next best thing to a nice cuppa herbal tea! (But oh-so different!).

I understand that in the US, the richest cream commonly available in the dairy section of the supermarket is 'heavy cream' at ~ 36% milk fat. and that 'half and half' is normally anything between 10 and 18% milk fat.
Here in the UK, single cream is usually around 18% milk fat, and there are three other grades of pure, unadulterated creams with greater fat content than that - whipping cream at 38% milk fat, double cream minimum 48% milk fat and clotted cream minimum 55% milk fat. I've often offered single cream to American friends when they visited me - some of them even liked it in their tea, yuk! - and they've universally reckoned it to be better than 'half and half'. Once they got over the eggs not being in the fridge, that is!

 

[kayakerles]

I understand that in the US, the richest cream commonly available in the dairy section of the supermarket is 'heavy cream' at ~ 36% milk fat. and that 'half and half' is normally anything between 10 and 18% milk fat.
Here in the UK, single cream is usually around 18% milk fat, and there are three other grades of pure, unadulterated creams with greater fat content than that - whipping cream at 38% milk fat, double cream minimum 48% milk fat and clotted cream minimum 55% milk fat. I've often offered single cream to American friends when they visited me - some of them even liked it in their tea, yuk! - and they've universally reckoned it to be better than 'half and half'. Once they got over the eggs not being in the fridge, that is!

Wow, KN, and interesting! I guess it’s all a matter of what is available to you and what you’re used to. Although we could upgrade from half and half to heavy cream for coffee, most would think that was overkill. But I must say,” universally better” does sound nice. Oh well, I even consider half and half decadent! My morning cuppa is usually herbal tea, no sugar, no cream, better for me anyway.

 

[KnittyNorah]

Wow, KN, and interesting! I guess it’s all a matter of what is available to you and what you’re used to. Although we could upgrade from half and half to heavy cream for coffee, most would think that was overkill. But I must say,” universally better” does sound nice. Oh well, I even consider half and half decadent! My morning cuppa is usually herbal tea, no sugar, no cream, better for me anyway.

Oh, I think putting whipping cream or double cream into coffee would definitely be overkill - but single cream was enjoyed. Cream of any sort, in any sort of tea, is anathema - although I'm not a tea drinker, almost everyone I know is, and no-one would drink tea with cream. Only milk.
Hot chocolate, of course, can use as much cream as you like!

 

[kayakerles]

The only tea I ever had with any type of milk in it that I enjoyed, Norah, was with a friend from India, who made it with both condensed milk AND added sugar. I was much younger then, but I tell ya, if that wasn’t candy-in-a-cup, then nothing is! Today it would probably taste overkill. But I liked it back in the day.

 

[KnittyNorah]

The only tea I ever had with any type of milk in it that I enjoyed, Norah, was with a friend from India, who made it with both condensed milk AND added sugar. I was much younger then, but I tell ya, if that wasn’t candy-in-a-cup, then nothing is! Today it would probably taste overkill. But I liked it back in the day.

Ah now, condensed milk is a different thing again ... I remember, must be well over 50 years ago, you used to be able to get a tube of stuff which was a mixture of condensed milk and instant coffee. Squeeze a big sticky blob of it into a mug, fill with boiling water and there you had a rough (very rough!) approximation of hot sweet milky coffee!
Even better, ignore the kettle and the mug, and just squeeze a large helping out onto a spoon and eat straight, like a semi-liquid coffee fudge!