Good teas for the bad weather

Staying warm and caffeinated in the rainy season

By Greg Waldock, Staff Writer

It’s November, and we’ve officially hit the crappy weather. We got lucky with a long summer, and now we have to pay the price. Fortunately, we’re in the right town for teas to warm ourselves up with after the long commute home. Here’s a list of loose leaf teas from around the city, perfect supplements for a good book or last-minute essay editing.

Name: Buckingham Palace Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Great Tea Wall

A vanilla-heavy Earl Grey mixed with lavender. Simple, classic, and versatile, there’s no situation this doesn’t work well with. It’s a great twist on a common breakfast tea, and it’s great for when you want something comfortable and familiar. The scent is out of this world.

Name: Pumpkin Chai Type: Black/Chai Tea Where to buy: Great Tea Wall

This is Frankenstein’s Tea. And I promise, it’s the only pumpkin-based drink on this list. A fusion of pumpkin spice, vanilla cream, and cochin masala, this is a strong-yet-smooth tea with a decent spice kick. It’s warming in the way only chai can be.

Name: Get Smart Type: Green Tea Where to buy: DavidsTea

Fruity and energetic. It has strong tones of currant and raspberry, so if you’re looking for a sweet pick-me-up, this is it. It’ll wake you up faster than most breakfast teas. This is an extremely good choice for staying up until 4 a.m. and obsessively researching courses for the upcoming registration. And then being put on a waitlist for the good courses, anyways.

Name: Lapsang Souchong Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Anywhere, but especially Chinatown

Man, this stuff is awesome. It’s a tea that looks, smells, and tastes exactly like campfire charcoal. But in a good way. It’s so soothing and relaxing, you could be drinking this on a roller coaster and be perfectly calm. The ultimate book-reading tea. It’s sold anywhere that has loose leaf teas, but the best will usually be found in tea shops around Chinatown. Have fun exploring for this one; it’s an experience.

Name: Tim Hortons Double-Double Steeped Tea Type: Black Tea Where to buy: Rock Bottom (Tim Hortons)

You’re late for class, it’s raining, and you have a toonie in your pocket. That’s your only excuse to walk in with this simple favourite. Remember, fortune favours the budget conscious!