Any tea drinkers?

[Tonks]

Any tea aficionados here? My daughter is really into tea and has asked for loose leaf tea for Christmas. While I really like tea, I haven’t bought loose leaf tea since Teavana was around. Would appreciate any recommendations for where to find good loose leaf tea!

 

[Alistra]

I love tea! My husband and I both enjoy it daily. Harney & Sons is great, and for a treat, Steven Smith Teamaker is even better. I think either would make a great gift.

 

[lala646]

Seconding Harney & Sons (my fave flavor is Paris), and adding Pinky Up (Earl Grey Macaron) and Kusmi (Anastasia & Tchai of the Tiger). All do great loose leaf sets if she wants to try a variety of flavors.

 

[dk168]

Your nearest Chinatown?

If there is a big enough Chinese/oriental population, then the shops may have a good selection. There may even be a tea shop or two!

Supermarkets may have some to try to start with, like Assam (strong), Darjeeling (weaker and more fragrant) and Earl Grey (fragrant and delicate).

For Chinese teas, I like Jasmin, Po Lei and Oolong. They can be very expensive depending on their age and whatever.

I also like Japanese green tea, and also green tea with toasted rice which is nutty.

I believe you may be able to get a selection box with mini tins from Amazon as a starter, however, I could be wrong.

Good luck in your search!

DK

 

[yssie]

I’m a tea person too!!

The Asian marketplace near has an entire aisle devoted to tea, that’s a great idea! I love browsing for things I’ve never had (sometimes don’t even recognize)

For my staples… I’m such a middle-tier snot. I love Republic of Tea. Their stuff is good, I don’t think it’s great, probably, but it’s always baseline good and not super pricey and very very predictable - I know exactly what I’m getting every time I buy. My fave is earl grey with a little vanilla and nutmeg and cinnamon, and steamed milk cut with eggnog…

 

[dk168]

While out shopping for loose leaf tea in Asian stores, it may be worth looking for a teapot with built in strainer, in case your daughter needs one.

DK

 

[Rfisher]

For the sheer ease of one stop online shop with wide variety and 12-15g samples of loose leaf being ideal for sampling and learning what one might like -
Upton Tea
For more novelty blends available along with staples -
David’s Tea
For a blend of the two reasons above-
Adagio

 

[Alybird]

If you have a Japanese market around, they should have a gift section full of world class loose teas in nice packaging.

I recommend Genmaicha (toasted rice green tea) and Ceremonial Matcha (best of the best). If she doesn't already have one, a matcha whisk would be great to accompany the tea.

I also recommend an herbal blend with chamomile, hibiscus, orange peel or rose hip base.

Harney and Son's has a great English Breakfast / Earl Grey.

For a real treat, Tie Guan Yin is one of the most divine and crystal clear oolong teas ever. This variety is expensive but worth it. It's very high end and almost mythically revered for its quality.

If you have a local farmer's market, I would also suggest picking up a jar of local honey.

If she doesn't already have one, a Breville water heater or better yet, a Zojirushi water heater (with settings for 140, 195 and 205 temps) is a great gift for a tea lover.

 

[minousbijoux]

For the sheer ease of one stop online shop with wide variety and 12-15g samples of loose leaf being ideal for sampling and learning what one might like -
Upton Tea
For more novelty blends available along with staples -
David’s Tea
For a blend of the two reasons above-
Adagio

I second Upton Tea - love ordering from them (quick delivery) and love reading their catalogue of so many varieties

 

[Ally T]

My nickname is Tea Belly......

I love tea! I drink at least 6 cups a day of various brews. Can't start my day until I have a cup of tea in my hands, though it's always English Breakfast Tea first thing.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

not a tea drinker

Gary is
he drinks lots of the stuff
just Dilma from the supermarket im afraid
tea flavoured kisses ewwwwwwwwww

 

[stracci2000]

I'm a tea drinker.
I've bought lots of fancy teas over the years, and loved them all.
But....I must say that I have reverted back to the original and best. Lipton.
There, I said it. It really tastes great, it's in every supermarket, and it's reasonably priced, too.

But if you need loose tea, Brooke Bond Red Label is very tasty. And great for making chai!

 

[Tonks]

Your nearest Chinatown?

If there is a big enough Chinese/oriental population, then the shops may have a good selection. There may even be a tea shop or two!

Supermarkets may have some to try to start with, like Assam (strong), Darjeeling (weaker and more fragrant) and Earl Grey (fragrant and delicate).

For Chinese teas, I like Jasmin, Po Lei and Oolong. They can be very expensive depending on their age and whatever.

I also like Japanese green tea, and also green tea with toasted rice which is nutty.

I believe you may be able to get a selection box with mini tins from Amazon as a starter, however, I could be wrong.

Good luck in your search!

DK

Not near Chinatown, but there is an Asian supermarket in town and that’s a great idea!

 

[Tonks]

I’m a tea person too!!

The Asian marketplace near has an entire aisle devoted to tea, that’s a great idea! I love browsing for things I’ve never had (sometimes don’t even recognize)

For my staples… I’m such a middle-tier snot. I love Republic of Tea. Their stuff is good, I don’t think it’s great, probably, but it’s always baseline good and not super pricey and very very predictable - I know exactly what I’m getting every time I buy. My fave is earl grey with a little vanilla and nutmeg and cinnamon, and steamed milk cut with eggnog…

@yssie , my daughter is a big Earl Grey fan as well. Also chai and various herbal teas.

We always do boxes of tea in stockings but this year she stumped me by specifically requesting loose leaf (I haven’t bothered with it in years, but I do have a cute little kettle with a strainer built in!).

 

[Tonks]

While out shopping for loose leaf tea in Asian stores, it may be worth looking for a teapot with built in strainer, in case your daughter needs one.

DK

I have one! It’s super cute and I suspect that may partly be behind her sudden urge to try loose leaf. She also saw cute little gadgets online that were animal shaped strainers you could suspend on the side of cups….so this was intriguing.

If you have a Japanese market around, they should have a gift section full of world class loose teas in nice packaging.

I recommend Genmaicha (toasted rice green tea) and Ceremonial Matcha (best of the best). If she doesn't already have one, a matcha whisk would be great to accompany the tea.

I also recommend an herbal blend with chamomile, hibiscus, orange peel or rose hip base.

Harney and Son's has a great English Breakfast / Earl Grey.

For a real treat, Tie Guan Yin is one of the most divine and crystal clear oolong teas ever. This variety is expensive but worth it. It's very high end and almost mythically revered for its quality.

If you have a local farmer's market, I would also suggest picking up a jar of local honey.

If she doesn't already have one, a Breville water heater or better yet, a Zojirushi water heater (with settings for 140, 195 and 205 temps) is a great gift for a tea lover.

We have an electric kettle, but ours is just boiling. I love the idea of one with various temps! Didn’t know that existed—thank you!!

Y’all have given me great resources—thank you all so much!

 

[adlgel]

I can't speak to whether this is low-brow or high-brow tea, I just know I like the way it tastes but Tea Forte (teaforte.com) has a lot of nice gift sets. Most of their gift sets contain individual tea "bags" (they aren't really bags, they are tea pyramids) but some like this one contain loose tea. https://teaforte.com/products/tea-gifts-favorites-gift-set-604039

They have a wonderful iced tea set and their iced Ceylon gold tea blend is my absolute favorite iced team.

 

[GeliL]

Also a hardcore tea drinker. I have so much loose tea leaves at home that my drawer cannot fit anymore...

Everyone's suggestion is great. If your daughter is into fruity flavors I will also mention that Lupicia, a Japanese tea shop that has a branch in Hawaii, has really good fruity flavours! I recommend their muscat teas and peach oolong. They are great hot and cold as well.

 

[dk168]

Ooo, Indian chai as in strong spicy aromatic milky sweet tea is yum.

One of my friends would make it in a similar way to making Turkish coffee, by boiling loose tea leaves like Assam in a pan with milk and water, with added spices like Garam Masala (she makes her own blend), with sugar to taste, then strain into a cup.

I do that from time to time at home.

DK

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I love Hu-Kwa tea, which you can order on line from Mark T. Wendell.

 

[vintageinjune]

Daily tea drinker here! These awesome people have the tea brands covered, and I also loved the suggestion of a tea kettle with different temperature settings for different types of tea (that's on my wish list this year! )

THIS ( https://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html ) is my favorite way to brew loose leaf tea though. I have a few other cup- insertable strainers which are fine, but this is so easy, and I know exactly how much tea I'm making/how much is left.

 

[Austina]

Have drunk tea from the time I was a baby (yes, I drank tea from a bottle ), no fancy flavours for me, just good old black tea. We put 4000 tea bags in the container when we shipped all our things from the UK. Can’t remember what it was now, either PG Tips or Tetley.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

OK peeps. I drink tea. Lots of great suggestions here so I won't weight in on that.

That said, those who drink tea with milk/creme & sugar: is it sugar first then creme....same time/do you make a slurry..or milk then sugar? Is there a "proper" order?

cheers--Sharon

 

[xsouzie]

I like Tazo English Breakfast, Earl Grey and organic chai. Also Republic of Tea's Queen's Cake vanilla fruit tea and spiced chai. For loose leaf, I prefer La Durée Marie Antoinette and Mélange.

HI:

OK peeps. I drink tea. Lots of great suggestions here so I won't weight in on that.

That said, those who drink tea with milk/creme & sugar: is it sugar first then creme....same time/do you make a slurry..or milk then sugar? Is there a "proper" order?

cheers--Sharon

I don't know if it's proper but I do sugar then cream.

 

[Matata]

This place is a half hour north of me. I've gone there for High Tea a few times. The teas are delish.

All

The best High Tea in Southern Oregon. Voted Best Event Venue in Southern Oregon's Best of the Best 2018. Buy high quality loose leaf tea online and shipped to your door.

theteapotonwheels.com

 

[Alybird]

HI:

OK peeps. I drink tea. Lots of great suggestions here so I won't weight in on that.

That said, those who drink tea with milk/creme & sugar: is it sugar first then creme....same time/do you make a slurry..or milk then sugar? Is there a "proper" order?

cheers--Sharon

I believe it is milk and then sugar according to an article I once read about how to do it the "proper" British way.

 

[Austina]

As a Brit @canuk-gal, we always put the milk in first (never cream) then sugar to taste. I believe Queen Victoria used cream in her tea!

 

[LilAlex]

"I don't drink hot liquids of any kind. That's the Devil's temperature!"



Fam teases me with this; the first sentence is actually true. (I mean maybe the second is, too, but it does not inform my decision.)

 

[kgizo]

Spice & Tea Merchants

LOCATIONS — Spice & Tea Merchants

www.spicemerchants.biz

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I almost forgot: Harrod's sells a very nice Earl Grey tea (number 42).

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Having a cup of one of my fav Vahdam teas. With a couple of drops of 10% creme. Yum.

cheers--Sharon