Five Teas I'm Enslaved To

Over the years, I have come upon many types of tea and have a definite top five favourites. Please allow me to now share my comments and suggestions for their usage and what foods they can help create or compliment.

Tea Grading Scale: http://www.wtea.com/about-tea_grading.aspx
This will help you purchase tea with a better knowledge base behind you. Always go for tips and pekoes.

White Tea:
White tea often comes in many different blends. It has a mellow flavour and can be blended with lots of sweet fruits and fruit derived products. My white tea preference is when it's mixed with berries or berry blossoms. Tazo has one called berry blossom white. I don't think they carry it in full leaf quality or better. It's probably just a mix of twig and leaf fragment but it's a good intro to white tea. Tetley has some decent ones too. Get a feel for it before you drop $20+ at a specialty tea store. Some blends have a bitter aftertaste, you really need to read up before you buy.

Chai Tea:
Another often times hairy but tasty tea variety. Watch out for strange chais that are too heavy on spices like cumin and cardamon. Many a chai tea can also be nutmeg and clove heavy. I had one chai with so much clove/clove oil that it partially numbed my mouth. So look out! Reckon what spices are in most chais and taste them in boiling water by themselves to see if you like them at all before you buy chai!

English Breakfast Tea:
It's tough to go wrong here. A light breakfast tea with mild citrus notes often times. Just buy the grocery store brands and move up from there. I like Twinings. Oh how snobby. :P

Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard's tea staple. He and I have very strong views on Earl Grey. Remember the episode where he's given Darjeeling? Not pretty. I don't mind Darjeeling so I wouldn't throw a fit like Picard but yeah, when I ask for Earl Grey, give me Earl Grey. Stay away from Twinings in this tea variety. They've done some sacrilegious tampering in the past. Go with Tetley. Anyhow, look out for these three things: #1 Too much bergamot. Some companies go crazy with the bergamot oil to the point where it forms a thin film at the surface of the cup of tea. #2 Too much citrus peel. Sometimes the blenders like to pile in the lemon peel which makes the tea sort of bitter. #3 Too many cornflower petals. They add in nice notes but do you want your tea to taste like flower petals? Probably not.

Darjeeling:
Yes, yes, I do like Darjeeling. Not every day but around once a week. In fact, I'm long overdue right now. Did you know that Darjeeling is halfway in between an true black tea and an oolong because of how it's aged? I rarely like oolong but there is something about Darjeeling that balances the notes out. Also, true Darjeeling tea must come from Darjeeling, India. It's the same idea as how Champagne must come from Champagne, France. I've only had it once but I prefer white Darjeeling. It's sweet and mellow and nearly caffeine free. Anyhow, when buying Darjeeling make certain it's from India, otherwise it's not authentic!

Happy Tea Drinking (and feel free to ask questions)!