Tea

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Questions

• Where to get really great jasmine tea?
• Where to buy good loose leafed green jasmine tea?
• Tea for Toddler?

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Where to get really great jasmine tea?

June 2005

I'm looking for some fantastic jasmine tea that doesn't cost a fortune. I love the jasmine downy pearls, but they're $20 per 1/4 pound at Peet's, which is pretty steep. Does anyone know a terrific brand that's reasonably priced? Someone who knows tea once told me there's great tea to be had in El Cerrito; I'm also happy to go into the city for it. Thanks! Denise

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I'm not sure about prices, but my sister-in-law used to work at Lamyxx on Piedmont (across the street from the Piedmont Theater) and became a ''tea snob'' from her experience working with the high quality teas there. You could call to ask about their prices. anon

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I can't live without my jasmine tea in the morning! I used to get Peet's Yin Hao Jasmine. Now I go to the Coffee Market on Hopkins (just East of Monterey Market) and get their ho yin (? - something sortof opposite but similar to Yin Hao). It costs $30 a pound instead of $15.45 a quarter pound. They have the downy pearls for about $60 a pound and something a grade between for $45 a pound, but I tried them all and like the cheaper one the best. You can buy small quantities of each and test them out. Good luck. Another Jasmine Tea Lover

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Try ''Misty Tea'' on Irving near 22nd Ave in San Francisco. They have individual bags of Green Jasmine tea in boxes. I go to the City just to get this tea. I found it to be as good as Pete's usual Jasmine tea. anon

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We always keep a supply of Jasmine Tea, Fujian Tea Import, from China. It's a household item practically. Good for digestion, too. About $3 for a med. size gold tin. Readily avail. at Asian markets, like Ranch 99 in Richmond off the 580. - Daily Jasmine Tea Drinker

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My favorite jasmine tea is Peet's Jasmine Fancy, but I've found that the Trader Joe's jasmine is not bad, and it costs half as much. I like to make Jasmine Lime iced tea, similar to what Peet's sells in the summer; I use one Peet's tea bag and one TJ's, plus sugar and fresh-squeezed lime juice. I've found the key with jasmine tea (especially the cheaper varieties) is not to oversteep--four minutes is usually plenty. Tea for me

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Where to buy good loose leafed green jasmine tea?

May 2004

Does anyone know of a good loose leafed jasmine tea? Who makes it? Where can I get it?

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1. Far Leaves Tea on College in the Elmwood. They have several wonderful kinds and you can taste before you buy.

2. The new tea shop on Solano near San Pablo (next to the movie theater)

3. Peet's Yin Hao Jasmine is also pretty good. fellow tea lover

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Hi, I love green jasmine tea, it's my favorite! I get mine from either Peet's coffe, or Far Leaves which is on College at Ashby. Sylvie

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Try Celadon Tea (http://www.celadontea.com/) on Solano Ave. Personally, I like the white dragon jasmine pearls green tea. J. F.

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My favorite Jasmine tea, by far, is the ''Jasmine Downy Pearls.'' You can get it at other places that have good selections of tea, but I tend to buy it at Peet's, because it's convenient for me. It is, however, a ''rare'' tea, so it's pretty expensive compared to others. I don't care (although I don't have much money) because it's just sooooo yummy.
Love that Jasmine Downy Pearls!

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Jasmine Green Tea is one of my favorite drinks. You can usually find it at any Asian market in the bay area. The best prices I've found are in Oakland Chinatown or at the Ranch 99 market in Richmond. My favorite brand is called FOOJOY. The tea is sold loose or in tea bags. You can also find Jasmine Green Tea at places like Peets, Berkeley Bowl and Cost Plus but it will usually cost more. Donna

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Tea for Toddler?

Oct 2002

I drink green tea every morning, and my 2 year old son wants his own. I have given him little sips, but I'm concerned about the caffeine. I use a little honey in my tea, and I think the warm, sweet drink is very appealing (for both of us!) I would like a recommendation for a toddler herb tea that would be good for him. Does anyone know if there are benefits/detriments to various herb teas such as chamomile? I've tried putting other beverages in his little tea cup (but cold), but he still pesters me for mine unless his is tea-like. I also don't want to add another breakfast task like warming soy milk - I'd like it to be easy -- another cup of tea is easy, but another pot on the stove is too much hassle! -tea loving mama

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I grew up drinking tea, and here's what people in Japan give their children as they are deemed to be weaker (less caffeinated) than regular tea. 1. weak version of genmai cha. 2. weak version of Hoji cha (roasted tea) 3. mugi cha (roasted barley tea) In general, twigs contain less caffeine than leaves, and roasted barley tea contains no caffeine since it contains no tea leaves. It has a very nutty roasted taste and is delicious hot or cold. In Japan it is almost excluisively served cold in the summer. You can buy any of these at Japanese food stores including Berkeley Bowl or Tokyo Fish Market. Lastly, I would hesitate to give young children herbal teas as many people are allergic to cammomile and some of the spices used are too strong for kids. Good luck. Yuko

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Try Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion or Strawberry Kiwi tea. We add honey. My daugter loves it. I've asked a couple of pediatricians if this is OK, though I haven't given them the names of the specific ingredients of the tea, and they said yes. I've also done some research on the internet as to which herbs are safe or not safe for children. The herbs in these two teas come up safe, in moderation. I have a bit of concern that the tea may stain her teeth, but will ask the dentist on the next visit! Fellow tea lovers

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I have been giving my son, now 9, herbal tea for most of his life. We call it ''sweet and warm''. It has become one of his comfort foods/drinks when he is not well. It is great to drink very warm in the morning to clear a cough or stuffiness. I use any one of the fruit flavored Celestial Seasonings teabags and fill a cup or bowl with water and microwave for two minutes then let steep a minute more. Then I add some honey and fresh squeezed lemon juice. We started this on camping trips to keep us warm out in the cold...it's great with orange juice too. Tola

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My daughter loves the Honey Lemon tea that is sold at Trader Joe's. It is good warm, and actually tastes like lemonade when it's iced. Peppermint tea (herbal, not black) with honey is also a big treat (for both of us!). Lauren

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My daughter loves fixing tea and it's an activity she can do in the kitchen while I drink coffee and read the paper. We have a little tea set from Ikea with a little pot, cups, a milk dispenser, saucers, etc. I make her herbal peach tea which tastes like juice almost, it's really good. She gets to put the tea bag in a cup and I pour water over it and microwave it for 1 minute. She is able to pour the tea into the teapot and then into cups. I also fill her milk dispensor and she has a spoon. 15 minutes later the countertop is covered in tea and she's still there pouring, stirring and sipping. It's almost like waterplay. (This is a little girl who won't play with dolls and whose favorite toys are trains and Bob the Builder toys.) I've used warmed apple juice too for ''apple tea''. -Diana

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My 22 month old daughter and I love to drink tea together. I drink only herbal teas (with no caffeine). What I do is just make myself a cup of tea (she likes to watch and I set a timer to let her know the tea is done) and spoon a little bit of it into a regular-sized coffee cup (she *loves* having a cup like mommy has!) add a pinch of sugar and enough cold milk to make the tea just warm for her. We usually have mint tea, but I'll bet chamomile would be nice at night. If you are worried about the caffeine you could just boil a little extra water in a pot and make him his own little cup of something more kid friendly. Molly G

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From all that I've read chamomile tea should be fine. If your child has an allergy to flowers in the daisy family he could have an allergic reaction though. Otherwise relax and enjoy! We love tea too

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I must have missed the original post, but I just had to weigh in on this one. My husband's English. Grew up drinking tea. Indeed, there's nothing a nice cup of tea won't fix (I now agree with him on this). It's our nightly ritual to have a cup of tea together before bedtime. We brew regular Lipton tea in a pot, pour a little into special cups for our 5-year-old and 2-year- old and add A LOT of milk. we often offer a small cookie. Then we brush teeth and it's off to bed. It's never disturbed their sleep or adversly affected them in any way. And it's a bedtime ritual they insist on. My oldest also requests special ''honey' tea when she's sick (tea with lots of milk and honey). Drink away! Married to a Brit

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Try hot (warm) water with a slice of lemon (my personal favorite thing to drink when I have a cold) or homemade apple cider -- I use 2/3 cup apple juice and 1/3 cup water (though you could water it down more) and some mulling spices. (Williams-Sonoma sells some in a large enough tin that lasts for a year or more). It's perfect for fall and winter.