Baby steps with tea. go from Bigelow and Twinings bags to.

[Thirston]

I guess I'm a traditional western tea drinker... boiling water gets poured over bags from the local grocery, steeped for several minutes and then voila! Tea is served.

I'd like to take a small step forward and try some loose leaf tea however I don't care to add fancy pottery or other hardware to my setup at this time (I am currently decluttering in anticipation of selling my house soon).

I do own a little steeping spoon and one of those eggs on a chain which I would be glad to finally use.

I enjoy Green, Green with peach, English Breakfast, and Darjeeling tea bags. I drink everything straight with no milk, cream, honey or sugars.

Would someone be so kind as to point me to some loose leaf tea (perhaps compressed cakes) that I could use as a stepping stone to bigger and better methods down the road. I would imagine that even using my steeping egg with loose leaf would provide a better tasting drink than my traditional bagged stuff.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bassman314]

I get teas from DAVIDsTEA. They are a canadian company, with some branches in the NE US and California.

They are also available online at http://www.DAVIDsTEA.com/. They have a HUGE selection, from typical blacks, greens, and such, to odd ball blends. I absolutely adore their Earl Grey and their North African Mint. Many of the teas are fair trade certified, organic certified, and even Kosher. The quality is quite good, and the prices are incredibly competetive. A tin of about 4 oz will give you enough tea for about 30 cups. Here's a size comparison:



The only hardware I would suggest is a thermometer. Some types of tea (Black teas, some herbals) work best with boiling water. Greens, Whites, Oolongs all like water to be significantly cooler than boiling to avoid bitterness. Get a good thermometer that can accurately go from about 150° to 250° F, and you are set. If you feel ambitious, there are hot pots available with built-in temperature control.

 

[Chris Murphy]

Loose leaf will produce a lot less bitterness than tea bags so it may seem weak at first, especially Darjeeling which I've always found to be quite a mild tea. Your best bet would be to go into a local tea house if you have one with knowledgeable staff, have a couple cups of tea, and find something you like.

 

[RevFrHeinz]

I have enjoyed using T-sac. They are unbleached sachets into which you spoon your own loose leaf tea. No extra clean up or shelf space for strainers, etc. (Although my wife and I have all that too, and love it!)

Doesn't affect the quality or taste of the tea, IMHO.

Among other places, you can check them out here: http://www.t-sac.com/

 

[Chris Murphy]

Speaking of David's Teas, these (http://www.davidstea.com/white-perfect-infuser?&TF=384C2498270F&DEID=) are in my opinion one of the best tea strainers/infusers available. I find tea balls/eggs always leak. These will work both for brewing in a cup, or brewing loose in a pot and pouring into a cup through it. The mesh seems to be the perfect size, and it allows you to stir the leaves if you need to.

 

[Chris Murphy]

Also if you are ok with ordering online http://www.specialtea.com/ is a great business, and has high quality teas. When I lived in Victoria I used to go into their storefront all the time.

 

[Doc4]

Would someone be so kind as to point me to some loose leaf tea (perhaps compressed cakes) that I could use as a stepping stone to bigger and better methods down the road.

http://www.jas-etea.com/tea-sample-packs/

I would imagine that even using my steeping egg with loose leaf would provide a better tasting drink than my traditional bagged stuff.

Yes.