How do you take your tea?

[PRC]

Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe with a bit of skim milk.  Green Tea sometimes as well.

[mongers]

I recently decided I like tea for breakfast better than coffee (though I still drink coffee in the afternoons).

I boil my water in an electric kettle and put one bag of Twinings English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast in a cup, pour boiling water over it, let it steep for four minutes, and add half and half... sometimes a packet of Splenda.  I recently bought a box of PG Tips but haven't tried it yet.

DISCUSS.

I'd suggest dropping the Twinings, it's over priced and largely a banding 'scam', there are plenty of far better teas out there for all tastes as have already been mentioned here.

Loose obviously, if you want a better taste, as typically tea bags are filled with the inferior dust from the the production process.

Don't get hung on up tea as a English thing and concentrate only 'English' breakfast and afternoon blends.

If you want something especially British, try out some of the many Red and Gold label blends from UK companies/supermarkets;there all slightly different from each other and have been the workaday blends for a century or more.

For a nice quality, afternoon tea, why not try some Kenyan tea, I find it a good strength and very refreshing.

[Caliga]

Standard tea = Yorkshire Tea with milk. Sugar or not depending on my mood. Although I am milk first

I've tried milk first and I couldn't taste a difference.

[Habbaku]

Although I am milk first

Agreed, WTF. Besides, science shows that tea first is actually better-tasting.

[Caliga]

I'd suggest dropping the Twinings, it's over priced and largely a banding 'scam', there are plenty of far better teas out there for all tastes as have already been mentioned here.

I'm not hung up on Twinings, man... note how in my OP I mentioned getting a box of PG Tips.

[Sheilbh]

Standard tea = Yorkshire Tea with milk. Sugar or not depending on my mood. Although I am milk first

I've tried milk first and I couldn't taste a difference.

I can't. But it's a big divide and peoplea are very committed to their way.

A bit like cream first (Devon) or jam first (Cornwall) on scones.

[Threviel]

A la russe of course.

[mongers]

Standard tea = Yorkshire Tea with milk. Sugar or not depending on my mood. Although I am milk first

I've tried milk first and I couldn't taste a difference.

I can't. But it's a big divide and peoplea are very committed to their way.

A bit like cream first (Devon) or jam first (Cornwall) on scones.

I'm shocked that no Brit has yet mentioned Orwell's advice on making tea, considered by some as the definitive statement on the process.

Though given I disagree with him on one fundamental point, when to add milk, it's led me to think some of his apparently worthy political viewpoints might be a bit suspect. 

[Oexmelin]

I don't drink much tea, but when I do I boil the water with my stovetop kettle.

[Sheilbh]

A la russe of course.

In fairness I love Eastern European tea.

On a train with a glass in a podstakannik and hot water from the samovar with a shit-ton of sugar

[derspiess]

Today I had an odd 5 minute conversation with the cleaning lady about iced tea.  She had no idea such a thing existed. 

[The Brain]

A la russe of course.

Is that up the ass?

[HVC]

Today I had an odd 5 minute conversation with the cleaning lady about iced tea.  She had no idea such a thing existed. 

southern Iced tea, or northern iced tea? or both?

[derspiess]

Today I had an odd 5 minute conversation with the cleaning lady about iced tea.  She had no idea such a thing existed. 

southern Iced tea, or northern iced tea? or both?

The whole concept of cold tea, I guess.  She saw my iced tea maker and asked if she could have some café.  Tried to explain that it was tea, not coffee.  She didn't believe me, but when she tried it she was surprised.  Then she was confused as to why it wasn't cold yet.  Told her it just brewed and I put the pitcher in the fridge.  She still had a confused look on her face as I left the room.

Sweet gal, but not the brightest bulb in the pack.

[merithyn]

It depends on the tea. Regardless, I heat the water in my stove top kettle until that whistles. Then put the tea into the mug, either in the bag it comes in, or in a tea ball if it's loose-leaf, and add water.

Green Tea - plain
White Tea - honey
Black Tea - milk/cream, sugar
Herbal Tea - plain or with honey (though rarely on the honey)