by Janelle Wazorick
March 01, 2022
Life can be crazy: business meeting here, errands there, and work, work, work from 9 to 5. But that doesn't mean our tea habits have to suffer. While it's great to sit down, enjoy a cup of tea, and contemplate life, sometimes we just have enough time to take a thermos, brew our favorite tea in it, and go (Adagio's
ActiviTEA is great for that!). Some teas are easier and quicker to brew than others, so here are some great teas to take with you as you head out the door.
A classic blend that is both quick and easy to brew. Unlike a lot of black tea blends (which can take up to five minutes to brew), Earl Grey Bravo can be ready in about three minutes, perfect for satisfying that black tea craving in almost half the time. With leaves that are small enough to fit in your favorite tea travel mug (and don't need to expand a lot), you can start to brew this tea on your way out the door. Enjoy on your way to work.
Brewing green tea can be a tricky procedure: the water temperature has to be just right and brewing too long can lead to an astringent beverage. But then there are green teas like Gunpowder, a very forgiving green tea. Though it's known for its slightly smokey flavor, Gunpowder is a mild tea with low astringency. While I'd recommend leaving the water temperature up to a tea kettle for those busy mornings, leaving the leaves brewing in the water too long isn't the end of the world. Gunpowder understands things get hectic: it'll still leave you with a pleasant beverage to take with.
Another busy day ahead and it just seems like there's never enough sleeping hours during the night. Who doesn't need that extra caffeine boost in the morning? Irish Breakfast is a great way to give you that extra spurt of energy you need to get you going in the morning, and it's a drink you can prepare while you're getting ready. A watched pot never boils, so just let the water heat up as you get ready. When it finally heats up, pour the water on some Irish Breakfast tea leaves and let it brew for five minutes as you finish up. By the time you're ready, so is your tea.
Busy days and tight schedules are a recipe for upset stomachs and frayed nerves, which is why peppermint tea is a must for those kinds of days. An herbal tea with zero caffeine, Peppermint has a calming effect on nerves and is a remedy for queasy stomachs. It's a quick way to refresh yourself on those days where you're running out of the house for that important meeting or that job interview.
Pu-Erhs are some of the easiest teas to brew. Unlike many teas, they can be brewed for as much as 30 minutes without getting bitter, meaning that you can pop some Pu-Erh in a travel mug and leave it until you're ready to sip. You can even use the leaves for multiple infusions: simply refill with hot water and go. Pu-Erh Poe is a great classic Pu-Erh: no astringency, no hassle, a pure tea. It's a soft, woodsy tea, bringing you back to that relaxing trail in the woods on those hectic days.
Even though it's not a true tea, Rooibos has a very similar taste as black tea. It pairs great with other flavors like fruit and cocoa (which you can add yourself or buy in a blend), it's mild, and it has zero caffeine. You can even mix it up a little add milk and sugar. And don't worry about oversteeping: this is an herbal tea that will not oversteep if you happen to forget it's brewing in your thermos. Just fill your thermos with hot water, add the Rooibos, and go!
I love Japanese green teas, but they need special attention to brew with overbrewing turning an excellent tea into a very astringent cup; not exactly ideal for a to-go tea. But then there's Kukicha, a Japanese green tea with the grassy flavors characteristic of Japanese green teas but more forgiving. A combination of tea leaves and stems, Kukicha is sweet and quite mild in astringency.
While I do recommend sitting down and relaxing while enjoying a Japanese green tea, if you need to bring a little comfort with you, consider putting some Kukicha in your thermos: it's brews quickly, it's forgiving if you slightly overbrew it, and it allows you to enjoy a grassy green tea when you're running out the door.
A lot of people love taking coffee with them on the go, but what about the tea drinker or the coffee-enjoyer who wants something with less caffeine? Often recommended to coffee drinkers as an introduction to the world of tea, Hojicha is a roasted green tea (which is why it brews brown). Ready in about 2-3 minutes, this small-leaf tea is a great choice for portable tea infusers. Next time you're rushing to an important meeting with a client, consider taking this great roasted tea with you.
Though black teas can be great to-go teas, sometimes we want a lower amount of caffeine in our thermos. Formosa Oolong has similar properties of a black tea but with the caffeine content of an oolong. In both flavor and caffeine, it's a mild boost with a smooth flavor to help you get through the day. On top of that, you can brew it with simple boiling water. What more can you ask for in a black tea alternative?
Perhaps you want something milder and quicker to brew than Formosa Oolong, but you still want those great benefits that come with drinking an oolong. A quick brew (around three minutes), higher water temperature, and delicious, Fujian Rain is a great oolong to sip on the go while also delivering that moderate caffeine boost. And, like most oolongs, Fujian Rain is great for multiple infusions, meaning you can continue to sip this oolong all day long.
Even more suggestions
Presto Teas couldn't be easier on the go - just add water. Presto Teas are liquid tea concentrates made from our very own hand-selected full leaf teas and water- that's it! Try them all in
this sampler. Will work with any travel mug!
Got at
travel tea-brewing device? Any of the
Portion Samplers would be great for on the go! Just add the appriopiate temperature water, no measuring of tea required.
