Bagged vs Loose Leaf

[scaevola]

My parents like Stash tea, but I've never been fond of it. I've been hoping to eventually branch out into loose leaf tea, but haven't had the opportunity to yet. I also like tisanes, though my parents don't understand what the difference between it and tea is even though I've explained it.

What do you guys think of loose leaf vs bagged? And what sorts do you like of each/either? I miss home where there were tons of teas everywhere. Iowa has a horrid selection.

 

[SiBurning]

This came up recently. I think the gist was that you get better quality with loose tea. Or maybe it was that almost all bagged tea was of poor quality. And loose is cheaper. Or something like that. I only know that it's almost impossible to find my good first flush Assams and Darjeelings, or Taiwanese oolongs in bags.

 

[scaevola]

Can I get a link? I search before posting but I didn't find anything.

 

[SiBurning]

Ah! It was about black tea.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/208053-Suggestions-Black-Tea-Bagged

 

[Helveticum]

Difference is the grade of tea. Stuff that gets packeted is some of the lowest quality you will find. Just start with some Ahmad or Akbar that you can find in an ethnic shop, but more importantly - juts read, read, and read, until words like oolong, darjeeling, assam, pu-erh etc actually mean something to you There's a plethora of information regarding tea on the net, and the more you've read the easier it is to know exactly what you want and where to look for it.

 

[JPDyson]

Bagged tea quality varies just like loose tea quality varies; however, the overall range of quality for tea in bags is typically lower. I've had some delicious bagged tea, though (and some bad loose tea).

There are very few "cut and dry" answers in tea. It drives me nuts some days.

 

[joshgambit]

scaevola, you could buzz over to Jordan Creek Mall. There is a Teavana in the mall. Personally, I think that their teas are expensive and possibly overrated. Downtown Des Moines also has Gong Fu Tea. Ames has Ames British Foods - Marcus has some great bagged teas. World Market carries PG Tips, Twinings, and I think Barry's.

BTW, where's home?

 

[scaevola]

I've heard bad things about Teavana, and I don't know what mall you're talking about. I've only lived in Iowa three years. I only know where Ames is because ISU is there.

I'm from the Seattle area--that's home. I do not drive, I live in the middle of nowhere when school isn't in session, and I'd rather buy online because there hasn't been anything that's very accessible to me.

 

[joshgambit]

Well, Teavana isn't my first choice for tea. Jordan Creek is in West Des Moines. I'd have to do some research about where you could go locally. I don't buy any tea online, so I can't help you there. But if you'd like, I can see what I can track down in your area? Do you live outside of Iowa City, then?

 

[scaevola]

I'll just ask at the Java house where they get theirs. My parents aren't interested in anything but the cheapest tea they can get so it's not even worth bringing it up for the summer. It's easier for me to just get it online.

I've never actually been to Des Moines, that's about 100 miles from me. I live outside of Iowa City during the summer--I hate summers. You don't need to go to the trouble, there's a few places to inquire about it here, but they're hard to get to and they're snobby according to other students. The one place that would sell anything is an "organic" co-op, and they're expensive. I want to go back to the city, but c'est la vie. Two more years.

 

[netsurfr]

If you are looking for online teas, I carry an extensive line of loose teas to include pu-erh, green, white, oolong, black and white. In addition, I recently started carrying my own line of premium bagged teas that come in pyramid tea bags so that the tea can expand better. I refer to these teas on the site as tea sachets to distinguish them from your run of the mill tea bag. I have tried all of these teas and find them to be excellent. They are particularly handy when I need something when I am away from my normal environment where I can infuse a loose tea (conferences, meetings in another location, etc.).

Let me know if I can answer any questions.

Cheers,
Steve
www.JAS-eTea.com

 

[grasshopper]

I grew up north of Ames and somehow managed to get my first graduate degree at U of I in Iowa City. The summers there are hot and humid. You can actually see the water shimmer in the boiling air. We drank gallons of sweet tea. There are interstate highways. We hitchhiked and rode buses all over the region. Some of us had cars. Life was not wretched, and snobs were few and far between. Certainly big cities have much to commend them, but I've lived in worse places by far than Iowa City, LOL! You miss the big city, but Chicago is just a couple of hours east in a straight line, and there are some nice tea houses there. Life is good.

 

[scaevola]

I'll take a look at your site, Steve. I always love looking at tea!

I've never been to Chicago, it's slightly hard on a bike. Everyone's experience of cities is different, in example: my parents hate the west coast and I don't.