Cheap tea

I know I'm probably wearing everyone's patience out, but I have been so fastinated by all this, and after a freindly lady from one of the tea lists sent me some samples of her teas I was so interested in all the different teas.

However, after searching through different online stores for tea, I realized I would be able to get SOME loose leaf tea to enjoy once in a while but probably not every day. Having no more than fifty dollars to spend, and being as I do enjoy off the shelf teas like English and Irish breakfast teas from Twinnings and Yorkshire Gold, Oolong from the Chinese restaurant *bagged tea but not "restaurant Chinese" I think, and Green teas wth fruit flavors as well as Jasmine green,

WHAT would be my best bet to get a loose leaf tea or two. I just get confused and greedy when I look through all the stores, and Don't know which store to shop at or which teas to buy so I can maximize my experience and make my money and tea last til I get next year's income tax return. I can buy myself a treat but not sprend the whole bank as it were. LOL

Please tell me what you would buy if you were poor and greedy. thanks, Kitty

Reply to
Kitty
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That would be me. :-) I have champagne tastes on a beer budget, as they say. I always shop with Upton's, because they've been good to me, and I'm loyal to them. You might try their English Breakfast Teas, like the ... oh, what was it called? Wilson's Ceylon, I believe. Also, the BOP Darjeeling is great. If you plan on drinking the tea in good time, you can forgo the tin and just get the bag, which will save. Also, the Tippy Orthodox Assam would do the trick. I've tried that too, and found it to be good. These are all black teas, as that's what I tend to drink. I would steer clear of the Jasmines, since those are the kind that you get what you pay for. Oh yes, the Himalayan tea. That's another good bargain. Tastes like Darjeeling, at a better price.

Ian

Reply to
Ian Rastall

I myself am poor (by which I mean, I pay for tuition, basic room and board, and sometimes things I need like toothpaste and soap, but have just about no money to spend on anything else). I would recommend searching local ethnic markets, and comparing your options online. I basically live off of turkish tea, which I can find for a penny per gram, even after import, transport, retail markup, and tax! I would look at teas from other lesser known countries as well, as some are quite good (and cheap). I would recommend buying something really really cheap (like my turkish tea), and then spend a little bit more for some nicer stuff, for when you want/need it. It will also benefit if you pinpoint what you like, and then buy only what you will use. I don't really like green tea very often, so when I did my winter purchases recently, I only bought a small amount of some very nice Lung Ching, and devoted more of my funds towards finer black teas. I also search for stronger teas, because I like my tea strong, and it allows me to brew multiple infusions.

About turkish tea (caykur rize), it's not quite as flavorful as other black teas, like those from assam, but on the plus side, it's almost impossible to oversteep it. I once brewed a pot for two hours straight on accident, and the resulting brew wasn't bitter at all. (with a lot of leaf too)

I also shamelessly steal decent tea bags when I find them within reach. (when I rarely go out to eat, or am in a hotel)

Reply to
TeaDave

I would second Ian's recommendation of Upton's Himalayan if you like Darjeeling. Also I would recommend Specialteas for cheaper black teas such as assam. Their prices are better than Upton's it seems to me and I've had good luck with what I've gotten from them. Upton's black tea blends aren't too bad (though that's much a matter of taste...I know some have gotten less favourable reviews.) Their Malawi tea is pretty good as a basic black IMO. As far as jasmine..well, it's not a particular like of mine, but I'd stick to local Asian markets for that since it seems to be plentiful there. But if you are that strapped for cash, definitely get some samples first to find out what you'd like...it won't be very fun to order a quarter pound of something you find you don't care for if you have limited funds.

Do you mean that you only have $50 a year to spend on tea?

Melinda

Reply to
Melinda

Reply to
toci

Do you mean that you only have $50 a year to spend on tea?

well, I do buy at the supermarket. Twinnings and all. We live in a largish farming town, no asian market, and the asian section (we do have a small asian population) in the supermarket is small and only carries about three teas, all bags.

When we got our Income tax return I Usually buy myself a china tea cup or two, but this year thought I would buy tea instead. If I buy two china tea cups I end up spending about 50 dollars, so I know I'm ok if I stay in that range. We do get more, but we need a new roof and new electric wiring and I don't have any business drinking up the funds for a safer house. LOL

Reply to
Kitty

Go to the Upton's web site and order a couple of the samplers. You'll get five or six different teas in each. And enough to make several pots of each.

Upton's will also sell little sample packages of tea, which are about enough to make two cups of tea. The sample packs vary from a dollar for most teas to three or four dollars for top-shelf types.

You should at least try a couple China blacks, a Ceylon, an Assam, and a Darjeeling of some kind, if you're interested in black teas.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

A couple of years ago on an out of town visit, I bought a 1 pound, vacuum sealed brick of whole leaf assam at a store that sold Arab foods. (I had gone in to get some of their yogurt because it is nearly as thick as bean curd and very good for some recipes.) The tea was very cheap (about $2.50) and it was really really excellent--- possibly the best assam I've ever had... and very fresh too. Quite strong but not at all bitter or astringent or with off-tastes. You might check online for an Arab source if that doesn't conflict with your political sensibilities. I wish I could tell you a brand but the package was all in arabic except for the word "assam"!

Another thing I suggest is to go to the Upton tea site...

... and look over their reviews with cost in mind. Sometimes you can find some pretty good deals.

Good luck!

Reply to
Phaedrine

That makes them great for a samovar, which I think is no coincidence.

Rick.

Reply to
Rick Chappell

If had only 50 dollars per year for tea I would probably buy 8 or 9 pounds of "Golden Sail" brand "China Lichee Black Tea". It has been remarkably constant at nearly $6.00 per pound in Chinatowns in Toronto, New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco, and Chicago (slightly more expensive in HK, oddly, but compensated for by no sales tax). It's a great example of adulteration improving a cheap product, although I suppose "adulteration" is unfair if it's stated clearly on the label. Lichee goes well with tea.

Best,

Rick.

Reply to
Rick Chappell

The little sample packets at Upton have 15 gr of tea, making about six cups, enough to know if it's what you want. Toci

Reply to
toci

You have already some good suggestions like Upton. Here's some less obvious:

If you want something "exotic" yet familiar, you could try some flavoured Kusmi Tea (Anastasia, St.Petersbourg or Prince Vladir are my favorite) They are blends of Ceylon, China and India teas flavoured with citrus fruits and spices with that very special "Russian taste". If you enjoy English blends (Earl Grey, Irish breakfast,...), you'll be surprised by the dept and the naturalness of the aromas.

Dilmah's single estate Ceylan teas are surprisingly good. Almost the same price as Twinning's but, to my taste, a lot more fragrant, floral and round. Wonderful copper colors. You'll never want to go back to Twinning's flat Ceylan tea. Dilmah's Earl Grey is reminescent of oriental roses. Check the best-before date on their packages. Don't buy a tea older than six months.

Assam's from Kenya can be extremely satisfying. I bought several years ago a pound of GFOP from the Marinyn Estate dirt cheap (7$/lb). It was equal to the most expensive Assams I've tasted. A steal.

I once attended the full Japanese tea ceremony (Cha-no-yu, 3 hours), in a traditionnal tea house, on Montreal's Botanical Garden grounds. The best $5 (Canadian!), I spent while on vacation. I'll remember forever the texture of matcha, a green tea paste served in a bowl, and... how my knees hurt afterward. :)

Don't forget, tea is not a drink only. It can be a full sensory and cultural experience.

Reply to
Nath Krismaratala

I forgot, for Kusmi tea, refills cost near half the price as the same tea in metal tins. The tins are beautiful, but if you are on a tight budget...

Reply to
Nath Krismaratala
50 bucks would take you a long way at uptons, or I'm sure some other sources. I'm drinking a CTC assam right now that my local co-op sells for 12 bucks a pound. I'm thinking 4lbs of assam would last you a long time :) . Frankly, good loose tea isn't that expensive when you think about what it works out to per cup. I maybe go through 5 bucks a week on tea, which is about a latte and a half, or two days of my old diet coke habit.
Reply to
Justin Holmes
50 bucks would take you a long way at uptons, or I'm sure some other sources. I'm drinking a CTC assam right now that my local co-op sells for 12 bucks a pound. I'm thinking 4lbs of assam would last you a long time :) . Frankly, good loose tea isn't that expensive when you think about what it works out to per cup. I maybe go through 5 bucks a week on tea, which is about a latte and a half, or two days of my old diet coke habit.
Reply to
Justin Holmes

Almost all of those brands found in Arab markets are in fact from Ceylan (Sri Lanka) packaged to please their customers. Two most common brands : Akbar's brothers Alghazaleen Tea and Alwazah Tea (also called Swan Brand).

Reply to
Nath Krismaratala

Maybe so, but when I tried some Kusmi tea, the price was maybe $10 for a quarter pound (New York), and the lids for the tins didn't fit well enough to make a reasonable seal.

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

Man you are good! I am certain it was Alwazah, now that you mention it. Thanks. :) What I don't know is if their tea quality is consistent. But what I had was really excellent. And it's interesting that you say it was likely Ceylon tea since I tend to gravitate toward Ceylons.

Reply to
Phaedrine

I second the recommendation for Turkish tea, but a penny per gram ($10/kg) for Çaykur tea seems a bit expensive. I usually buy it for EUR 3/kg at a Turkish supermarket (then again, there are many Turks and Turkish supermarkets here in Austria).

If you want something better I'd try Doğuş which is the other common Turkish brand here. They have a couple of different teas and are about EUR 4/500 grams here (which would be a lot closer to your penny/gram).

Just be sure it says that it's tea from the Black Sea region in Turkey or "Karadeniz çayı" in Turkish. That's the good stuff that doesn't get bitter.

Stefan

Reply to
Stefan Goetzinger

Some of them are Assam teas, though, usually low-grade teas that are picked constantly rather than in flushes. They will be marked "Kalami" or "Barooti" for full-leaf and broken leaf respectively. Brands to look for includ "Gulabi," "Tea India," and "Sharzad." I always enjoy these. They are never earthshattering, but they are always a pleasant cup.

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

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