It's not just David's tea.  Steeps does the same, and there was also a chain called Tea Desire similar to David's, but I'm not sure what happened to them.

I've been using loose leaf since high school (and longer if you count what's served in Chinese restaurants), but I use teabags too.

I use teabags for my regular morning tea as I head out to work.  But if I'm drinking tea for leisure, it is usually loose leaf.  I get it from David's (at the mall), Steeped (home parties) or a fantastic local tea room that I frequent!

I love all the varieties of teas & "infusions" from Davids.  For Xmas I rec'd a gift assortment of organic fair trade teas from Davids.   I have a teapot with a central cylinder into which the leaves can be placed. David's also sells nifty little individual tea bags that you fill yourself.  Have you tried making tea latte??  Pretty good! 

I must admit I am not a tea drinker but if I do have it, I zip the bag in and out. I like chamomile and Bettethe Red's home grown. I bought a little tea caddy to put the loose tea in . I think I don't like tea so much is because my mom and dad drank it so strong you could stand a spoon straight up.My English grandmother also put a pinch of soda in the pot. What for, you may ask. I don't know.(Maybe to keep the pot clean???????)

Wc seems slow today. I hit it twice so it was an oops.

I drink loose leaf for the most part. The bags are easier sometimes but I like the variety I can get with loose. I have a tea pot that does loose and also a travel mug a friend got me from Davids tha is amazing. I love nut based teas and haven't found them in bags.

My morning tea depends on what I drink. If I'm in an orange pekoe kind of mood (ie. simply need a good, hard caffeine fix), then it's a bag (Red Rose). If I'm up for something more flavorful, then it's loose (David's Earl Grey).

At work, we have a nice selection of bag teas (Tetley's Dark Chocolate Chai is far better than I expected) but I also have a jar of loose oolong that we got in China in my credenza.

At home on weekends or holidays for a noon or afternoon tea, it's usually loose tea from China. We have a couple greens and a jasmine that is very unique tasting (not your typical Chinese grocery jasmine).

Mendalla

A pinch of soda is supposed to take away the bitterness of REALLY strong tea.  I have never tried it myself as I like my black teas quite weak.

Now for me, tea tastes the best in a very fine china cup  Something about the thinner glass enhances the flavour. (or is it all in my head?)

My mother taught us to put a spoon in the cup before pouring the tea so the glass won't crack or put the milk in first if you use that.

I mostly have bag tea . . . licorice root, ginger, chamomille, and a few others.  I have some lemongrass loose tea.  I also make ginger tea out of real ginger - I guess it isn't technically tea, just a ginger hot drink.

I've heard others say that tea in a china tea cup tastes better, waterfall.

Just a little "tea" story to make you smile.

When I first started having health issues last year and wasn't drinking anything but water, when my hubby and I were travelling back and forth to the city for appointments, we would go to Timmies, and because I wanted hot water, but wanted to pay something, he would order "chamomille tea with the bag out" . . . and I would drink the hot water and we would stash the tea bag in the glove box.  Well, we ended up with a lot of unused tea bags - I am still using them at home now, even though I have been drinking the tea for a few months now .

Actually, the one really good Chinese set we have (wedding gift??) isn't china at all. It's a type of stoneware or clay from somewhere in China that is supposed to enhance the flavour in some way. Hardly ever use it because it's hard to clean. We also have some nice china sets, both Western and Chinese, as well.

IOW, I think that what type of tea set makes the "best" tea is cultural and depends on the type of tea, too. Chinese tea tends to be lighter and more flavourful than the Ceylonese and Indian black teas that are favoured in a lot of our blends (e.g. Earl Grey).

Mendalla

I like big mugs personally.  It's just that cozy feeling, something I can curl up with and wrap my hands around.

I enjoy loose Darjeeling tea. I have a 1 cup china tea pot that I brew it in & I do put a splash of milk in it since it's a black tea. It's nice in the afternoon.
I concur with Mendella about the Red Rose tea. I like it the best. Maybe because it was our breakfast tea for years. I was actually well into my 30's before becoming addicted to coffee in the morning...
Re: mugs, cups etc. I used to prefer extra large mugs but found my beverage always cooled off before I finished it, so I switched back to smaller ones.

Oddly enough, I got a nice loose Darjeeling from my Chinese brother-in-law. He picked it up while travelling in India (like many in the burgeoning Chinese middle class, he travels a lot). I can't say Darjeeling is my favorite tea overall, but it's probably my favorite South Asian tea. That's what I used to keep at work. Should get a bag of David's Darjeeling to try sometime.

Mendalla

I mostly used bagged tea but I do have a tea ball and some lovely loose tea.

I also have a clear pot and some "flowering" tea

I don't drink a lot of tea, but when I do I make it strong. I have a tea ball and use that sometimes, but also am just as happy using a bag.

I am one of those people who basically needs David's Tea Rehab - I can't walk past one of their shops with out going in and I inevitably buy something.  That being said I always have  gone in for a lot of loose tea even before I ever heard of David's Tea - black, herbal, green, rooibos, maté I like them all.  I actually do a lot of my own blending  if it can be used in a tea mixture I've probably tossed it into a container with other ingredients at some point.

I like tea just fine, but prefer coffee, even though decaf of any drink is best for me. I have seen a few Starbucks-like shops around that specialize in tea instead. And here there are several bubble tea shops. Bubble tea, is made with tea and other things, but I think it's usually cold. The only way I've had it. It's more like a dessert drink.

http://bubbletea.com/

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I've had hot bubble tea before.  I really enjoy a ginger one when I'm congested.

Why is decaf better?  I would rather have a roobis then a decaf tea.

The Vietnamese seem to be especially into bubble tea though I've seen it in other Asian cultures, too. Every Vietnamese restaurant that I have patronized (I love pho, their beef noodle soup, so have Vietnamese fairly often) has had bubble tea. Oddly, I have not yet partaken myself.

Fortunately, I don't patronize the local mall much anymore (most of the stores we go to regularly are in a power centre in the other direction) else I might be in the same boat. In fact, if I do go to the mall these days, half the time I am headed for David's to restock.

What do you think of rooibos? I've been eyeing it for a while in both David's and Loblaw (PC has it) but haven't taken the plunge yet.

Mendalla

LOL Rowan - you may see my daughter there!!  She worked part time at David's Tea in Whistler for a couple of years - I'm not sure she took home any money, but she took home a LOT of tea!  I've never seen so many tins lined up in anyone's kitchen!!  Unfortunately the building where shop was located suffered a serious fire in November, so it's now closed.  

My Israeli friend always serves tea (usually herbal) in beautiful little glasses - adorned with lovely patterns & about the size of what we might call a 'juice glass' here.  I find that I have to let the tea cool a lot or I burn my fingers picking up the glass.  

I'm not a big fan of plain rooibos, although I know a lot of people like it straight.  I really like it in blends.  It's a nice addition in chai teas and I really like it in fruity tea blends too.

Another nice tea plant is honeybush.  It's nice plain or in citrus-y teas.

One of the biggest things that contributes to my David's Tea habit is ther website.  I have one whole shelf in my cupboard packed with tea, plus one shelf on one of my bookshelves is also filled with teas.

Rowan - have your seen their recipes - they use the various teas as herbal additions to food - pretty interesting!

How long can you leave tea in a tin before it tastes old

Depends on if the tin is truly air tight and what kind of temperatures the tea is exposed to .  I have some teas I've had around for years that still taste fine. Some I keep in he freezer like some people do with coffee - seems to keep it fresher

Agreed. My wife stores some of the tea she brings back from China the same way.

Mendalla

Thanks

'Real' coffee tastes better, but I can go decaf, or half-caf- and I will generally feel better over time.

Why not go for something naturally caffeine free instead of decaf though?  When it comes to sleeping I'm fairly caffeine sensitive, and decaf tea can still affect my sleep if I have too much too late, as it still often has caffeine in it, just not as much.

I had some kind of tea at a coffee shop, chai maybe (yum tasty) and I was just buzzing! Lol! Or Yerbe matte? I think that was it. Caffeine can jar my head awake but sometimes messes with my muscles (therefore balance and mobility).

I guess I was equating decaf with caffeine free. Sorry.

Decaf oftein doesn't taste as good either.  Maybe it's in my head, but if I'm not adding anything I think can taste a difference!

Hubby's a coffee addict too, unfortunately. It's good to get the neurons firing- sharpens thinking in the morning- but not so good, for the rest of my physicality.

The nice thing about Honeybush and Rooibos is that you can steep them practically forever and they don't go bitter the way maté or the true teas (black, green, white) do.  Makes them work really well with blends that have roots, seeds and barks (like cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, dried ginger root and so on) that need longer steeping to really get the best flavor.

Drinking cedar tea of late... great source of vitamin c

Where do you get Honeybush/what brands?  I think I've had it before, I inheritied a moving box's worth of tea when a friend moved and I believe it was in there.  I forgot about it though.

Twinnings carries some bagged teas that are honey busg blends.   I've also picked up teas that contain honeybush at David's Tea.  I think Stash tea might carry some honeybush teas in their bagged stuff too.

Any particular David's rooibos blend to recommend? I am looking at the catalogue (have to go to the mall this weekend for something else anyway so thought I might get a 50g bag to try) and they have about 16. I may just try straight first, but you mentioned not being crazy about plain rooibos.

Mendalla

Mendalla - I tryed the Pink Lemonade Rooibus from David's Tea recently and I thought it was delicious!

Thanks Rowan.

David's Tea Currant Affair and Rooibos de Provence are both really nice - both are quite fruity teas.  Thier Coco Chai Rooibos is nice too.

I don't care for plain Rooibos tea but many people enjoy it served in a fashion similar to black tea - with milk and/or honey or sugar  or just straight with no milk or sweetening.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

David's tea? Delicious. Especially "Sleigh Ride."

Bubble tea? Love the tea, hate the bubbles with a passion.