I really think of tea bag tea vs loose tea as two separate drinks...I'll use a tea bag for convenience if I'm in a hurry (PG Tips or Harrogate), but the fact of the matter is that nothing starts the day in so fine and luxurious a manner as a whole pot of fresh Ceylon tea, the stronger the better. I had white tea once; it wasn't my (oh, forgive me) er, cup of tea, as it were, but then I'm generally a "black tea with a bit of milk" type. That said, I often like a pot of Lapsang Souchong when I'm working, which I always take plain. I agree that outside the UK it's relatively difficult to find a decent cup of tea unless you make it yourself, which puts me in mind of the great Ginger Baker lament on the subject...

Thirstily...

~D