Sorry if the title brings thoughts of political rage to your mind, I couldn't resist, but this is not about that.
So, my SWMBO normally does all her holiday shopping online, mostly on Amazon, and will be starting in the near future. I have decided that at my ripe old age (30) I want to get into more of the 'good things in life', and as such have started to look into things that have gone by the wayside in the US. One of those things is Tea. And I don't mean dist filled bags, saches or rounds. For the time being I am dealing with Briglow bags, but I want to move into 'proper' tea, AKA loose leaf.
For those die-hard coffee men, no, I am not leaving your ranks. I still drink my morning joe, but I have started drinking tea in the evenings, and sometimes in the afternoon when not too busy.
TANGENT: How do you Brits find the time for daily 'tea time' breaks? Or is that no longer the norm on that side of the pond? I am part British, and would love to have a set tea time every day, but it just does not work well here.
My trouble is, which teas to ask for (add to my wish list). I have seen Taylors of Harrogate mentioned here before, and I know there were some others. I need good recommendations for which brand.
I drink mostly black teas, I like Earl Grey and English Breakfast blends, some Ceylons are ok, but some Ceylons I have had are weak for my taste. The standard Lipton and Tetley blends are OK as well.
The brands I see on Amazon for loose leaf are:
* Ahmad
* Ambassador Organics
* Argo Tea
* Billy Tea
* Boston Tea
* China Mist Iced Tea
* Coffee Bean Direct
* Davidson's
* Di'ls Royal Tea
* Dilmah
* English Tea Selection
* English Tea Store
* GenerationTea.com
* Hampstead Tea
* Harrisons and Crosfield
* Hediard
* Island Teas
* Kings Loose Tea
* KokomoTea.com
* Leaves Pure Teas
* Leaves Pure Teas by China Mist Brands
* Lipton
* Malden Tea
* Mighty Leaf
* novus
* Numi
* Octavia Tea
* PG Tips
* PierMall Teas
* Puripan
* Revolution Tea
* Samovar
* Stash
* Summit Tea Company
* Taylors of Harrogate
* Teance
* Teas Etc
* Teavana
* Tetley
* The Tao Of Tea
* The Tea Nation
* The TeaSpot
* Tie Guan Yin
* Twinings
* Two Leaves and A Bud
Tea Party
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razorburned
- Posts: 758
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 7:20 am
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Tea Party
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic
Hmm...tea is one of my favorite things, and has been since I was in my early teens. I'm an American hard-core tea drinker, and might offer some perspective in that regard--for the little that it's worth.
At some point, "tea time" for me began to happen regularly at two times: in the morning, for breakfast, and in the afternoon, after work, but before dinner. It's sort of an "after work" relaxation thing. I drink tea throughout the day, but those are times of high probability.
The one site I'd recommend for tea in the US is the Upton Tea Company:
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp
They have fair prices, good online services, and one of the best selections of tea anywhere. Browse and see what catches your eye.
I'm also partial to Tea Source (www.teasource.com), but that's as much about my regional attachments as anything else; you'll find similarly nice tea stores throughout the US.
As for mass market brands, I do like Twinnings and Taylors of Harrogate. Republic of Tea is also good, although a bit more pricey (although probably worth it).
Going another step down in terms of price and quality, I do like Numi. Tazo is also a good brand for cost. I've noticed Bigelow offering some organic teas which are decent, and Stash can be good in a pinch.
I generally avoid Teavana, as I find it horribly, horribly, horribly overpriced. I have similar feelings about Argo, but more positive.
As for types of tea, my favorites by far are black Yunnans and Pouchongs (which are a green/oolong). If you're looking for something with nice body, a decent Yunnan might be something you'd like--they're often chocolatey and spicy in quality. I also like Assams, which tend to be more astringent and malty, but also with a lot of body and richness. If you like English Breakfast blends, you'd probably like an Assam as it forms the base for many of them. You might also like some African teas--look for a CTC tea (e.g., a tea that has been cut into teeny weeny pieces, like coffee grounds, as opposed to longer-leaf teas).
Even though my two favorite styles of tea are from China/Taiwan, I think the most interesting teas right now are coming out of India. The variety is astounding, at good prices.
I'd recommend purchasing something from Upton, TeaSource, or finding a local store that sells loose leaf in bulk if there's one around.
At some point, "tea time" for me began to happen regularly at two times: in the morning, for breakfast, and in the afternoon, after work, but before dinner. It's sort of an "after work" relaxation thing. I drink tea throughout the day, but those are times of high probability.
The one site I'd recommend for tea in the US is the Upton Tea Company:
http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp
They have fair prices, good online services, and one of the best selections of tea anywhere. Browse and see what catches your eye.
I'm also partial to Tea Source (www.teasource.com), but that's as much about my regional attachments as anything else; you'll find similarly nice tea stores throughout the US.
As for mass market brands, I do like Twinnings and Taylors of Harrogate. Republic of Tea is also good, although a bit more pricey (although probably worth it).
Going another step down in terms of price and quality, I do like Numi. Tazo is also a good brand for cost. I've noticed Bigelow offering some organic teas which are decent, and Stash can be good in a pinch.
I generally avoid Teavana, as I find it horribly, horribly, horribly overpriced. I have similar feelings about Argo, but more positive.
As for types of tea, my favorites by far are black Yunnans and Pouchongs (which are a green/oolong). If you're looking for something with nice body, a decent Yunnan might be something you'd like--they're often chocolatey and spicy in quality. I also like Assams, which tend to be more astringent and malty, but also with a lot of body and richness. If you like English Breakfast blends, you'd probably like an Assam as it forms the base for many of them. You might also like some African teas--look for a CTC tea (e.g., a tea that has been cut into teeny weeny pieces, like coffee grounds, as opposed to longer-leaf teas).
Even though my two favorite styles of tea are from China/Taiwan, I think the most interesting teas right now are coming out of India. The variety is astounding, at good prices.
I'd recommend purchasing something from Upton, TeaSource, or finding a local store that sells loose leaf in bulk if there's one around.
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KAV
- Posts: 2607
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 pm
- Location: California, just above L.A. between the Reagan Library and Barbra Streisand's beach house
California is seeing some grocery stores aimed at the growing immigrant market from India with latino, kosher and even some eastern european offerings. The produce isn't cosmeticaly perfect but wholesome and cheaper. The good news too is tea. I bought a 17.6 oz tin of AHMAD EARL GREY for all of $7 VS $ 18 in the yuppie market. You may encounter purple boxes of Indian Barooti black tea under the SHAHRZAD brand in 14 oz boxes very reasonably.
AHMAD is UK owned and produce in Sri Lanka, or Ceylon. www.ahmadtea.com I've tried many brands, but this one is excellent for the price.
AHMAD is UK owned and produce in Sri Lanka, or Ceylon. www.ahmadtea.com I've tried many brands, but this one is excellent for the price.
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
Ah!...tea!...finally a topic here I can really get into. I am a hard core tea drinker. In fact, it's practically all I drink other than water....my wife is the coffee aficionado around here. Tea is, of course, an huge subject and you might want to check out some of James Norwood Pratt's excellent books on the subject.
Tea, like shave goods and toiletries, has become a source of ongoing anger and depression with me. Like them, the ranks of the 'really good stuff' has been decimated in the last ten years or so. I have catalogues from British Express from the '90s just chocked full of excellent British teas that one can no longer get. Some, like Jackson's of Piccadilly, Drysdales, and Melroses have been absorbed into larger companies and have essentially disappeared. Ditto for Ridgways as best as I can tell. And some of these firms even held Royal Warrants up until not that long ago. It's very sad and frustrating. Twinings used to have a line of excellent teas, called 'Vintage' that are now long gone and nothing decent can be gotten from them unless you can visit one of their two shops, or at least live in the UK and know what to ask for by phone. So, as far as Britain is concerned, Fortnum & Mason and Taylor of Harrogate are about all one can get without a great deal of hassle ( and the Ahmad Breakfast tea, which is surprisingly good ). But, F&M, while obtainable, now has to be ordered direct from their operation in London and the shipping costs they charge are outrageous. For years, I drank their Tippy Assam in the morning, or occasionally their Breakfast Blend....superb and consistant teas, but the shipping costs have now priced them out of my league. Taylor of Harrogate continues to offer real quality orthodox manufacture blends and they can be gotten in 1/2lb, 1lb, and 2lb bags from British Express.
Personally, I have a preference for tea from old established British blenders and often am willing to pay extra to get it. But a more pragmatic suggestion has already been made above; Upton Tea. They are importers and retail sellers in Mass. and their offering are consistantly of good quality. Simpson & Vail is another such firm. I buy from both at times. Their catalogues can be rather daunting for one not conversant with tea lingo but one can start with some universally recognized blends and types, English or Irish Breakfast, basic quality Darjeeling, etc. Time enough for single estate teas later if you really want to get heavily 'into' it.
Well, that's enough for now. Best of luck, good hunting, and glad to have you joining us civilized tea drinkers. BTW, sadly, I hear that the tradition of Afternoon Tea and the Tea Break in England is in sad decline. Most Britons are now, apparently, being driven as mercilessly as Americans, almost all civility and refined taste having gone down the drain. I couldn't believe some of the going-ons over there that AndySam used to PM me about.
Regards,
Gordon
Tea, like shave goods and toiletries, has become a source of ongoing anger and depression with me. Like them, the ranks of the 'really good stuff' has been decimated in the last ten years or so. I have catalogues from British Express from the '90s just chocked full of excellent British teas that one can no longer get. Some, like Jackson's of Piccadilly, Drysdales, and Melroses have been absorbed into larger companies and have essentially disappeared. Ditto for Ridgways as best as I can tell. And some of these firms even held Royal Warrants up until not that long ago. It's very sad and frustrating. Twinings used to have a line of excellent teas, called 'Vintage' that are now long gone and nothing decent can be gotten from them unless you can visit one of their two shops, or at least live in the UK and know what to ask for by phone. So, as far as Britain is concerned, Fortnum & Mason and Taylor of Harrogate are about all one can get without a great deal of hassle ( and the Ahmad Breakfast tea, which is surprisingly good ). But, F&M, while obtainable, now has to be ordered direct from their operation in London and the shipping costs they charge are outrageous. For years, I drank their Tippy Assam in the morning, or occasionally their Breakfast Blend....superb and consistant teas, but the shipping costs have now priced them out of my league. Taylor of Harrogate continues to offer real quality orthodox manufacture blends and they can be gotten in 1/2lb, 1lb, and 2lb bags from British Express.
Personally, I have a preference for tea from old established British blenders and often am willing to pay extra to get it. But a more pragmatic suggestion has already been made above; Upton Tea. They are importers and retail sellers in Mass. and their offering are consistantly of good quality. Simpson & Vail is another such firm. I buy from both at times. Their catalogues can be rather daunting for one not conversant with tea lingo but one can start with some universally recognized blends and types, English or Irish Breakfast, basic quality Darjeeling, etc. Time enough for single estate teas later if you really want to get heavily 'into' it.
Well, that's enough for now. Best of luck, good hunting, and glad to have you joining us civilized tea drinkers. BTW, sadly, I hear that the tradition of Afternoon Tea and the Tea Break in England is in sad decline. Most Britons are now, apparently, being driven as mercilessly as Americans, almost all civility and refined taste having gone down the drain. I couldn't believe some of the going-ons over there that AndySam used to PM me about.
Regards,
Gordon
I'm also a tea drinker, but don't have the sophisticated palate that others here possess. I've only recently discovered Irish Breakfast tea and found its strong flavor very appealing. On the other side of the coin, I also like the more delicate Darjeeling. I'd love to try the Tippy Assam. A former fellow co-worker returning from a London vacation once gifted me with a box of Twinings English Breakfast tea -- apparently the real deal -- which was far and away superior to what I was used to getting in State-side stores, and certainly helped to expand my tea horizon. For a quickie cuppa, there's an English tea store in downtown Santa Monica that sells bags of Typhoo, again far superior to many brands to be found elsewhere in La La Land. Thanks to all for the links to other suppliers.
Ron
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KAV
- Posts: 2607
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 pm
- Location: California, just above L.A. between the Reagan Library and Barbra Streisand's beach house
Ron, do you mean typhoo the irish tea? I was in Belfast doing the obligatory return to the auld sod bit with my cousins. They were showing me the local attractions; near riots with republicans and loyalists throwing irish confetti and shouting slogans while brit paras were firing tear gas. And then on the hour both groups turned and went home. I'm like,what the hell? and my cousin says " It's tea time ya fool." I kept council on who the fools were with so much more in common than differences.Green or orange, irish are the world's #1 tea drinkers with 6 cups a day average.
And where is this shop in the PRof SM? I USED to get marvelous tea from a shop in Bath England. They had period blends that had been formulated for Queen Vic. And then one day my regular order trippled in price just for shipping and they too, shortly vanished.
P.G. Tipps is decent stuff if you like bags, but in my opinion overpriced.
A fun ( and sobering) read are the old canadian regulations for survival gear flying the bush. Aside from specifically calling for that most splendid Hudson's Bay axe a supply of pilot bread and tea was included. The new regs are a joke and one wonders if the authors even fly?
I reiterate my position a Sadler Brown Betty of authentic british manufacture is critical. You can find lots on evilbay from the plain brown to very ornate.
You can even buy pressed 'bricks' of black and green tea from China with ornate embossing. This was a means of early transport and the american revolution reenacting vendors stock it.
And where is this shop in the PRof SM? I USED to get marvelous tea from a shop in Bath England. They had period blends that had been formulated for Queen Vic. And then one day my regular order trippled in price just for shipping and they too, shortly vanished.
P.G. Tipps is decent stuff if you like bags, but in my opinion overpriced.
A fun ( and sobering) read are the old canadian regulations for survival gear flying the bush. Aside from specifically calling for that most splendid Hudson's Bay axe a supply of pilot bread and tea was included. The new regs are a joke and one wonders if the authors even fly?
I reiterate my position a Sadler Brown Betty of authentic british manufacture is critical. You can find lots on evilbay from the plain brown to very ornate.
You can even buy pressed 'bricks' of black and green tea from China with ornate embossing. This was a means of early transport and the american revolution reenacting vendors stock it.
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razorburned
- Posts: 758
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 7:20 am
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Thanks Gents, great info here.... So, since I am pretty limited to the selection at Amazon for now (as I said, the Wife does most online shopping with them), I should look at these brands:
* Ahmad
* English Tea Store
* Numi
* PG Tips
* Taylors of Harrogate
* Twinings
I would like to get 'into' this soon, but want to start by holiday gifts as they are not too pricey and relatively easy to get.
On a side note, the Burgh does have a few local shops for this type of thing, my favorite thus far is linked below....their site is not great, but the store has a very "early 1900's" (having started in 1919 and all, and I think in the same building aswell) feel that I like. I also think they do not have their whole inventory online.
http://www.nicholascoffee.net/
* Ahmad
* English Tea Store
* Numi
* PG Tips
* Taylors of Harrogate
* Twinings
I would like to get 'into' this soon, but want to start by holiday gifts as they are not too pricey and relatively easy to get.
On a side note, the Burgh does have a few local shops for this type of thing, my favorite thus far is linked below....their site is not great, but the store has a very "early 1900's" (having started in 1919 and all, and I think in the same building aswell) feel that I like. I also think they do not have their whole inventory online.
http://www.nicholascoffee.net/
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic
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razorburned
- Posts: 758
- Joined: Mon May 21, 2007 7:20 am
- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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KAV
- Posts: 2607
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 pm
- Location: California, just above L.A. between the Reagan Library and Barbra Streisand's beach house
Smoked refers to chinese lapsang souchon black tea. People have been REFORMULATING some tea classics and some work and some don't. This one takes two powerful flavours and they hit midtunnel for me. Another popular addition is blue cornflower. It supposedly gives a vanilla taste and the blue petals a visual twist. It twists my stomach 
Steeping can be critical with tea. Some are ready at 3 minutes and the stronger ones deserve a full 5 minutes. Anything over that and you get the nasties.
I would stick to the classics and develop your palet first.
Steeping can be critical with tea. Some are ready at 3 minutes and the stronger ones deserve a full 5 minutes. Anything over that and you get the nasties.
I would stick to the classics and develop your palet first.
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
- Posts: 27393
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
You can mess with Typhoo and PG Tips and other stuff like that if you want to, but the fact is that almost all the British blends nowdays, even in loose tea, are nothing but CTC pellet tea from Africa. It's all pretty much the same; strong but lacking in any real depth or nuance. Most of the Taylor of Harrogate teas are still real orthodox manufacture tea and are a cut above almost any other UK tea that one can readily get in the US ( firms like Whittards have some very nice teas but it's the same old problem....hard to order and if you manage you'll pay through the nose for shipping as they have no regular US distributor anymore ). So, from your list, make it the Taylors, or, as I said, the Ahmad English Breakfast or Darjeeling loose teas.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
Last edited by bernards66 on Tue Dec 21, 2010 12:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KAV
- Posts: 2607
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 pm
- Location: California, just above L.A. between the Reagan Library and Barbra Streisand's beach house
Has anyone talked about actual teamaking?
Good tea starts with good,cold water. If your tap water makes lousy lather it makes lousy tea. Hot water drives off to much oxygen which is critical for drawing the flavour. Black teas need a good broil, whites and green not as hot or the leaves will burn.
The teapot needs to be warm, usually by filling with hot water and draining off. I hate teabags and the steel teaballs. A properly shaped pot ( see Sadler) will keep most leaves as they settle. An accessory tea strainer is placed on the cup to catch the more determined ones OR let them settle in the cup and have your fortune read by a tea reader. Again, 3 minutes steeping for lighter teas and 5 for the blacks. Green and white teas can steep up to 8 minutes. Caffeine % can double @ 5 minutes vs 3.
You may want a tea cozy, a cloth teapot insulator if you have leisure to drink slowly.
Biscuits, or cookies in the USA or light sandwiches make a delightfull break from everything. Make it a near religious experience : We get so few!
Chris
Good tea starts with good,cold water. If your tap water makes lousy lather it makes lousy tea. Hot water drives off to much oxygen which is critical for drawing the flavour. Black teas need a good broil, whites and green not as hot or the leaves will burn.
The teapot needs to be warm, usually by filling with hot water and draining off. I hate teabags and the steel teaballs. A properly shaped pot ( see Sadler) will keep most leaves as they settle. An accessory tea strainer is placed on the cup to catch the more determined ones OR let them settle in the cup and have your fortune read by a tea reader. Again, 3 minutes steeping for lighter teas and 5 for the blacks. Green and white teas can steep up to 8 minutes. Caffeine % can double @ 5 minutes vs 3.
You may want a tea cozy, a cloth teapot insulator if you have leisure to drink slowly.
Biscuits, or cookies in the USA or light sandwiches make a delightfull break from everything. Make it a near religious experience : We get so few!
Chris
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bernards66
- Duke of Silvertip!
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- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 1:02 pm
Chris, Well, in general, you are correct regarding the correlation between good tea water and water that is better than average for lathering shave soaps. It's not quite as simple as that, but it is a generally valid rule of thumb. I get by with my tap water for shaving, but for tea I buy gallons of spring water from the Carolinas or Tenn. The Florida sourced bottled water doesn't make it....not if one's picky and are using quality tea. Personally I use a small Dalton china pot and a mesh tea basket for the morning loose tea. The basket allows the tea to circulate around and brew thoroughly while at the same time also allows one to remove it when it's properly brewed rather than to allow it to sit and 'stew' in the pot. I generally brew black tea for 5 minutes ( I use a timer ) as I like my cuppa pretty...er...hefty. Green tea, of course, requires water under the boiling point and a shorter brewing time. I rarely drink green tea although I may be getting a little more into it in the near future. At work, or at night I must admit that I use tea bags; currently Brodies Famous Edinburgh blend and Twinings Darjeeling. Loose tea at the office would just be too big and messy a hassle and at home at night I only want one cup at a time, so, I settle for the bags. Not in the AM though. Really GOOD tea does exist in bags but not much of it, and it's very hard to get. F&M stocks some as does Betjeman & Barton of Paris. They're expensive as hell too.
Regards,
Gordon
Regards,
Gordon
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KAV
- Posts: 2607
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 pm
- Location: California, just above L.A. between the Reagan Library and Barbra Streisand's beach house
Green tea, lovely in it's own right is enjoying high praise by the health and nutrition gurus. This brings up a unmentioned point. We drink tea, or coffee,scotch or chocolate milk because we like it.
I dated a girl who drank only herbal tea and acting like caffeine was the devil's handmaiden.I think it was cammomile that short circuited her menstral cycle according to her doctor. She wigged out on me and drove out of my life in her maroon VW bug. I had columbian with a shot of whisky that day.
I dated a girl who drank only herbal tea and acting like caffeine was the devil's handmaiden.I think it was cammomile that short circuited her menstral cycle according to her doctor. She wigged out on me and drove out of my life in her maroon VW bug. I had columbian with a shot of whisky that day.
razorburned wrote:Thanks Gents, great info here.... So, since I am pretty limited to the selection at Amazon for now (as I said, the Wife does most online shopping with them), I should look at these brands:
* Ahmad
* English Tea Store
* Numi
* PG Tips
* Taylors of Harrogate
* Twinings
I would like to get 'into' this soon, but want to start by holiday gifts as they are not too pricey and relatively easy to get.
On a side note, the Burgh does have a few local shops for this type of thing, my favorite thus far is linked below....their site is not great, but the store has a very "early 1900's" (having started in 1919 and all, and I think in the same building aswell) feel that I like. I also think they do not have their whole inventory online.
http://www.nicholascoffee.net/
Taylors of Harrogate would be my choice. SWMBO and I brew up a pot of their Yorkshire Gold every morning, except Sunday when we have a (Starbucks) coffee. It's a full-bodied tea without being bitter or having an after-taste; I even like drinking it cold.
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rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
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