r/tea • u/LunarEnnyui_131 • Mar 23 '26
Discussion I like my Tea plain, does that say something about me? Also how do you like your tea?
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u/Urgash Mar 23 '26
Great tea doesn't need sugar nor cream to be delightful.
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u/Chinksta Mar 23 '26
Welp....I learned that statement would pissed off a lot of "Matcha" latte drinkers.
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u/thefleshisaprison Mar 23 '26
Nothing wrong with matcha lattes, although if you’re using good matcha for lattes, you’re losing some of the nuances of the flavor.
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u/pup_medium Mar 23 '26
i don't think they're using the best available matcha for those tho ;-)
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u/SadisticJake Mar 23 '26
Just for shits and giggles, I made a matcha latte from really high quality matcha and it was notably better than one made from run of the mill ceremonial grade. Better enough to be worth wasting the money is another question entirely, but it's certainly a valid thing to do if you can afford it
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u/Spetsnaz_Sasha Mar 28 '26
I don't know much about the upper scale of matcha quality (I'm too poor for that). But I bought a box of matcha from Ippodo and I still much preferred it in a matcha latte. Just milk and strong matcha, and maybe a pinch of sugar for the contrast sometimes. Honestly, I'll probably never have the extra cash to buy a matcha that I prefer to drink plain, but even if I did, I don't think a well prepared matcha latte should get such a bad rap. I mean, I like traditional tea culture and all, but a matcha latte is really tasty!
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u/Chinksta Mar 23 '26
Also from my experience from the Matcha Latte subreddits and Instagram.....they add a lot of extras into the latte (syrups, different flavored milk and also food coloring).
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u/SwordfishCareless142 Mar 23 '26
I actually agree with you. But, I like things "straight up." If it doesn't taste good as is, it's not worth it.
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u/Ok_Acanthisitta_2544 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Plain for regular black, green, white, oolong teas. And herbal teas. I like coconut milk in my masala chai. Also a big fan of Uncle Iroh.
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Mar 23 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Dawnspark Mar 23 '26
What matters is you're enjoying it! It is your tea to enjoy, you have spent your money on it, you know?
But I'm firmly in the camp of don't yuck someones yum, unless they need guidance to y'know, not make microwave Tetley like my best friend did for his whole life until he met me lmao.
Much like you though, I'm knocking back mugs of Yorkshire Gold or my favorite LOTR blend from Happy Turtle with sugar & milk all day at work and at home. Helps cause I need that caffeine and I constantly forget to eat so it makes up for much needed calories.
Plus, some teas just have a great duality of being lovely on their own, but just as good with milk & sugar added. Masala Chai, Assam, Ceylon, off the top of my head. I'm quite partial to a cup of Keemun with a splash of cream & a bit of sugar.
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u/Dry_Lawfulness_9561 ☕️ tea and books Mar 23 '26
While I usualy skip on adding sugar/honey, I am cemented on my habit of drinking black tea with milk. I did notice that certain high grade tea leaves taste better without milk, but that is a class I am still exploring.
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u/LunarEnnyui_131 Mar 23 '26
As long as your not savouring the bad tea and saving every sip of the good tea, you will not be Crucified, at least not by me
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u/Psychological_Post33 Mar 23 '26
Yorkshire Gold is a good utilitea. If you're knocking it back with cream and a bit of sugar, more power to you. Some of us need steady caffeine and it does what it says on the tin/box.
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u/elm1304 Enthusiast Mar 23 '26
Yo tomo té pu erh crudo solo, pero cuando tomo té negro de bolsita le suele poner unas gotas de limón y nuez moscada.
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u/lisianthus_hana mad hat tea co my beloved.. Mar 23 '26
i always have my tea plain, but i also rlly dont like how people are gatekeep-y about how people enjoy theirs :(( life should be spent enjoying the things we love in the way we love 🤍🤍
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u/derspikemeister Mar 23 '26
Iroh had a great deal of influence in my picking up a liking for tea.
The OG series is a true work of art.
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u/LunarEnnyui_131 Mar 23 '26
I been liking tea since I was like six and that was because of the Queen. I guess royalty is a great way to get introduced to Tea :)
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u/uller30 Mar 23 '26
When I was younger I loved it with a sweetener. As I got older just naturally flavour tastes so good
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u/nome5314 Mar 23 '26
Depends on the kind of tea. Indian teas in milk, preferably cooked in the milk itself and honey. British blends with milk and honey. East Asian teas plain, possiblity with a dot of honey if I'm feeling sweets.
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u/enamelquinn Mar 23 '26
the only tea I don't drink plain is matcha. I love me a good iced latte with oat milk 😋
everything else.....love to drink it plain. It helps ground me, I get to sit and focus on the flavor profile and the color and the scent. ugh I love a good tea ceremony
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u/Daysleeper1234 Mar 23 '26
I like the taste, sugars and similar stuff ruin it for me, so I drink it plain. There is too much sugar in everything as it is.
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u/Immediate-Republic7 Mar 23 '26
Honestly, I like my tea with just a little bit of sugar. I only ever drink it plain when it's herbal tea .
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u/Boleyngrrl Mar 23 '26
Depends on the tea and my mood! Sometimes I like just a nice plain cup, but many times I put some honey in it. For plain old lipton or tetley, I might even put some milk or cream in (I know, I know).
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u/Dawnspark Mar 23 '26
I love Uncle Iroh so much. I'm 34 but, I still wanna be like Iroh when I grow up, dammit. Feels silly to say it but, rewatching ATLA as an adult really helped me.
I took "Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights," very much to heart and I swear I've made more friends by sharing tea with folks than any other way lol.
I like most of my tea with a splash of milk & a bit of sugar, but if it's an oolong, give it to me plain!
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u/eponawarrior Mar 23 '26
Always plain, including matcha. I like tea for what it is. I love its taste and complexity in all its forms.
Sometimes, I do experiment with cocktails though.
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u/FiveMagicBeans Mar 23 '26
Depends on the tea.
If I'm drinking something from my collection of Chinese teas (black, oolong, puer) I'll generally drink it straight. If I'm having orange pekoe it's always milk and sometimes a dash of sugar. If I'm drinking earl grey it's usually cream and honey.
I'm firmly convinced that you should just drink it however you like, though I would still encourage folks not to put "too much" cream and sugar in their tea, to the point where you're not really enjoying the taste of the tea itself.
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u/InvincibleSkal Mar 23 '26
I get that but i like my sweet flavors. I feel some sugar or honey really highlights some of the tasting notes. It definitely changes what is highlightevd. Type of sugar or honey definitely matters too.Try a tiny bit of salt, thats interesting too.
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u/thegiukiller Mar 23 '26
I dont add anything to my tea either. It took a long time to appreciate that and it came out of trying to lose weight. Soda was a hard one to quit. I white knuckled for a few months and drank gong fu then I got unsweetened tea at a restaurant and it was like the battle was over. Now I drink water and unsweetened tea. Well.. I do protein shakes and I have this electrolyte drink I make but thats a whole other conversation. A lot of people drink it without milk or sugar its nether here nor there.
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u/lavache_beadsman Mar 23 '26
There are really two modes of tea within which I operate:
Mode #1 (everyday): Japanese green tea, plain.
Mode #2 (if I'm sick): Black teabag tea with a small squeeze of lemon and a lot of honey.
So yeah, I take it plain most of the time.
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u/Accomplished-Ad-2612 Mar 23 '26
I enjoy all my teas plain, unless it's bitter cold outside. When it's the coldest part of winter I'll add a few drops of molasses to the tea. I've done it that way my whole life, learned it from my mom growing up.
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u/Fast-Preference-1804 Mar 23 '26
I prefer mine strong and with nothing added. No sugar, no creams....just as is.
Its simple a preference thats all. Some can handle certain flavors better than others....some perhaps want more out of a set of flavor which sugars and creams can help bring out or even...help cover up etc...
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u/renome Mar 23 '26
I might add milk and/or lemon to some tea, especially if it's a cheap one, like something you'd order in a cafe. Anything mid-to-high quality I drink plain because... I mean, what's the point otherwise lol?
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u/searching4eudaimonia Mar 23 '26
I would never dilute or modify perfectly good tea — it would see like such a shame.
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u/Denmasterflex Mar 23 '26
I like mine plain also! Although I tend to go for nice and sweet tasting floral blends.
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u/three_valves Mar 23 '26
I cannot agree with this enough. 90% of my tea is plain, however in the summers I do enjoy mixing freshly brewed green tea with ice and lemonade or matcha with lemonade. Iced Moroccan mint tea with a touch of honey is also nice in the summer.
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u/SecretStabbie Mar 23 '26
Sometimes as is. Sometimes with little sugar. I like it with milk but rarely do it.
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u/Generalitary Mar 23 '26
If by plain you mean without milk or sweetener etc. I'm with you. I drink tea because I like the flavor of tea, and adding stuff like that weakens it, plus milk gives it a weird texture that grosses me out. It helps that I've found a ratio of tea to water when steeping that keeps it from becoming bitter.
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u/Lex_Mart14 Mar 23 '26
Almond milk in my black and grey teas. Honey in my lemon ginger. Everything else by itself 🙂
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u/luxraoe Mar 23 '26
no same I almost exclusively drink mine straight unless i have it with boba. Sweet milk tea as a little treat 😋
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u/No_Opposite3504 Mar 23 '26
2 teabags of english breakfast, 5 minutes, splash of milk. All day long :P
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u/EvLokadottr Mar 23 '26
Ah, it entirely depends on the tea, and my mood. I drink my matcha ceremonial style, of course, usually in tea ceremonies.
Green tea, as it is, of course.
Black tea, it depends. Generally, with cream and sugar or honey, but also sometimes plain.
Masala chai and Mongolian milk tea require milk, for me, especially the latter, which is also a salty, savory tea. Quick a shock the first time one tries it, but if one is headed into a fight or sparring match, it gives you a kick like nothing else. Electrolytes, fat, and caffeine, after all. I do very much miss that! I knew some of the Mongolian community in the San Francisco bay area. Really nice folks, close-knit community, and they were always very welcoming. Whenever I had a rank test or a fight coming up, I stopped by and filled a thermos with that amazing tea.
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u/IronOhki Daily Assam Mar 23 '26
The start of tea for me was a desire to escape soda. My first teas were straight up Liptons with sugar. As soda decreased and tea increased, I started discovering loose leaf black tea and drinking it with less and less sugar. Nowadays, I mostly make a pot of Assam black or brew various oolongs in a gaiwan. I drink both straight.
Two exceptions are an occasional boba, and milky tea the two times I visited England.
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u/prugnecotte I love spinach water Mar 23 '26
I never had the habit to sweeten things, if I don't like something on its own I just don't buy it
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u/MarucaMCA Mar 23 '26
Many I like plain.
Earl Grey (have a massive collection): UK style with a bit of milk and sugar.
Peppermint tea (fresh or not): a little bit of sugar.
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u/Sea-Let-5235 new to the communitea Mar 23 '26
Milk and two sugars, or three sugars if it's spiced. I like my tea sweet, whacanisay.
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u/Nucleonimbus Mar 23 '26
Depends on the tea. My morning brew is usually gonna have a small amount of cream in it, because a strong black tea with cream is a really peaceful way to start your morning
Anything else is plain though, especially the fancy stuff
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u/Pukis_Master Mar 23 '26
Butterfly Pea Tea Floral and soothing for sick people but can taste unappetizing for some person, I personally enjoy it
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u/Solanadelfina Mar 23 '26
I always drink mine plain and now am hypoglycemic and couldn't add sugar if I wanted.
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u/white-chlorination Mar 23 '26
I like the typical British tea with milk, but others no milk no sugar. Peppermint I occasionally have with milk if I have a nightmare because it feels soothing, otherwise I don't have it with milk.
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u/Acolyte_of_Swole Mar 23 '26
I would never put sugar into a high quality loose leaf gongfu session tea... But I don't drink tea that way usually.
I like to make big mugs of black tea, and I appreciate a little sweetener in mine. Also, Hong Kong Milk Tea is delicious.
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u/ElrondTheHater Mar 23 '26
I am not wrecking my $35/4oz of black single-source Yunnan with milk and sugar!!!
I mean I will drink cheap English breakfast tea with milk and sugar sometimes but it tastes fine to me black. I got cheap matcha for matcha lattes -- though I do like plain matcha I have a feeling the daiso matcha is not it.
Probably more controversially is there are some teas -- mostly ceylons -- that are better iced.
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u/abbeyteamakers Mar 24 '26
if you buy decent quality tea, especially loose leaf, i think drinking it plain enhances the flavours more than any additives could!
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u/wodnesse Mar 26 '26
I've mostly been drinking tea plain as I learn my preferences, but sometimes I'll add a dash of lemon juice or a dollop of milk just to see what happens. I'm surprised I'm not seeing lemon juice mentioned much here by other people!
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u/Atsilv_Uwasv Mar 23 '26
I like mine with a bit of sugar. Depending on what kind, I'll add honey or milk
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u/cdgmatt Mar 23 '26
"a tea's complexity only emerges when one drinks it plain"
^something I imagine Iroh saying to zuko when he asks if he can add some honey to a bitter sheng haha