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In search of the perfect cup of tea.

Greetings. I recently discovered this news group in my search for the perfect cup of tea. I am finding it quite difficult to gather much information though. Like many special interests, there seems to be a "language" one must learn to really understnad all the nuances of the subject. I am just beginning to learn. Until 3 months ago, I though Bigelow's Darjeeling blend was the best available. (Sad, I know.) I have spent considerable time on the internet trying to find more information about Darjeeling tea. So far, I have mostly discovered that I have probably never really had Darjeeling tea. :) My biggest obstacle right now is that I live in the north woods of Wisconsin, and if it weren't for the internet I'd probably only be drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon or Lienenkugel's. (2 regionally popular beers of no particular value except that they dull your senses sufficiently to last through a Wisconsin winter. :) ) But there are no good sources of good tea. I am not knowledgeable enough to properly evaluate an on-line seller of tea. I have read that about 40,000 lbs of Darjeeling tea is sold annualy - but that only 10,000 lbs are produced. So how can I be assured that I am buying "the real thing"?

Luckily, my Christmas this year brought me several indispensible tea accessories. I now have a nice Chef's Choice kettle for heating the water

- no more microwave. I also have a nice stainless steel tea canister to keep my loose tea fresh and dry. One nice thing about Wisconsin is the water. And we had an under sink water filter installed a couple years ago so that the tap water water here is pretty darn good. Reading the posts on this news group, I have also learned the importance of the length of brewing time (I also got a timer for Christmas since at my age it takes less that 2 minutes to forget what I was doing. :) ) Right now I am using an in cup infuser for brewing my tea. From further reading, I have added a tea pot, a scale, and possibly a better tea cup to my list of "must haves". Oh, and I also received a sample pack of Darjeeling 1st blush

2007 tea from 4 different estates ordered from Upton Tea Imports. (I haven't had a chance to try any yet, since I have had the flu for the last week and I want my taste to return to normal first.)

So I am hoping to get some good advice for a "beginner". Where do I buy my tea? Recommendations for a tea pot. Any other good recommendations?

Thanks, Scott

Reply to
Scott Raasch
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Hey, thanks for the responses!

I'm glad Upton is considered good - I like their selection. Although they have a large number of teas, it will give me an opportunity to try a few. I'll also check out inpursuitoftea.com.

OK, I'm also going to have to try some bottled spring water. I remember back in the 60's my grandfather had a cabin and we would bring home natural spring water for coffee. I don't think natural spring water is all that safe anymore though. :(

I also appreciate the recommendation and information for a tea pot. I'll check out the bodum tea pots.

Also, tried my first Darjeeling today from the sample pack. A very excellent experience! I'm going to enjoy this quest for the perfect cup of tea. :)

Thanks again for the advice!

Reply to
Scott Raasch

All of the advice so far is spot on, and it seems like you are on the right track in doing your homework. Upton's was probably one of your better choices for your first foray. Forget the scale and just about everything else right now, you've got plenty to begin enjoying tea. You will learn in time what you like and dislike, and it's best to keep as many things constant in the beginning to eliminate variables. You'll better learn the effects of time/temp/amount that way. Then when you have it down pretty well, you can begin to experiment.

Also, bottled spring water may be the same or slightly better than your tap, but I'd be surprised if you didn't have natural springs nearby where you can get crisp, clean, cold spring water for free that will eclipse any bottled water sold. Again it is about experimenting, try tap water for a few days, then try bottled for a few, then fresh spring, and go with what tastes best to *you*. That's all that matters in tea.

If you can brew a great cup (to you) from a coffee mug, a microwave, and a fairly low grade DJ then do it. In time you will naturally branch out, don't rush it because you think you have to be at some arbitrary level of sophistication. Many of us have been at this for

10-20+ years, there's no prize for coming in first.

Enjoy the tea, and this newsgroup. Welcome!

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

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