I need help kicking my tea addiction!!!
 

I know calling it an addiction sounds quite dramatic (and in ireland its normal to drink a LOT of tea) but i have 6 or seven big cups a day! each with a spoon of sugar, resulting in a lot of points used up on tea alone! I shouldnt even be drinking it in the first place because i have a caffeine intolerance and i get heart palpatations if i have too much caffeine. i would never touch coffee or red bull or high caffeine drinks like that but the cumulative amount i get from tea is probably the same!
so i need something to wean me off... i love hot drinks, and i have a very sweet tooth. i enjoy green tea but i only drink that when im stressed, as i find it very strong and it makes me sleepy.
does anyone know any herbal teas that are naturally sweet? id like not to have to add honey or sugar, and i dont use artificial sweeteners because ive heard some horror stories! or some hot drink that i could make myself out of various ingredients?
i would really appreciate any help you can offer, im determined to get off the tea!

I don't think you'll find any herbal teas that are naturally sweet. You may find some more or less bitter, however. Do you like chamomile? That's a pretty mild-tasting tea. Then again, my tastes are different because I pretty much won't drink tea or coffee if it's been sweetened, I just don't like the taste! I find fruit teas to be more bitter, actually, than herbal teas... Not sure why.

Can you find another sweetener that you haven't heard horror stories about? Maybe stevia? I don't use it but I know some who do. It's plant-derived, maybe that would help you kick the sugar. :shrug: Hopefully others have better suggestions :)

I bought some Stash Licorice Spice Tea and it is wonderful..if you like black licorice..you can order it online http://www.stashtea.com if they don't seel it there...

Don't know about any naturally sweet teas but I do find a cup of hot water with a tsp of Splenda and a Tbsp of lemon juice can be nice when I do not want to add any more caffeine to my day.

I like Rooibos teas, I find them naturally a bit sweeter, I also LOVE blueberry tea which I also drink unsweetened, however I am not a "sweet" person when it comes to coffee or tea (DH is however and he likes both of those teas plain also) We use stevia and xylitol packets for sweetener when necessary--both are from natural sources and are not chemically created.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos

I love Earl Grey with just a touch of honey to take any bitter out (although it is good without the sweet too - I don't find it bitter really - just like the slight taste of honey). Not sure about there, but here in the states there is a non-caffeinated version of it that is awesome.

I don't know how sweet you like your tea, but the two that were mentioned above are pretty good and worth a try.

Like Manick, I recommend rooibos. It's naturally sweet. I don't drink sweetened hot tea, so it doesn't quite work for me there, but I love it as iced tea!

Since you add sugar anyway, you should give it a try. Just make sure the rooibos that you buy is all rooibos. Some brands have black or green tea added. One I saw said "invigorated with orange pekoe".

Thanks for all the help! Ive seen rooibos everywhere so i think ill give it a try! ive also heard good things about xylitol so i think ill have a search for that too!

This one might sound weird, but have you considered weening yourself off the sugar in the tea? It sounded weird to me to drink unsweetened tea until it occurred to me how many people drink black coffee (yuck!)

I'm a tea addict, too, but I'm in for iced tea. I can easily drown a 2 qt. pitcher if it's sitting in front of me. A couple years back, it occurred to me that my regular brew seemed too sweet, so I cut back on the sugar a little bit.

Then I cut a little more out and then a little more. Over the course of a month or so, I managed to cut out ALL of the sugar. That was about 8 years back. At this point, I prefer my tea completely unsweetened for the most part. I never noticed the "nuances" or "complexities" of the teas when they were drowned in sugar. (hehehe - am I turning into a tea snob?) My one exception is Starbuck where I'll use two Splendas. That little bit of sweetener rounds out the big bitterness of their iced tea really nicely without overdoing it.

Good luck, and if you manage to completely quit tea, let me know how. I can't give it up.

I just recently discovered Yogi teas. . and they're amazing! They're not extremely sweet but the spices in them satisfy my sweet tooth. Each flavor has a specific benefit and are named as such, my favorites are Slim(Fasting) and Digest(Lemon Ginger). Both are caffeine free and super yummy! I actually have packets with me so I'll give you the run down of what's on the label:

Slim: To maintain the support and energy you need while on a weight-loss diet, drink throughout the day
Ingredients: organic fennel seed, organic licorice root, barley malt, organic cinnamon bark, organic red clover, organic alfalfa leaf, organic gotu kola, organic english hawthorn berry, garcinia (cambogia) fruit extract, organic cardamom seed, organic ginger root, organic clove bud, organic burdock root, organic dandelion root, yellow dock root, natural passion fruit flavor, natural plum flavor, organic black pepper, natural cinnamon oil, natural cardamom oil, natural ginger oil

Digest: As a digestive aid, drink our Lemon Ginger blend with your meal. Repeat 15 to 20 minutes after your meal. To soothe an occasional upset stomach, sip a cup as needed.
Ingredients: organic ginger root, organic lemongrass, natural lemon flavor, organic locorice root, lemon peel, organic peppermint leaf, organic black pepper, natural licorice flavor, citric acid

Each tea bag also has a cute and inspiring affirmation or proverb on the tag at the end of the string. . .usually about loving yourself or believing in yourself or reaching success.

I found them at my local Harris Teeter and they're not too expensive for being organic.

Hope this helps!

I have a yogi tea I love too! I found mine at my normal Kroger, in the organics section. Mine is Green Tea Active Body, it is the best tasting green tea blend I have ever had. The back of mine says "keep yourself at peak performance with a cup of green tea active body. This unique blend starts with soothing and detoxifying turmeric. We add devil's claw and yucca to help decrease recovery time from pain that may result from exercise. What's more, green tea provides a free-radical fighting boost while ginseng helps you reenergize. No need to wait. Get invigorated, get energized, and get active!"

Soooo yummy. :p

Ohhh I love that one too! I forgot about it b/c I don't have it sitting in front of me LOL. I was a bit weirded out at first when I started seeping it and my green tea was seeping red! Haha. But it tastes really good and isn't super earthy/rice tasting like some green teas but is still organic and has the awesome benefits of green tea.

Ive always wanted to buy yogi teas, the packaging is so nice! and now theyve been recommended bya panel of 3FC testers ill definitely give them my custom!
I made a wee breakthrough today: i had oat milk (i found it in the health shop, its sugar and fat free but is rich tasting) in my tea and i didnt need sugar, the oat milk took the edge off the bitterness completely! id never heard of it before and i wouldnt drink it alone but i found something its nice in!