Decaffeinated tea
My doctor has told me to drink no more than my regular cup of tea in the mornings. This means that on the weekends, I don’t get to make a pot of tea and leisurely drink the whole thing. It also means that when I’m cold at work, and it is the middle of the day or afternoon, that I can only drink decaffeinated tea instead of regular tea.
The main problem with decaffeinated tea, as I see it, is that it tastes terrible. It has none of the round and rich-bodied flavor of regular tea. It tastes like Lipton or stale, old tea. It has a similar flavor to when you try to brew a second cup of tea from the same basket of tea leaves – an attempt to be frugal that I only made once because of the terrible taste.
I do have some Wild Berry Plum decaf tea from Republic of Tea, but it is far too fruity for my tastes and doesn’t have enough black tea taste. Probably because the decaf black tea taste is so terrible that they’ve bumped up the fruit flavors to cover it up. I’ve looked through their catalog carefully for decaf teas, but most of the teas that I enjoy do not come in a decaf version. Again, I’m convinced that the taste must be too wretched for their standards.
Now that we are going into the winter season and a nice cup of tea sounds so much more appealing in the afternoons, it is disappointing to have this realization. I guess I’ll have to switch to herbal ‘teas’ or tisanes and just give up on black tea altogether.
Well, except for my wondrous cup that I get to enjoy over breakfast, of course. mmmmmm teeeeeea. (I say as I sip from my cup of All Day Breakfast)
Amber says:
I am sorry to hear about your tea troubles, but I can’t really help you. Most decaf teas are absolutely dispicable tasting to me. It’s so hard to find something that tastes good. There are a few that I do drink that are ok, but are a bit fruity and cinnamony, and I think you might have mentioned you really didn’t like the cinnamon flavor.
Blech.
Too bad its not like coffee, where the decaf tastes pretty much the same, or I could suggest all kinds of stuff to drink!
I noticed that you brought over that peppermint tea, which I also have. I LOVE that stuff, but I can only drink it every so often because the taste is so strong to me. How is that holding up for you?
But at least you get to enjoy that good one cup in the morning, right? Mmm… Good luck in your search. I’ll let you know if I find anything for you to try out.
LadyBug says:
How disappointing for you. I know how you love your tea. I hope you find a suitable replacement.
jenski says:
Hmmm…time to get a taste for herbal teas? A nice cup of hot tea at the end of the day is very relaxing! I’m a fan of Tazo Passion and hibiscus teas in general – what a great flower!
Texas Seestor says:
Hmmm. I really don’t have much advice other than to recommend some herbal teas. Like Jenski, I am also a big fan of the Tazo Passion tea. I also like the Republic of Tea Mango Passion Fruit. Stash (I think that is the name) has a good mint tea and a strong raspberry.
I know how much you enjoy your tea drinking, so I hope you find something that you like…even if it is herbal. : )
Squirl says:
Is this one-cup-of-tea-per-day for a specific amount of time? I hope it’s not forever. Generally, tea is so good for you.
I hope you find something you like as a substitute.
Danielle says:
Thanks for all of the kind words and the suggestions, everyone. I will have to try some of those hibiscus and passion teas again to see if I’d like drinking them in the middle of the day.
Squirl – unfortunately, I think this is a ‘forever’ kind of prescription due to some medical issues that I have. They don’t want me drinking extra tea or anything caffeinated for that matter. I also really miss Diet Coke when I’m out at restaurants, but at least I can drink Diet Coke caffeine free when I’m at home and want a soft drink (which is rare, but occurs when I eat pizza, or other greasey foods).