Fresh Green Tea?

[benlee]

Anyone know a great place to get fresh green tea instead of the packaged crap?

Thanks

[xUKHCx]

Anyone know a great place to get fresh green tea instead of the packaged crap?

Thanks

Maybe but where abouts in the world are you looking.

[arkitect]

Don't know if it helps… but I get my green tea at the Tea House, Neal Street (Covent Garden).

Although not much use if you're not in London.;)

[IJ Reilly]

Not sure what you mean by "fresh" vs. "packaged." All tea is packaged in the country of origin, in one way or another. A big package doesn't necessarily equal quality or freshness.

[aricher]

Gong-Fu Tea (http://www.gongfu-tea.com/) has amazing stuff they travel the world over to obtain. Their Budding Jasmine (http://www.gongfu-tea.com/sunshop/index.php/action/item/id/12/prevaction/category/previd/1/prevstart/0/) is amazing. The shop is in Des Moines, Iowa of all places.

[Telp]

Not gunna lie, the only reason i showed up in this thread is because i thought the title was flesh green tea...im dissapointed =[

[eric55lv]

what about starbucks :cool::cool::cool:

[Leareth]

What kind of green tea are you looking for?

Chinese green

japanase

south east asian ?

For good chinese green tea I go to my local Chinatown tea stores.

For Japanese, there are a few tea boutiques are here that carry good to excellent green teas in various grades and prices.

the rest of green tea I dont bother with - usually very low quality, crap.


Most loose leaf green tea is pretty decent. Avoid the stuff in bags.

[Martin C]

I'm not sure if it's packaged, but this tea company sounds pretty good. They are organic and free trade as well.

Link (http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/index.htm)

[njmac]

I'm a big fan of Upton Tea (http://uptontea.com). I've ordered quite a few loose green teas and white tea from them and I am happy with the price, the product and the customer service.

There website is nothing to write home about though but the information is there at least.

[Nugget]

I really like the teas we buy from Adagio (http://www.adagio.com/) and their little ingenuiTEA cooker things are a godsend.

[GanChan]

There's an online store called O-Cha.com that has its own green tea forum:

http://greenteaforum.o-cha.com/index.php

[iMacZealot]

I'm a tea conneseuir, but I deal mostly with oolong or black tea. Whenever I buy green, however, I stick with Twinings. If you want true quality, go loose leaf and buy a tea strainer.

[WildPalms]

Not gunna lie, the only reason i showed up in this thread is because i thought the title was flesh green tea...im dissapointed =[

Hahahah! High five!

[IJ Reilly]

I'm a tea conneseuir, but I deal mostly with oolong or black tea. Whenever I buy green, however, I stick with Twinings. If you want true quality, go loose leaf and buy a tea strainer.

I don't entirely agree. I prefer loose teas also, but I find you can get lousy loose tea and good bagged tea. The reality is that teas are graded by quality, and you won't know what you're getting unless the grade is disclosed, which is rare. Just because tea comes out of a big jar at a tea shop doesn't make it good. It can be a low grade tea that's been sitting around for months.

I also avoid Twinings. In the US at least, it's really mediocre and over-priced.

[odinsride]

I've been happy with my few orders from http://www.serendipitea.com/

[iMacZealot]

I don't entirely agree. I prefer loose teas also, but I find you can get lousy loose tea and good bagged tea. The reality is that teas are graded by quality, and you won't know what you're getting unless the grade is disclosed, which is rare. Just because tea comes out of a big jar at a tea shop doesn't make it good. It can be a low grade tea that's been sitting around for months.

I also avoid Twinings. In the US at least, it's really mediocre and over-priced.

I personally use bags because I don't have the time to go through the process of straining. I recommended loose leaf because I know that only purists will use it.

Twinings is rather good. I love their Earl Grey. They're supposedly the first brewer of the original Earl Grey. Bigelow is alright, Celestial Seasonings if I don't see anything else there. I only drink Tazo when at Starbucks. I avoid Lipton at all costs.

[Nugget]

I personally use bags because I don't have the time to go through the process of straining. I recommended loose leaf because I know that only purists will use it.

I can't recommend the ingenuiTEA (http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html) enough. It makes loose tea just as convenient as using bags. Cheap, easy to use, easy to clean. They're wonderful. Absolutely worth a shot.

I keep one at home and one at the office.

[IJ Reilly]

I personally use bags because I don't have the time to go through the process of straining. I recommended loose leaf because I know that only purists will use it.

Twinings is rather good. I love their Earl Grey. They're supposedly the first brewer of the original Earl Grey. Bigelow is alright, Celestial Seasonings if I don't see anything else there. I only drink Tazo when at Starbucks. I avoid Lipton at all costs.

I base my choices entirely upon results. You don't need to be a purest to drink tea steeped from loose PG Tips or Typhoo, both of which I buy when I can find it (becoming much more difficult). It's a lot less expensive that way, and you can adjust the strength to preference more easily. Personally, I won't touch Twinings, Biglow or Tazo, loose or bagged. All low to mediocre quality tea at premium prices. The American tea-buying market is like that. You can pack crummy tea in a pretty container and people will pay extra, but if you put good tea in a plain tin, hardly anyone one will buy it.

[IJ Reilly]

I can't recommend the ingenuiTEA (http://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_teapot.html) enough. It makes loose tea just as convenient as using bags. Cheap, easy to use, easy to clean. They're wonderful. Absolutely worth a shot.

I keep one at home and one at the office.

That's an interesting concept, but pouring boiling water into a plastic pot -- I don't know.

[iMacZealot]

I base my choices entirely upon results. You don't need to be a purest to drink tea steeped from loose PG Tips or Typhoo, both of which I buy when I can find it (becoming much more difficult). It's a lot less expensive that way, and you can adjust the strength to preference more easily. Personally, I won't touch Twinings, Biglow or Tazo, loose or bagged. All low to mediocre quality tea at premium prices. The American tea-buying market is like that. You can pack crummy tea in a pretty container and people will pay extra, but if you put good tea in a plain tin, hardly anyone one will buy it.

What sort of tea do you recommend that I buy then? That's pretty much all I can find at the supermarket.

[njmac]

What sort of tea do you recommend that I buy then? That's pretty much all I can find at the supermarket.

Don't buy from a supermarket, order it online.

I for one, buy Twinings bags of English Breakfast Tea sometimes because when I drink that kind of tea with milk and honey, I don't really notice how bad or mediocre it is. It's what I grew up with.

Green and White tea, on the other hand, has to be of really fine quality for me or it tastes like dirty dishwater.

I personally use bags because I don't have the time to go through the process of straining. I recommended loose leaf because I know that only purists will use it.

.

There isn't really a difficult *process* for straining tea. Boil some water, pour it in a tea pot, put a little strainer over your cup and pour. Really, its not difficult and I'm really lazy but that is just so simple...

[Starfall]

Anyone know a great place to get fresh green tea instead of the packaged crap?

Thanks

I've had very good luck with specialteas.com (http://www.specialteas.com/). They ship their loose-leaf teas in sealed foil bags.

Also, Adagio (http://www.adagio.com/).

[Nugget]

That's an interesting concept, but pouring boiling water into a plastic pot -- I don't know.

I've made thousands of cups of tea in mine. It works great.

[iMacZealot]

Don't buy from a supermarket, order it online.

I for one, buy Twinings bags of English Breakfast Tea sometimes because when I drink that kind of tea with milk and honey, I don't really notice how bad or mediocre it is. It's what I grew up with.

Green and White tea, on the other hand, has to be of really fine quality for me or it tastes like dirty dishwater.



There isn't really a difficult *process* for straining tea. Boil some water, pour it in a tea pot, put a little strainer over your cup and pour. Really, its not difficult and I'm really lazy but that is just so simple...

Have you ever had Mighty Leaf? I've had it in restaurants, and I thought that it was perhaps the best tea I've had, but I can never find it. Perhaps because I have to order it online, but I don't really have the time to do that.

I guess my impatience for tea distringuishes myself as American.

EDIT: Oh, I was also wondering if Twinings' quality varies by country to country. Is your Twinings in the UK, Singapore, Europe, Asia, etc. different to the one I buy here in America?

[FutureMedia]

Have you ever had Mighty Leaf? I've had it in restaurants, and I thought that it was perhaps the best tea I've had, but I can never find it. Perhaps because I have to order it online, but I don't really have the time to do that.

I love Mighty Leaf tea. I usually order online, but sometimes you can find them at some tea shops and at Nordstrom cafes.

[iMacZealot]

I love Mighty Leaf tea. I usually order online, but sometimes you can find them at some tea shops and at Nordstrom cafes.

I entered in my zip code on their website, and they sell at my local Cost Plus and those natural supermarkets like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, etc.

When you say Nordstrom, do you mean the eBar?

[FutureMedia]

I entered in my zip code on their website, and they sell at my local Cost Plus and those natural supermarkets like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, etc.

When you say Nordstrom, do you mean the eBar?

I'm not sure what it's called. But you know, those cafes inside nordstrom stores. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing it at Whole Foods/Wild Oats etc. too.

[Apple Hobo]

EDIT: Oh, I was also wondering if Twinings' quality varies by country to country. Is your Twinings in the UK, Singapore, Europe, Asia, etc. different to the one I buy here in America?

I often hear that that the various Twinings UK teas are better (stronger and richer in taste) than their American counterparts. Also, some people (http://savetwinings.blogspot.com/) believe the "new" Earl Grey blend to be weaker than the old blend. Having had both, the new blend does seem weaker than I remember, but it has been a long time since I've had the old one, so it's hard for me to make a good personal comparison. I just purchased some imported UK Twinings EG, and I'll soon see how it stacks up.

As far as tea goes, drink what you like. :cool:

[iMacZealot]

I'm not sure what it's called. But you know, those cafes inside nordstrom stores. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing it at Whole Foods/Wild Oats etc. too.

Yes, the eBar (short for espresso.) There's a Nordstrom about 20 miles away from me, but luckily, they're opening a new one at the mall right by my house.

I often hear that that the various Twinings UK teas are better (stronger and richer in taste) than their American counterparts. Also, some people (http://savetwinings.blogspot.com/) believe the "new" Earl Grey blend to be weaker than the old blend. Having had both, the new blend does seem weaker than I remember, but it has been a long time since I've had the old one, so it's hard for me to make a good personal comparison. I just purchased some imported UK Twinings EG, and I'll soon see how it stacks up.

As far as tea goes, drink what you like. :cool:

Hmm....I didn't know that. I went to Singapore about 18 months ago, and the hotel served Twinings Earl Grey at breakfast, and I could've sworn it tasted better than the one I had tonight here. I don't think I ever had the original here because that box on that blog doesn't look familiar.

I tend to stick with more classic teas. I don't like those fruity white teas that seem to be so trendy currently. I primarily stick with an Earl Grey, orange spice, darjeeling, a mint, or oolong. On special occasion, I drink the oolong my sister brought back from Chinatown in NYC.

[IJ Reilly]

What sort of tea do you recommend that I buy then? That's pretty much all I can find at the supermarket.

Don't buy from a supermarket, order it online.

What he said, but also at specialty shops. Do you have one around that specializes in British imports? They'll usually have a good tea selection.

When faced with buying the unknown, I generally try to pick teas packed in the country of origin (India, Ceylon, Kenya, China). They are usually better teas for the money. Second choice is tea packed in a country where tea is appreciated (Britain, Europe, Russia). The US is not on this list.

Loose really is easier that most people realize. All you need is a small pot and a strainer. For the latter, get the stainless steel kind with the perforations, not the wire mess type. Much easier to keep clean, IMO. And don't forget, boiled water!