Online Tea Merchants - Who Are You Ordering From And What?

[omotosando]

Since there are so many teahounds on Chow, I thought I would start a new topic to see which online tea merchants people like and what they are ordering.

Here are the ones I have ordered from recently, or in the past, and my comments:

Teance - www.teance.com. Ordered Competition Grade Baochong Oolong Tea Wen Shan and Honey Dan Chong Water Immortal Oolong Tea. Haven't tried the Honey Dan Chong yet. Hated the Competition Grade Baochong Oolong Tea - I found it very cloying. But I admit there was user error in ordering it - the description, which I didn't read closely enough, clearly said it was sweet and had overtones of gardenias and lilacs. I hate sweet and flowery teas, so I can't say I wasn't given fair warning. . .

I like the way Teance packages their teas in resealable foil bags and I like the way that each bag states the correct amount of tea to measure, the correct water temperature and the correct brewing time.

Red Blossom - www.redblossomtea.com. Recently ordered Dragon Peal Jasmine Supreme and Heirloom Lisham - Spring Formosa Oolong. Haven't tried the Dragon Pearl yet. Liked the Heirloom Lishan - no sweet tones. Not sure if it the ultimate oolong of my dreams, but I did like it. Red Blossom doesn't package in resealable bags, so you have to transfer the tea to an airtight canister. No brewing directions on the bags.

Rishi Tea -- http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/home.php?cat=9
Ordered a number of Japanese teas from them recently. In the past, they have been a reliable source for Japanese teas and for darjeerling. All but one of the teas I ordered from Rishi recently have been good, but they are all blending together in my mind at the moment, except for the Ume Shiso green tea, which I hated (I thought the plum and shiso flavors overwhelmed the tea). I also ordered a bunch of teaware from Rishi that I love. I think Rishi has the best selection of Japanese teapots on the Web at an English-language site.

Upton Tea - http://uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp. I haven't ordered from them recently, but I plan to put in an order soon. I like the fact that they sell samples of tea so you can try a small amount before committing to a pricey tea and I like the fact that they let customers rate tea on their website (a la Amazon), so it gives you a little more information before ordering.

Ito En - http://www.itoen.com/leaf/ I like their website in particular because you can sort teas by flavor characteristic (which allows you to avoid sweet teas - or to find them if that is the kind of tea you like). I get my matcha from Ito En and I like that they have a fairly wide selection of matcha and I have always found it to be good quality.

Todd & Holland - http://www.todd-holland.com/ I just got their catalog in the mail, I think because I probably ordered from them in the distant past. The catalog looks like they have some interesting selections, but almost all of the tea is only sold in a minimum quantity of 4 oz (unlike many other merchants who sell samples or who allow 2 oz orders). Most of the teas that I was interested in were priced from $60 to $90. I am sorry, but I am just not going to spring $60-$90 for a tea that I have never tasted and that I am not sure I am even going to like. You would really think that at those prices, they would allow smaller orders. Has anyone ordered from them recently?

So where are you ordering your tea from?

[HLing]

I have never ordered online for tea so far. I did like the Nantou Oolong from In Pursuit of Tea when I picked up a small package at Whole Foods in NYC a while ago.

Because of your post I went to their site for the first time. They have this tea club deal that sounds interesting. I'm thinking if I run out of tea in LA, I might order from them. I only browsed through but thought that there were good informations to be read ...

[choctastic]

i have ordered from some of these included todd & holland. however, i did know exactly what i wanted and was happy to pay for it at the time.

[Gary Soup]

I have ordered pre-Qing Ming Longjing from Todd-Holland in the past, because I knew Bill Todd personally travels to Hangzhou in the Spring to vet his sources. That was before I discovered Red Blossom Tea locally, one of whose principals does the same thing, and which offers the same grade of tea at a much lower price. Fortunately, I live a short stroll from their shop so don't have to go the mail order route.

[choctastic]

yeah i buy from red blossom too. good stuff. my current stash must last me another year before i can afford another shipment but yeah, good stuff.

--i'm drinking a bag of the dragon pearl white tea from red blossom that a friend gave me to try. yum.

[javaandjazz]

I have ordered form Harney and Upton and I am strictly and English and Irish breakfast tea kinda guy. I am not really into other teas. I like my tea bold and strong and lots of oomph!

[fauchon]

What are your favorite oomph! teas? Sounds like exactly what I crave in my breakfast teas...Please share....

[javaandjazz]

HI,
For my regular during the week work tea I like tetley british blend or a tea I get once in awhile when I see from England called LifeBoat(very strong). From Harney's and Upton I just got their losse English and Irish Breakfast Blends. I probably put too much tea in the pot but I prefer my tea very strong. I also like The Dublin Company Irish Breakfast tea(found at Stop & Shop and most stores. I also like a blend form Canada called Typhoo.

[Ruth Lafler]

We really should have a whole separate discussion for people who like strong black teas.

Personally, I just can't get into green teas, white teas, etc. Great oolongs are wasted on me (I've tried them, just don't care for them).

The tea I've enjoyed most was some Mariage Freres French Breakfast tea someone gave me. Damn, that's some good tea!

[omotosando]

Here is a source on the Internet where you can order Mariage Freres French Breakfast tea for $12:

http://www.porterouge.biz/product.asp?lt=c&catid=2372&pfid=PRT00784

You can also order French Breakfast tea for $75 (!) from Market Hall Foods in Oakland
http://www.markethallfoods.com/index....

For your $75, Market Hall Foods packages French Breakfast with something called The L'Opera (which is green tea flavored with vanilla - sounds absolutely dreadful IMHO) and something called Nil Rouge (which is caffeine-free and "lemony"). Apparently, French Breakfast is supposed to taste like chocolate.

Do you know how French Breakfast compares with a good cup of Assam? I occasionally like a bracing cup of Assam in the morning.

[Gary Soup]

All flavored teas are dreadful, IMHO. Almost as bad as flavored coffees.

[Ruth Lafler]

Thanks! That's the best price I've seen, so I ordered some.

[jpr54_1]

I order from several different places including:
www.shanshuiteas.com
www.imperialtea.com
www.jingtea.com
www.thefragrantleaf.com
www.houdeasianarts.com

my favorite teas are baozhong,korean green tea, green oolongs
i also enjoy scented teas from:
www.mariagefreres.com
www.lepalaisdesthes.com

[fauchon]

I'm a long time tea drinker (more black teas than green) and have ordered from many places over the years. The favorites I return to over and over again are
www.uptontea.com
and
www.specialteas.com

Both Upton & Specialteas offer sample packs for a dollar or so & I always include a few samples with my orders. Both have excellent customer service, elegant & practical packaging and my tea arrives quickly. Also, both give explicit brewing instructions. Needless to say, quality over many years has been top notch.

I also like Ito En and Harney...Ito En has marvelous green teas & Harney is very good for gifts.

I love Mount Everest breakfast tea and Vithanakande Ceylon from Specialteas. From Upton, there are so many...what comes to mind are Bond Street and Russian Caravan for afternoon teas, their Black Dragon Lapson Souchong and a variety of oolongs tasted over the years....

[nonaggie]

The things I've been drinking recently are:

- From Teance: high mountain light roast oolong, cold summit (Tung Ting) oolong, Japanese sencha
- From Red Blossom: Dragon Pearl Jasmine Supreme, Dragonwell
- From SpecialTeas: Dragonwell (I don't like it as much as the Red Blossom one, but the price is much more reasonable)

Somehow I didn't like any of the samples I ordered from Upton, but maybe the Taiwanese / Chinese / Japanese teas are not their strength.

[liu]

Hello, nonaggie. The Teance high mountan light roast oolong has moved to the top of my Teance list; however I was not very successful with multi-steeps of this rather delicate tea. It is really smooth and light. Their high mountain dark is also nice, with a very complex aftertaste.

I have ordered from most of the above-mentioned tea stores, and agree with everyone's observations and individual store strengths. At the moment, I am enjoying my relationship with Alyce at Teance. I have found her to be extremely attentive and knowledgeable. She even emailed me today, Sunday, because I thought I had received someone else's order. She not only assured me that the order was mine, she included a couple of new teas to try, AND she gave me a tea education about their Honey Dan Chong.

I like to search and browse the tea shops online, but when it comes to the actual order, I prefer to call it in so that I can discuss my preferences with someone who knows their own teas. This also allows me to stretch a little and try new teas that the purveyor might recommend that I might not know to order online.

[Gary Soup]

LOL, Alice had time on her hands today because, strange as it seems, tea-tasters are apparently also football fans (or maybe their SO's dragged them to the nearest sports bar for the Super Bowl). She even had time to swap Chinese restaurant gossip with me; it's rare that I enjoy that luxury these days, because RB is increasingly busy with walk-in tea-tasters -- Alice and Peter's fame is spreading.

Liu, you should get up to SF and schmooze with Alice in person. She's as generous with the tastings as she is with her knowledge and advice, and is NEVER, ever, condescending.

[liu]

Gary Soup -- I am so happy to hear this about Alyce...this is everything I KNOW about her! " As you stated it so well, she has been extremely generous with her time and with her amazingly vast knowledge of tea. Both her personality and passion come through in every communication. I would love to meet her, and next time we are in that direction I will make it a point to do so.

"Strange as it seems..." Yes, I would have thought that all the tea drinkers of the world would have been posting on Chowhound during the Big Game, so it is interesting that you mention this...ha-ha!

[nonaggie]

I haven't had the high mountain light roast for quite a while (they seemed to be out of stock for quite some time). I just got the new shipment today, so I'm looking forward to having it again!

About the multiple infusions, I think I usually did at least 4 steepings. I seem to remember that the tea changed in character quite a lot after the first one or two, but I liked the flavor of the later infusions, too. I'll have to try it again soon and see if that's still true.

[liu]

omotosando -- I love that you started this new topic! It lets me peek-in on other serious tea lovers and learn what they are sipping.

It also exposes the names of some of the best tea purveyors in the States and confirms that we are, indeed, finding some of those really good teas available to us.

[markabauman]

Check out:

www.divinitea.com

[chelleyd01]

so, I am going to be brave and ask that the Celestial Seasonings and Lipton greens aren't a favorite with the tea drinkers? I literally just got 3 boxes in a giftybaskety thing the other day and I drank a cup of CS white tea with peach. It was okay, I suppose, but I was raised on good old lipton with milk and sugar! Should I pitch them? Are they garbage? Any suggestions in the lower price ranges to try?

[liu]

chelleyd01 -- Many of the merchants mentioned offer small sample packets to try, some only a few dollars each. Call a few and ask what they can offer in a taste close to what you like, or just ask for a few packets of a wide range of teas. Do tell them what you have enjoyed in the past, and most will be anxious to please -- within whatever budget you state. For $20-$25-$30, you will be able to sample quite a few.

Alternatively, you can shop at specialty stores in your area and try a few new ones each time. The disadvantage here is that most stores will not offer the sample-sized packets that the tea purveyors might.

[choctastic]

if you like it, keep drinking em. personally i'm not a fan of the fruit flavored teas but i'm also not a fan of wasting money so i'd probably use them for iced tea or something. people seem to like the fruit flavored teas if they're iced.

I think if you’re curious about good green teas and such, those little sampler packs from a reputable company are kind of cool. if you’re lucky enough to have tea shops in your area then of course you have them weigh out however much or little you want. Actually if you’re a lipton fan (which is black tea), you might want to branch out into other black teas like darjeelings rather than greens, although who knows, you may be an instant convert.

speaking of darjeelings, if you want to try it, lipton has some in various er, strengths (for lack of a better word). I like the green label, 8 oz (this is a lot of tea) costs me about $3.50 at the local Indian shop. there’s also the red label and yellow label, but green label is the mildest, which I like, because normally I’m a green tea drinker. This is not the most premium ever Darjeeling but who cares, it’s $3.50 and fun to play with.

[omotosando]

This whole topic raises another question in my mind. Do people think there is an absolute price to quality ratio with tea? For instance, as I said above, many of the teas at Todd & Holland range from $15 to $22.50 an ounce.

Selecting out for style and taste (i.e., doubt I would appreciate the world's highest quality sweet floral tea because I just don't like those tastes in my tea), is a $20 an ounce tea really going to be that significantly better than a $10 an ounce tea?

[liu]

This is a first response to an important question, omotosando, that I, too, wonder about all the time when I think about ordering new teas to try.

Tea is so much about personal tastes...as is most everything we consume. However, I have found -- in my limited experience -- that some of the more expensive teas do have a complexity that I do not find in the less expensive teas. I have just begun to notice an ethereal, lingering aftertaste in some of the finer, more expensive teas that I have enjoyed. It is almost as though the tasting experience with each sip lasts longer and has more levels of flavor; whereas, with some of the lesser expensive teas, a sip is exactly a sip and there is nothing more to write about. It is this very complexity that I am now chasing, along with -- needless to say -- the flavor that I prefer.

Do you get this? Is this something you have experienced with tea? In this sense, then, I feel like I get what I pay for because the experience is just that much richer.

[jpr54_1]

imho-i find that most good teas are more expensive-
i usually do not purchase large amounts of tea at anyone time.
i also purchase sample sizes .

[choctastic]

If the question is "is todd & holland worth all the extra cash i'll spend over buying from another company" the answer may be yes or no depending on the tea. however, if the question is "do higher grades of tea really make a difference in the taste?" then the answer is generally yes for the reasons that liu stated. that said, i've learned to be (relatively) happy with tea that costs me $6 for about 4 ounces that I got from 99ranch.

[Gary Soup]

I personally think T&H has artificially inflated prices, to put it politely. I'd like an explanation as to why their (Xi Hu?) pre-rain Longjing is $90 for 4 oz. and Red Blossom's Xi Hu pre-rain Longjing is $14.50 for the same quantity. There certainly can't be that much variance in quality among the tea from the four West Lake "appelation controlle" (as it were) regions.

[choctastic]

i have to admit i haven't bought from t&h in a while because of the prices which are pretty friggin high. i haven't gone through all that much of red blossom's wares but so far so good.

[houdini]

I've been ordering from http://stashtea.com/ of late. I like the assortment and the quality is good. I like the packaging - resealable 'pouches' in either 4 or 8 ounce.
The descriptions are accurate and they seem to have a good variety.

[sassygirl]

Adagio Tea - www.adagio.com as was recommended by a friend and bought several varieties of Rooibos teas - all delicious and nice, reusable packaging.

[dietfoodie]

Yay! Another Rooibos fan? I just started drinking the stuff the other day, after I found a box I bought over the summer stashed near the bottom of the big basket 'o' tea. I adore this stuff!

Which Adagio Rooibos blend is your favorite? I read over their site and really wanted to try some but I've never purchased tea online so I was a little hesitant. So far I've bought unflavored, vanilla, and a spicy chai rooibos from the grocery, but I'm really tempted by the Adagio caramel apple rooibos -- fruit-y just seems like it would go really well with the natural taste.

[LT from LF]

I've ordered a lot of stuff from Tealuxe...and they do have the small sizes so you can order a taste of something expensive to see if you like it. www.tealuxe.com

[ccbweb]

Seconding Tealuxe, I've ordered from them over the years. I especially like the very small portions one can buy to sample.

[LBeff]

I've ordered or sampled teas from most of the places you've mentioned above. My favorites are Rishi, Palais des Thai, Red Blossom, and In Pursuit of Tea. Teance also has some nice teas, but I haven't gotten into them much.

I'll add Silk Road Teas and Tao of Tea. Both carry a wide range of high quality and unusual teas. I haven't ordered from Silk Road yet, just tried their teas at a trade show, but I was impressed by the quality and flavor of their teas. Tao of Tea has amazing pu-erh and the owner, Veerinder Chawla, is passionate about his teas and educating consumers about them as well.

In terms of paying more for certain teas, I find that high-end loose leaf teas can often be steeped up to five times (some say ten, but I've never made it that far), with different nuances of flavor developing in each steeping. Can't do this with lower-quality teas.

http://www.taooftea.com
http://www.silkroadteas.com

[Low Country Jon]

I've been ordering from Tea Rex ( www.tearex.com ), a tea shop my wife and I used to frequent in Charlotte, as well as Upton. The selection at Tea Rex isn't huge, but the tea quality and the staff are great!

From Tea Rex, our regulars include Supreme Silver Needle, Fanciest Formosa Oolong, Dragon Phoenix Pearls, and Jade Spring. Some teas aren't available online, so it never hurts to call. We also love the Snow Pear when available as well as the Magnolia Oolong.

From Upton, I've sampled lots of teas and particularly enjoyed the Assam White and Poobong Estate Darjeeling Oolong.

I should note that I enjoy "sweet" teas, so that's definitely reflected in some of the favorites I list here.

[phatcat43]

I've ordered from Adagio Tea and Upton Tea Imports. I like them both though lately I've been more impressed with Upton Tea's selection and prices. I almost exclusively drink black tea (and almost always with milk), and I'm a fan of Yunnan and Ceylon teas. I love their Yunnan Harvest Time Golden and their Kenilsworth Estate Ceylon.

I was raised on bagged Lipton as well, but I find that any loose tea will be a major improvement over most bags. The quality and depth of flavor are just much better. Its like going from Sanka to freshly ground coffee.

[lucyis]

I love www.specialteas.com.
I especially like the flavored black teas. My current faves are almond cookie and winter blend. I was also raised with bagged tea, and the bag was routinely saved, dried in a saucer and used at least once again! Loose tea has much more flavor and complexity than bagged tea, but I travel with tea bags.

[cerisenoire]

I second specialteas. They have excellent quality teas, an amazing selection, and fantastic customer service. packaging is simple and no nonsense, and it's just all about the tea. i love white tip earl grey (best i've ever tried--see the reviews!) and margaret's hope darjeeling. i live in paris and often go to mariage freres and palais des thes and can say that specialteas sells the same EXACT teas for half the price--please cross reference and you will see--same estates, same quality.

[jpr54_1]

I just received my order from Imperial Tea Court-
www.imperialtea.com
superior green oolong
imperial green oolong and my favorite
orchid oolong
there is definitely a difference btw cheap tea and quality tea

[jzerocsk]

I mostly use www.adagio.com as they seem to have a great balance between cost/quality. The sample-size tins are a great and inexpensive way to try new varieties.

[phatcat43]

If you're looking to try lots of different types of teas, I definitely recommend Upton. They sell samples of teas from all around the world for $1. I've already found 3 teas that I love from their samples. And I think they're considerably cheaper than Adagio, IMO. But you can't lose with either site.

[mcgillfoodie]

i adore www.seattleteacup.com. great shop in seattle, and they are great at shipping too. good selection, and if you are ever lost, call them and they will be more than happy to help you with correct brewing times, etc.

[Gary Soup]

Guessing from your screen name that you know Montreal. How's Camellia Sinensis in the Quartier Latin as a teahouse? How's their selection for purchase? I usually stay in the Quartier in Montreal, and always seem to notice it on my way somewhere else. Is it worth a leisurely stop?

[jpr54_1]

It is a great place to have tea-
I have been there several times when visiting pq

[jpr54_1]

i also received order today from jingtea in uk-
rosebuds
and jade oolong

[jpr54_1]

I also placed an order with www.jingteashop.com yesterday-
they are located in Taiwan-

[omotosando]

Thanks for the suggestion of Jing Tea Shop, another vender with whom I was not previously familiar. Looks like they have some nice Yixing pots as well. So little time, so many tea vendors!

[omotosando]

Why from the UK? Any isues with customs?

[jpr54_1]

truthfully i don't know why the tea is coming from the uk-

Jing Tea is located in the UK, no?