Where to get some good tea and how to brew it

[jessica69]

On our India trip last year.. we got use to Indian Tea from Darjiling to brew with Cardemom & Ginger add little milk .. it gives such a refreshing kick in the morning...

It is little manual process - add indian tea, ginger & cardemom to water. Bring water to boiling hot..add little milk to taste.. and boil again.

You can also try adding a piece of Clove & little Black Pepper..to give you extra kick.

 

[gimpochin]

India has some fine teas however i cannot get into the added spices w/milk etc. ,i just like the flavor of tea,oolong,green's,The chinese do it right for me. But do drink tea everyday as it not only tastes good ,its good for you!

 

[Doc4]

India has some fine teas however i cannot get into the added spices w/milk etc. ,i just like the flavor of tea,oolong,green's,The chinese do it right for me. But do drink tea everyday as it not only tastes good ,its good for you!

I've had some really nice Indian tea in my day ... spices, milk, the whole nine yards ... and it's basically a totally different drink compared to the great stuff you can get in China.

Not 'right' or 'wrong' but 'different' and personal preference plays a big part.

 

[nff]

India has some fine teas however i cannot get into the added spices w/milk etc. ,i just like the flavor of tea,oolong,green's,The chinese do it right for me. But do drink tea everyday as it not only tastes good ,its good for you!

you want some of the best "straight" tea's out there look to Taiwan. from what i'v had they can do no wrong. just ask netsurfer he's really falling in love with them.

 

[Asuperstar]

I buy all of my tea from http://www.silkroadteas.com/servlet/StoreFront

 

[Mick]

Ok guys, so I'm here looking for a little bit of help. When I was still growing up, my dad would always drink standard Twinnings Early Gray Tea.

Twinings Earl Gray is one of my go to teas when in a hurry but my top favorite of all time is a French tea

Mariage Frères Eros

http://www.mariagefreres.com/boutique/FR/ft+eros+T911.html

I get mine from a business in Texas. Can't recall the name but if I come across it I will post it.

This black tea with hibiscus flowers is the most amazing tea I have ever tasted. It is very addictive

Has anyone besides me tried Mariage Frères Eros ?

 

[ouch]

I had to drop my kid at the mall for an hour last evening, and was reminded why I can't stand Teavana. I was literally accosted at the door by a numbskull who refused to admit that almost every offering they had was a flavored tea. It was a sickening display of customer service at its worst.

The two or three decent teas they carry are not worth the hassle of dealing with their aggressive, rude, and uninformed staff.

 

[winston61]

porto rico in ny

harney tea somewhere in new england

 

[Stevew443]

I have been getting my China Black tea from Simpsons and Vail. Their prices are good and their customer service is excellent. I once requested information regarding decaf teas and they not only provided me information, they sent me samples of every one of their decaf teas for me to try.
As for brewing, I brew loose tea in my Brown Betty pot and then decant into a heated serving pot.

 

[Infernal2]

Zhena's Gypsy Teas http://www.gypsytea.com/ They sell both loose leaf and bagged varieties of all except a very few of their teas. Their selection and customer service is impeccable and for the price, I don't think their teas can be beaten. If you are fond of Earl Grey in particular I would recommend them highly as their Earl has a depth and the tinge of bergamot I've rarely found in any Earl. And if you don't mind a little adulteration, they have a Raspberry Earl Grey that is really good. I regularly buy their Earl Grey and their Italian Chamomile and my wife is massively fond of their Coconut Chai (way better than it sounds). If you have a World Market local, they usually sell the sampler cans and I encourage you to get the one that has the Raspberry Earl Grey, the Egyptian Mint, and the Italian Chamomile just be warned they are tea bags.

 

[syngent]

I've got lots from goldenteahouse if its a tea I don't have a yixing for I usually use a gaiwan as my prefered brewer

 

[Liquids]

Nice to see some fellow loose leaf tea drinkers here ! I've been at it for about 10 years now.

I've seen a handful of previously-unknown online tea sources here - but many of which I recognize. I've tried more vendors than I care to mention!

I have a few that 'were favorites' but due to their pricing, fell off the map for me. In general, right now I do buy, primarily, from upton tea (affordable, quality, but overwhelming selection), a local affordable vendor who has some good quality/cost ratio tea (willoughbyscoffeeandTEA.com) but you have to kind of know what you are getting to sort the good from the lackluster, and harney whenever I can 'make peace' with their asking prices. I should mention that harney is probably the place I'd say, whatever you order, you can at least know you're getting a fair representation of what is 'quality,' on the market, for that style of tea. That eliminates the 'poor quality' variable which is especially hard to sort out when you're just starting.

My tastes have changed over the years. One thing I've settled on, though - cast iron teapots. I'd love to venture into yixing pots, but I'm too clumsy. I have two small size vessels - variations on a 'gaiwan' - for that option, though, those are not cast iron. Gaiwans can be found more affordably than true yixing clay pots.

Whenever I break a good teapot (most of what I've had are porcelin) and conclude that I am going to buy a new one, I try to buy cast iron, and hunt for one at good price. I've found decent ones for decent prices (amongst other ugly and/or overpriced cast iron teapots) at places like TJ Maxx/Homegoods and such, most often. They don't break....yet.

I try to pair my teapots, so I have one for brewing, and one to pour/filter into.

Regardless of how strong one likes their tea, I find that I can get two or more steeping out of almost any tea. Maybe the second steeping calls for less water than the first to get it equally strong as the first, etc, but I can't think of a tea that I just couldn't get a good second steeping out of...especially if you're balancing the amount of tea with reasonably short times and reasonable temps. Of course, if you brew a black tea with minimal leaf for 4-5 mins, your second steep isn't going to offer much by comparison unless its significantly more concentrated (less water), etc.

there's a lot of 'brewing instructions' out there, but I do reccomend that, for starters, brew your tea with more leaf than is often reccomended and reduce from there, shorter length of time than is reccomended and increase from there.

For temperatures - well, warm the pot, and for black tea, use water that is boiling or, just shy of boiling, if your tastes prefer...this helps round out with some extra-bitter/astringent teas, as does shorter length of time. for green teas - don't be afraid of cooler water and short times. Again, more leaf, less time, cooler water are a good way to start. You'll know in a few brews if the tea is simply not your style/this batch is not your taste, or if you are simple brewing it wrong more distinctly, I think, with this as a starting point.

If you like your teas strong, but not bitter/astringent - of course milk and sugar can always save the day if it's black tea, but there are teas I consistently find withstand hot water, strong concentration, and long brewing times - a good Chinese Yunnan, and Ceylon Kenilworth especially come to mind, and both tend to be affordable.

 

[ouch]

I do recommend that, for starters, brew your tea with more leaf than is often recommended and reduce from there, shorter length of time than is recommended and increase from there.

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[Bill R]

A good Assam tea, boiling water, pot must be warm, then let it brew for 3 or 4 minutes.
Pour and a spash of milk (sugar if you must)... the result is superb.

 

[bugler]

I would like to contribute my 2 cents worth of experience.

One day, fifteen years ago, the wife and I went for a stroll through china town. We stumble upon a small tea shop when the owner invited us into his shop to participate in their customary tea drinking ceremony.
Fast forward till today. Tea drinking and tea brewing just like shaving is an art. This owner has taken time to teach us the art that they have known for thousands of years. So what kind tea have settled into?

 

[McJAGGER]

I highly suggest Teavana, I have never had an issue with them here in MN. Actually, they are quite helpful in educating a noob. If you have a smartphone, they have an app that suggests proper brewing brewing times and temps for each tea.

 

[Liquids]

I highly suggest Teavana, I have never had an issue with them here in MN. Actually, they are quite helpful in educating a noob. If you have a smartphone, they have an app that suggests proper brewing brewing times and temps for each tea.

Like a few here, I myself am not a big fan of Teavana. If asked why...well, their prices are too high, and most of what they sell are flavored/aromatized teas and tissanes. It's not that I'm not a fan of such teas. I just know that I can get the same or similar elsewhere for more reasonable prices, and teavana is a serious treck for me while other vendors are closer, for one...

As far as I know, though, Teavana pays their employees a good wage, and I respect that entirely. Likewise, it may be hit or miss, but they may make the initial need for education about tea a lot easier for beginners, here in the USA, where tea that isn't housed in a bag is rather mysterious, and those who drink it and can show you things in person are hard to find. Teavana is a company worth getting to know, but I wouldnt swear by them, nor swear against purchasing from them.

I can't speak for the aforementioned Teavana app personally - but it could be misleading to think there are 'proper brewing times and temps for each tea.' I would never mind a suggestion....but at first, for me, I was reading reccomendations on how to brew teas like they were sacred, and ended up missing some teas I now love (brewed differently) and spent a lot more time, trying to figure out how to brew teas than I did enjoying them. I'm glad I tend to be persistent... I've been unsucessfully searching for the link I found one day, that finally 'set me free' from the mindset that I could not brew teas without a timer, thermometer, perfect measuring tools, and so on. It took me a while to break away from that even after I read it, but the article changed everything, and I enjoy my tea times so much more. They are far less stressful. And I rarely brew a pot I dislike. I learn something everytime, too.

Guidelines that generalize green/black/oolong/etc, which are common, seem to over-simplify what is all essential to the tea - not just the tea purchased (I'll take 1/4 lb of 'green tea?'), but how one brews it. There are hundreds of green tea variations alone, that really call for distinct attention to brew temp range/steep time/proportion to group them all as if the same, IMO. But if you use general starting points...I would think what would be handy is a companion that offers 'if you want it less strong, try this...if you want it less bitter, try this...if you want to get more for your money, try this...etc' because, each tea style can be very distinct, and each person seems to want something different out out of their teas.

Maybe it's the age-old difficulty of left brain vs right brain, or classical musician compared to 'folk/jazz' musician, etc...but, I'm more of a 'guidelines' kind of thinker, than a 'rules' and 'proper.'

In contrast, though, just for a reference what Bill R stated about an Assam - that is totally the traditional 'proper' way to brew Assams. I can't argue against that! I might even say, most people who like Assams would agree. That's 'the way,' period.

But to this day, I'm shy to try them, because I followed all those rules like they were laws. I also may just not appreciate assam teas. I respect tradition and hundreds and thousands of years.
In parallel, there are unacknowledged variables. I personally don't drink my tea with any milk or sugar. Rhetorically - is that the very baseline assumption and foundation that the aforementioned 'proper' way to brew an Assam is built upon?
I mean...a weak, non-tannic brewing doesn't make for a flavorful drink with much tea-flavor if you're planning on adding milk (etc.) and/or sweeter...
Is it unacceptable to like the taste of Assams but try and restrain some of the bitterness, enjoy the malty richness, not use any milk or sugar, etc?

Maybe it's improper, but if I were to have an Assam, I'd add a proportion of cool water to the pot before I added boiling water to the pot, depending upon the size...and steep for a brief time...or, get the pot super hot, add boiling water, but have a timer and brew for a very short time, first time.
That's just me - I buy what I like, and, when I have in hand something I 'don't like' for various reasons, I do try and 'shim' it, via brewing approach. I also joyfully accept a cup of tea offered by hosts and friends that was made from a lipton tea bag. =]

 

[Doc4]

I highly suggest Teavana, I have never had an issue with them ...

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[face]

Hope you find this article informative and useful!

 

[SiBurning]

I'm becoming a big fan of fresh teas, though I do still enjoy puerh. My favorite teas are the nicer Assams and Taiwanese Oolongs.

I'm rather picky with the oolongs and prefer most of them quite fresh. IMHO, by June, the better winter oolongs--my favorites--aren't worth the money anymore. A few of them last well enough, but they lose the best quality they have to offer--those nice, lightly toasted botanical scents.

For Assams, I find 3 minutes is too long in boiling water. Better to use more or find a stronger tea. There's some very nice teas coming out of Kenya that are stronger for a milk & sugar drink that don't require more than 2-2.5 minutes. Of course, there are stronger Indian (and regional) teas, too.

The best of the Assams, especially the oolong-type Darjeelings, suffer the same loss of scent over time. I don't mind the loss of freshness so much from a $7/4 oz tea (e.g. the Upton blends) but it keeps me from ordering the $15-30/oz teas in quantity. Good thing is, there's plenty of tea seasons spread over the calendar if you don't mind going just a bit global with your teas. The trick is finding them when they're fresh--something I still don't have a handle on.