Coffee is tasty, convenient, and buzz-inducing– and I love it. But too often I wonder why tea isn’t just as popular?

Tea can be an acquired taste, but I might argue that it’s easier to acclimate yourself to tea than coffee. If you’re willing to forgo the high road of coffee & tea shop snobbery and slum it up with me, I have some thoughts on tea.

First of all, I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of plain tea blends. Anything I drink generally has to have some kind of flavoring to it. Depending on the flavor, I may or may not add a sweetener to it.

Tea is such a simple beast, preparation-wise. All you need is boiling water, a cup, and a tea bag. Throw sweetener into the mix if you feel so inclined (crazy).

Chum with a ceramics major and drink your tea in style. I read on A Nice Cuppa recently that it helps to maintain a creative mindset if you surround yourself with creative objects. Heidi Goertz supplies my mug fix, such as the delightful specimen here.

If you’re drinking black tea, go ahead and boil the shit out of your water. But if you’re drinking green tea, you’ll burn the leaves if you pour boiling water on them, so try to estimate and take the pot off the heat somewhere around 80°C to 85°C (176°F to 185°F) (See: Wikipedia on Tea).

Here are my favorite teas:

• Harney & Sons’ Hot Cinnamon Spice
  Buy from The Third Place or The Roasterie
  This is my favorite black tea. Drink it all by its (and your) lonesome.
• Tazo’s Organic Chai
  Buy from any grocery store
  Add some honey and a splash of milk. I personally cannot drink this without honey– it is way too strong.
• Lipton’s White Tea w/ Mango & Peach
  Buy from any grocery store
  The ghetto offering. I like this when I want something more soothing. This tea plays well with Splenda (which seems to make some other teas taste really bitter).