OK, 1st off this was picked up from two visits to large commercial stores:
Costco & Safeway. Not your local tea shoppe, nor via the Internet, nor an ethnic enclave.
With that in mind I wanted to get away from the Red Rose I had last bought (the large box had the ceramic figurine inside and I was swayed by nostalgia). It's main draw back is to get enough 'flavour' out of it I have to brew it too bitter. Still, I _did_ get a really nice ceramic Rooster out of the deal.
Ok, so-
- Twinnings Tea Blenders selection; Prince of Wales, Irish Breakfast, English Breakfast, Earl Grey & (surprise) Lady Grey (?), 5 each.
- Dynasty 100% Natural (?) Oolong Tea. 16 bag box.
- Hime Genmai Cha. 10 oz box, a loose green tea w/ roasted brown rice.
Now the 1st is Euro/Indio in it's history and if I wanted to keep up here I figured I should know what each tasted like, at least in broad strokes, so I bought the multi pack. And besides, Capt Pikard notwithstanding I like 'Earl Grey, Hot' from time to time.
As for the second, I impulse-bought some Oolong tea just to get some Oolong tea but I don't think this particular brand is worth jumping up and down about. I made some in a mason jar's worth of water to one tea bag- the water had cooled before I got to it and I usually use at least two bags' worth for that volume, (but with a better tea I would not expect to). It was, um, OK. At least these tea bags, unlike the Twinnings, are in foil pouches.*
Now the third choice, one I have bought before, is a fine tea to have around when you want to reproduce the experience of putting your hand out to the shelf and getting some 'O-cha' as I would at a nice sushi restaurant. It's roasted brown rice, not barley, but is robust enough in it's flavour to satisfy my own palate.
- The Twinnings while not in individual foil pouches, do have each 5 pack grouping of flavours wrapped in cellophane. It's _something_.
These are all commercial widespread offerings, and as such I would tend to think of them much differently than something purchased from the local or mail order tea vendor, still nice enough to offer the 1st main point of drinking tea, for me: the alteration of plain water into something more worth drinking. On top of this most basic function are the more desirable aesthetics of aroma and a peaceful attitude and ritual that accompanies it's production, as well as welcome if intangible health benefits, (if any).
Having made a run at coffee some years back and settling on my favorites (never could get with Kona or Columbian types) I am now expressing some interest in teas. But I'll admit I approach it with the bumpkin's mindset; "I don't know art, but I know what like".
So bear with me if you would as I travel the newbie road of making my bones.
TBerk