Tea-time in Middle Earth

My farmer was planting fields of tea in Bree and found that she didn't just get tea leaves, she also got fine tea leaves, perfect tea leaves and young tea leaves.

Tea connoisseurs and people with legendary items may be interested to know that these tea leaves can be used by cooks to brew special drinks that provide a bonus to legendary item XP.

There's just one catch - the cook has to have at least Artisan standing in the Cook's Guild.

So, what are the benefits of a nice cuppa?

Red Tea

"A simple drink loved by hobbits."

Red tea increases your vitality by 26 for 20 minutes if you are level 50+.
A superior cup of red tea increases vitality by 39 for 30 minutes if you are level 50+.

Great for chain drinkers - the cooldown is only 30 seconds!

Red tea can be made by Supreme Cooks, no guild requirement. This recipe uses bundles of tea leaves.

White Tea

"Light, smooth and delicious."

White tea increases the amount of legendary item experience gained by 5% for 60 minutes. Requires level 51+.

The perfect wake-me-up drink to accompany breakfast - the cooldown is 1 day!

White tea can be made by Supreme Cooks with Artisan standing in the Cook's Guild once every 18 hours. This recipe uses bundles of tea leaves and a young tea leaf (which seemed to be the rarest type of tea leaf harvested from about 6% of tea fields).

Green Tea

 "Smoky, subtle and invigorating."

Green tea increases the amount of legendary item experience gained by 10% for 60 minutes. Requires level 51+.

This one will leave an after-taste that lingers - the cooldown is 2 days!

Green tea can be made by Supreme Cooks with Artisan standing in the Cook's Guild once every 2 days and 18 hours. This recipe uses bundles of tea leaves and a fine tea leaf (which seemed to be harvested from about 14% of tea fields).

Black Tea

"Bold, powerful and dark."

Black tea increases the amount of legendary item experience gained by 15% for 60 minutes. Requires level 51+.

This tea has such a strong flavour you'll have to wait several days for the shock to wear off - the cooldown is 3 days!

Black tea can be made by Supreme Cooks with Artisan standing in the Cook's Guild once every 6 days and 18 hours. This recipe uses many bundles of tea leaves and a perfect tea leaf (which seemed to be harvested from about 10% of tea fields).

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OK, so there's a long cooldown on most cups of tea, and the benefit to your legendary items may or may not be worthwhile. Perhaps while you slowly savour a cup (or make a special occasion of it and combine a nice cup of tea with Buttered Scones and Jam or Bubble and Squeak, also made by Supreme Cooks), you could take a moment to think of the English writer JRR Tolkien.

Random fact for the day - Did you know Tolkien and his school friends started a society called the T.C.B.S. (Tea Club and Barrovian Society) since they were fond of drinking tea in the school library and Barrow's Store near King Edward's School in Birmingham?

Cheers! Brewing Strong Drinks

There are a number of "strong drinks" in LOTRO that serve to make players tipsy and maybe make the screen go blurry. There are also vendors who sell a variety of beer and ale in taverns across Middle Earth, but sometimes it's more fun to try your hand at home-brew.

To make your own beverages in-game you need both a farmer and a cook.
The farmer grows the hops, the barley and perhaps some fruit for flavour while the cook turns the barley into mash, adds some yeast (ale yeast for ale, lager yeast for beer) and special ingredients then brews the mixture to perfection.

Bottoms up!

Below are some of the drinks you could home-brew in LOTRO.

Normally, drinking one of these will give you a status effect for 5 minutes (such as "You feel light-headed") and your character may have occasional bubbles floating around them. Having more than one drink will reset the timer.

Ales

Drink	Farmer Recipes	Cook Recipes	Comment
Apprentice Ale	2 Bunches of North Down Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley	Prepared North Down Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Apprentice Ale	"A weak ale with a light, bitter taste." Effect: Light-headed.
Blueberry Ale	2 Bunches of Golding Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley 1 Bunch of Blueberries	Prepared Golding Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Blueberry Ale	"The blueberry flavor is subtle, not too sweet, and surprisingly delicious." Effect: Light-headed.
Shire Spice Ale	2 Bunches of Pride of Chetwood Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley	Prepared Pride of Chetwood Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Shire Spice Ale	"A few spices create a great aroma and add to the flavor of this Shire favorite." Effect: Quite merry.
Winterberry Ale	2 Bunches of Green Hill Hops 2 Bundles of Winter Barley 1 Bunch of Raspberries	Prepared Green Hill Hops Bucket of Winter Barley Mash Winterberry Ale	"A welcomed warmth on a cold winter's night." Effect: Quite merry.
Blackberry Ale	2 Bunches of Umbel Hops 2 Bundles of Winter Barley 1 Bunch of Blackberries	Prepared Umbel Hops Bucket of Winter Barley Mash Blackberry Ale	"A full-bodied fruity ale, made from only the finest blackberries." Effect: You've muddled your wits!

Slightly drunk

Beers

Drink	Farmer Recipes	Cook Recipes	Comment
Bold Stout Beer	2 Bunches of North Down Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley	Prepared North Down Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Bold Stout Beer	"A humble brew with a bold taste." Effect: Light-headed.
Blue Bock Beer	2 Bunches of Golding Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley 1 Bunch of Blueberries	Prepared Golding Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Blue Bock Beer	"A strong lager with a very berry flavor." Effect: Light-headed.
Honeybrew Beer	2 Bunches of Pride of Chetwood Hops 2 Bundles of Spring Barley	Prepared Pride of Chetwood Hops Bucket of Spring Barley Mash Honeybrew Beer	"A hint of floral aroma gives this beer a sweet, light flavoring. Just beware of nearby bears!" Effect: Quite merry.
Strawberry Stout Beer	2 Bunches of Green Hill Hops 2 Bundles of Winter Barley 1 Bunch of Strawberries	Prepared Green Hill Hops Bucket of Winter Barley Mash Strawberry Stout Beer	"Light berry flavoring combined with a hint of wheat make for a sweet brew." Effect: Quite merry.
Ultimate Honeybrew Beer	2 Bunches of Umbel Hops 2 Bundles of Winter Barley	Prepared Umbel Hops Bucket of Winter Barley Mash Ultimate Honeybrew Beer	"A beer for all true lovers of honey." Effect: You've muddled your wits!

Quite drunk