Where Are The Hot Tea Guru's?

[msandoval858]

I love teas but I haven't been drinking them as often lately. I usually enjoy coffee in the mornings then tea in the afternoon or evening, especially in the cooler time of year.
You'll find that tea will never be as bold as coffee however once you dive in to the subtleties of different types of leaf, the world of tea is about as vast and interesting as the varieties of tobaccos that we all enjoy. There really is some phenomenal stuff out there if you just experiment and study the subject a bit. Most of us grew up drinking the Liptons of the world which have their place but are far from the delicate flavors of teas such as a good Silver Needle or Jasmine.
Pu-erh teas however, is where the true tea experience is at. There is a big variety of vintage teas that offer an amazing range of flavors that you didn't know where possible from drinking tea. Raw pu-erh that come pressed in compact cakes are some of my favorites, especially the Menghai and Xiaguan factory teas. Yes, some people get very caught up in the traditional infusing methods and accessories that go along with enjoying these teas but I've found that even a casual tea drinker can appreciate them without all the extra details. I tend to avoid the ripe (cooked) varieties as I don't find them to be very enjoyable or at least haven't found any yet that I care for.
A good source for those interested in trying some things you can't find in your local supermarket is http://www.jas-etea.com/. Great dealer with a wide variety of quality teas and highly recommended.

 

[phred]

I've been enjoying teas again now that the weather's changing - I laid in a supply of Lapsang Souchong, and some jasmine tea along with several boxes of Celestial Seasonings blends (they're local...). At my desk at work, I've got an electric kettle with a variable thermostat and a Boodum double-walled press/cup for heating and brewing. If I need the tea at a drinkable temperature more quickly, I'll pour off a cup and leave the rest for later, as the press keeps it piping hot for over an hour.
Definitely second the motion to find a local vendor if at all possible - and if not, then find a reliable source online. I'm fond of B. Fuller's Mortar & Pestle, based in Seattle - they had a booth at the last several SteamCons, and last time we had a lovely time chatting with them about their blends, and although we allowed as how we'd done a little bit of shopping at one of their competitors last time we were in town, they had nothing but nice things to say about their fellow tea vendors. Always nice to deal with gentlemen... :D

 

[4dotsasieni]

Amazon.com carries a really good Lapsang at a reasonable price - the Stash 16 ounce pouch. My wife and I not only drink it, we make delicious tea eggs (sort of like the Chinese "Thousand Year Old Eggs") and tea chicken.
And I agree with Mike: Puerh is the ultimate tea experience. If you're interested, there's a lot of good information online about it, as well as about the Yixing pots in which you brew it. My tobaccos and my Puerhs are "cellared" together.

 

[lochinvar]

I am a black tea man. I love Lapsang Souchong, Assam and the various Russian caravan teas. My preferred supplier is Mark T. Wendell of Boston. They have several different grades of Lapsang from the heavier, smokier Chinese sourced to that king of teas Hu-Kwa. Hu-Kwa is a more subtle Lapsang from Formosa, a real treat. They keep a good variety of all tea varieties, but they excel at the traditional black type.

 

[winton]

I have been enjoying Russian Caravan for many years, when it gets cold. I am now exploring lots of other blends. My wife sticks with fruity black tea. As with almost every other aspect of life, I am bolder than she is.
Winton
PS,I just showed this thread to my wife. "You just thought we were old crazy guys!" Her response, "You are a bunch of old crazy guys. But you are so eccentric that you actually know stuff."

 

[smeigs]

im not a huge tea guy buy I do drink it every night before bed. I drink the "sleepytime" blend, its a nice relaxing tea before bed and it helps me sleep a bit better.

 

[fitzy]

This has gotten me all excited about tea. I prefer Earl Grey but I just ordered a bunch of loose tea samplers from Harney & Son's. (I prefer to give them my business. They are headquartered in NY about 20 minutes from my house and have a store both in that town as well as in NYC).
Here are the samples I purchased:

Genmaicha

Anji Baicha

Lemony Gunpowder

Chinese Silver Needle

Assam Golden Tips

Lapsang Souchong

Top Ti Quan Yin
I'm very excited to sample all of them.

 

[pruss]

Fitzy, that's a marvelous selection of teas, and some very high-grade/top-shelf stuff. The Silver Needle (White Tea), Ti Kuan Yin (Oolong), and Genmaicha (Japanese Green tea with roasted rice) are three of my all-time favourites.
I can't wait to hear how you like them.
Nice haul.
-- Pat

 

[fitzy]

Pat, I've never tried any of these and I'm really excited to get started with them. If I'm lucky I should get them via USPS Saturday considering they are only a town or 2 over. (assuming they get to ship it today)
I will post a report on here as I get to taste each one.

 

[fitzy]

Also I tried to get Bai Mu Dan but they didn't have any. I'll have to look for that elsewhere.

 

[romeowood]

@pipebow: Coming from a background of coffee & tea, I find them two parts of the holy trinity of my enjoyments, tobacco being the third. You may enjoy a couple articles from a while back here on pipesmagazine--a brief history of tea and tobacco, and its continuation. Eventually I'll get around to writing the third and fourth installments of these articles.

If you're interested in exploring teas from an online source, I highly recommend Silk Road teas. In the interest of full disclosure I'm no longer professionally affiliated with them, but still order for my personal use. Like many of our tobacco retailers, they're passionate about what they do and welcome calls from customers with questions and seeking recommendations. Rishi tea is another company I favor with top-notch product and knowledge. Harney & Sons is also excellent, and it's nice to see the younger guard revitalizing the company.

In the end, it's like tobacco (or anything else having to do with taste)--take in the opinions of others, but rely on your own sampling to inform your tastes.

 

[fitzy]

Pat I got a chance to try a few of the tea's over the weekend.
Ti Kuan Yin - Very good. Almost a light floral taste.

Genmaicha - Very interesting taste. Much like how I would imagine if you took rice paper and roasted it somehow.

Lemony Gunpowder - Very lemony. I need to try this one again. The jury is still out.

Assam Golden Tips - Wow very malty taste. Reminds me of wort from beer making. Quite delicious.
I'll be tasting more today. I've been using about 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of water.
Do you have any other suggestions?

 

[pruss]

Hey Fitzy, I hope you're enjoying those teas.
I'd definitely recommend a Darjeeling, for comparison with the Assam. Darjeeling teas tend to be more on the honey side of the sweet spectrum with some nice floral notes. If you can find both, grab a first flush and second flush Darjeeling and cup them side by side. First flush should be milder, second flush would be spicier with a muscatel character.
Someone above mentioned finding a Pu'erh tea. If you're into exploring flavours, I'd definitely give this a try. The flavours of Pu'Erh range from slightly smokey, almost salty character into vegetal/seaweed flavours.
Have fun pal,
Pat

 

[fitzy]

Pat sorry for the late response to this topic. Crazy around the holidays.
Anyway I tasted the rest of my samples and purchased a few more:

Dragon Pearl Jasmine

Wenshan Baozhong

Yellow Fairy

Sungma Autumnal

Liza Hill 1st Flush

Namring 2nd Flush
So here's what I found with my initial batch of samples:

I preferred Anji Baicha, Chinese Silver Needle and Top Ti Quan Yin. I also found more of a liking for the lemony gunpowder once I started adding milk and honey to it.
From the new batch of samples I think that Dragon Pearl Jasmine has a beautiful taste. I also really enjoy the Wenshan Baozhong, Yellow Fairy (yellow tea) and the Liza hill.
I think the Namring 2nd flush was a bit more bitter than I expected. I haven't tried the Autumnal.
My results with Namring don't surprised me. I've found I prefer the green's, white's and Oolong's over black tea's.
I know the Darjeeling tea's are classified as blacks but that Liza Hill is so much more like an Oolong to me. I have a feeling I won't be so crazy about the Autumnal but we shall see.

 

[chops]

I am a huge fan of teas and have been exploring them more lately. As was said before, David's Teas has a myriad of choices, though they tend to be on the expensive side. I got a great 16oz mug from them with a built-in infuser. I drink that and refill all day long with Lapsang and other blends. I am fortunate enough to be able to make a run down to Chinatown and pick up green tea as well as others from the shops there for practically pennies.

 

[ravkesef]

Pruss, I didn't know that about you! I think we're darned lucky to have a tea guru on the forum--the info you've given us so far is terrific, and I hope you'll keep enlightening us. For the past few years I've been dealing with Upton Teas (not to be confused with Lipton,) and have found their tea selections to be exceptional in their variety and quality..

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I bought my wife this Breville tea maker for Christmas and a bunch of exotic teas. She is really enjoying it, and even I was playing around with it and trying the teas. It's pretty cool if you're a tea guru.
http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-tea-maker-onetouch.html

 

[voorhees]

The wife got me some Lapsang Souchnog for Christmas(on my list). I like it very much.

 

[hodirty]

I get all my loose tea from Teavana. I can't say how well their online ordering is though. I really enjoy their Maharaja Chai tea with a pipe. But It's a bit too bold for me in the morning, so I stick with their Earl Grey Creme for my morning cup.

 

[chemistfox]

I always have a cup of Twining's Irish Breakfast Tea during my break at work.