Author Topic: Loose leaf tea  (Read 17578 times)

FrugalShrew

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Loose leaf tea
« on: September 16, 2015, 03:14:54 PM »
Hi mustachian community -- anyone have recommendations for an affordable supplier of loose leaf tea?


Tigerpine

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2015, 05:36:40 PM »
I go to Asian grocery stores when I want to buy loose tea.  They tend to be pretty reasonable.

Tyson

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2015, 05:43:38 PM »
I use enjoyingtea.com as pretty much the cheapest I can find.  There's also a seller called Davidson's Tea on Amazon that is pretty cheap too.  Between those 2 I can usually get what I want for less than elsewhere.

Metta

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2015, 05:55:23 PM »
Upton Tea has good prices and a stunning variety of loose teas:
http://www.uptontea.com/

If you are interested in loose Pu-erh, Puerhshop has good prices: 
http://www.puerhshop.com

Another recommendation is that you join Steepster.com and join one of their tea exchanges (and get great info on tea besides).

Rosy

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2015, 07:16:52 PM »
Local Asian - Middle Eastern - ethnic food stores.
We have a balkan and an asian grocery store within a couple of miles and both have good loose leaf tea.

meadow lark

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #5 on: September 17, 2015, 11:48:39 AM »
Metta, I just looked at Steepster.com .  OMG am I in trouble.  This could be bad.  I did decide to walk over to a tea shop I live 3 blocks from, because I all of the sudden needed to buy things, that for some funny reason I hadn't known about until just that moment!  Very, very bad.

NextTime

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #6 on: September 17, 2015, 01:12:48 PM »
http://shop.tgtea.com/


Not exactly cheap but I've been happy with them.

The Chinese Gunpowder is my go to.

Metta

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2015, 04:10:45 PM »
Metta, I just looked at Steepster.com .  OMG am I in trouble.  This could be bad.  I did decide to walk over to a tea shop I live 3 blocks from, because I all of the sudden needed to buy things, that for some funny reason I hadn't known about until just that moment!  Very, very bad.

:)
Move your gaze to the forum where you'll find the swap groups. That way you can get free tea (well, free for the cost of postage and giving some tea to the next person on the swap list).

I found that this was a way for me to reduce my crazy tea buying since I could read reviews and not have to try everything everyone was selling. Plus the tea swaps allowed me to try new teas without committing to a full tea buy.

Rural

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2015, 05:18:52 PM »
I suppose my homegrown and dried herbal teas are not the sort of thing you guys are talking about...

ministashy

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2015, 10:52:44 AM »
Fair warning--I am a complete tea fiend.  As in the amount of $$$ I spend on tea would probably get me forever banned from ever claiming that I am 'mustachian'.  That said, it's hard to recommend good prices for 'good' tea, since everyone's idea of good is so subjective.  For the best information/recommendations/deals, though, I would check out Teachat:  www.teachat.com --that board has some REALLY knowledgeable people, and they can provide recommendations and information no matter what strikes your tea-fancy.

2ndTimer

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2015, 03:36:58 PM »
I buy my black tea at an Indian Store, my green tea at a Chinese Store and have recently planted a peppermint plant.

southpaw1984

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2015, 05:34:58 PM »
I second enjoyingtea.com.  Have ordered from them for the past few years, and I usually get compliments on their tea when I serve it at home. 

Tigerpine

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #12 on: September 19, 2015, 06:08:13 AM »
I suppose my homegrown and dried herbal teas are not the sort of thing you guys are talking about...
The best tea I have ever had was that we picked and roasted ourselves on the spot.  Kudos to you!

DCKatie09

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #13 on: September 19, 2015, 07:06:39 AM »
Little Red Cup Tea (full disclosure, it's a family business of my uncle and cousins) imports great organic, fair trade Chinese loose leaf tea and it's pretty much all we drink. The Jade Oolong or the Wuyuan Black with a little dash of Lapsang are our go-tos in the morning. www.littleredcuptea.com  After doing some compare/contrasting with other organic tea options, they're also very reasonably priced.

ronster

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #14 on: September 23, 2015, 02:21:17 PM »
i used to buy loose leaf from Upton until I discovered Runa Organic Guayusa on Amazon. i love this stuff (they have several different styles available). i subscribe to it and save even more. Upton is great and has a much larger inventory, but for the price this stuff wins in my opinion:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FSASKU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687762&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B005LMLZF6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1D0T3GJ4M0C6A3943VEY

FrugalShrew

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #15 on: September 23, 2015, 02:51:39 PM »
Thanks, all! I have just put in my first tea order (from Upton, including lots of samples) and I'm totally pumped. I checked at an Asian market last week and they didn't really have much loose leaf that I could see, but maybe I didn't look hard enough, and I will also try other Asian markets.

You have given me so many delicious options!

frompa

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #16 on: September 23, 2015, 03:48:21 PM »
Hey FrugalShrew - Good luck with Upton.  I'm a tea snob and I love the quality and variety of teas I get from them.  FABULOUS, and in the scheme of things, relatively cheap fun.  Enjoy!

Tigerpine

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #17 on: September 23, 2015, 05:06:31 PM »
Thanks, all! I have just put in my first tea order (from Upton, including lots of samples) and I'm totally pumped. I checked at an Asian market last week and they didn't really have much loose leaf that I could see, but maybe I didn't look hard enough, and I will also try other Asian markets.

You have given me so many delicious options!
In all honesty, though, it helps a lot to be able to read the labels in the native tongue.  Or go with someone who does.  One tea you might want to try is called

高山茶  Although often the first character will look like instead.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #18 on: September 23, 2015, 05:25:43 PM »
I have had good experience with both Harney and Sons and TeaSource though it really depends on which specific kinds of tea you're looking for.

Roots&Wings

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #19 on: September 24, 2015, 05:30:39 AM »
Great suggestions! I've previously ordered from Stash Tea and Harney & Sons, but the earlier Davidson's recommendation is much better pricing at least for green tea, and I'm ordering that next.

FrugalShrew

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2016, 03:56:35 PM »
Homemade reusable tea bags?

Hi lovely fellow tea-drinkers! I have been enjoying my loose leaf teas, and am impressed by how long a stash of loose leaf tea lasts :)

However, I have gotten tired of dealing with my tea ball infuser at work. It's just too messy. At first, I thought I would just drink my loose leaf tea at home and stick to coffee/ prepackaged tea at work. But I am totally hooked on my selection of loose leaf teas, and am also experiencing extreme pain at prepackaged tea prices. Then I remembered that I once had a friend who mentioned reusable tea bags . . .

I see that I can purchase pre-made muslin sacks (such as these: http://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Drawstring-Muslin-Bags-2-75/dp/B001G8H4EA), but I was wondering if any of you had made your own tea bags. Would love to hear about your experiences and any tips & tricks you may have :)

plainjane

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #21 on: April 29, 2016, 04:54:38 PM »
However, I have gotten tired of dealing with my tea ball infuser at work. It's just too messy.

I have a collapsible silicone tea infuser which is really easy to work with, you pour the hot water over the funnel, and then you dump out the tea leaves once you're done with them.  I think this would be much less messy than reusable bags, and less fuss than the tea balls.

DCKatie09

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #22 on: April 29, 2016, 08:20:07 PM »
You could also do an infuser like this, which isn't too messy, especially if you let the tea dry for a day before cleaning up, like I usually do. :) https://littleredcuptea.com/collections/accessories/products/stainless-steel-tea-filter

FrugalShrew

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #23 on: April 29, 2016, 08:32:34 PM »
However, I have gotten tired of dealing with my tea ball infuser at work. It's just too messy.

I have a collapsible silicone tea infuser which is really easy to work with, you pour the hot water over the funnel, and then you dump out the tea leaves once you're done with them.  I think this would be much less messy than reusable bags, and less fuss than the tea balls.

Your silicone infuser does sound nicer than my current tea ball :) But I don't think it would solve my issues with having an infuser in the office.

My issues are: (1) loading the tea leaves into the infuser is a bit messy in a dry way, and (2) unloading used leaves out of the infuser is a bit messy in a wet way. My office kitchen is a pain to get to, and I already tote a lot of mugs and bowls back and forth to fill then use then clean, so I have just been filling and emptying my infuser in my office. At some workplaces, I would feel comfortable doing so, but it just doesn't fit in with the culture of my current environment.

My thinking with reusable bags was that I could fill them at home, use as many as I wanted in a day, and then refill them at home. So all the messy parts could be done at home.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2016, 09:02:42 PM by FrugalShrew »

FrugalShrew

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #24 on: April 29, 2016, 08:34:34 PM »
You could also do an infuser like this, which isn't too messy, especially if you let the tea dry for a day before cleaning up, like I usually do. :) https://littleredcuptea.com/collections/accessories/products/stainless-steel-tea-filter

That infuser is nice, too :) But I think you just identified my real problem -- drinking several cups of tea per day, which does not allow for the tea leaves to dry. The wet leaves without quick access to someplace to rinse them off is the part I like least!

FrugalShrew

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #25 on: April 29, 2016, 08:38:05 PM »
I will say that after these recommendations I am wondering how on earth I thought a tea ball was an acceptable infuser . . .

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2016, 08:00:28 PM »
I make a large pot and then pour the tea into my thermos jug once it is steeped to my level of perfection.  Dump the tea strainer into the compost and then pour small cups of tea until about 2 - after that while still warm tastes stall.

Olde Stache

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2016, 11:52:47 PM »
Try Darlene's Tea Port at theteaport.com. Great selection decent prices.

wotan

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #28 on: May 29, 2016, 06:27:21 AM »
see if you can get a wholesale account. extremely reasonable prices.
http://www.starwest-botanicals.com/

YogiKitti

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #29 on: June 12, 2016, 01:38:55 AM »
I like frontier. You can buy organic fair trade loose leaf tea in bulk from them on Amazon.

texastumbleweed

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Re: Loose leaf tea
« Reply #30 on: July 02, 2016, 10:31:38 PM »