High quality, delicious teas available in US grocery stores?!
High quality, delicious teas available in US grocery stores?
Hi, I was just asking for suggestions on some good tasting teas that are available in most US grocery stores. Please don't suggest crap teas like Lipton -- those are for noobs. I like to drink black teas like Tetley British Blend, Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Loose Tea, and Twinings Earl Grey Loose Tea, but I want to start trying some green tea as well. Could you please suggest some good black and green teas to me and also tell me if green tea tastes good and what exactly it tastes like? Please tell me the exact brand as well, not just the flavor. Thank you.
Answers:
Wow. You're as much of a tea-snob as I am! Nice to meet you. Ok, maybe we're connoisseurs, but 'snob' is a whale of a lot easier to spell...
St Dalfour has a good line of various black teas. Good Earth has some lovely spiced teas, some black and some herbal. Trader Joe's has some excellent black teas as well, including the only Assam tea I can find around here. Trader Joe's is a chain of supermarkets. You can use Google to find their store locator to see if there's one anywhere near you. Assam is a full-bodied black tea that isn't bitter at all. It's a fuller, rounder taste than a Ceylon tea, but just as smooth. My alltime favorite, of course, is Ceylon-Assam, but that's darned hard to find in this country!
Personally, I do not like green tea. Some folks do. They can have it, too -- more black tea for me! The taste wasn't full enough for me, even when I let it steep half-past-forever.
Try Numi %100 organic teas. They have a lot of exotic flavors. Ginger Sprite is my favorite. Also Yogi Tea makes good tea. If you have a World Market store in your area they have an excellent tea selection including a lot of imported teas. The Earl Greyer is really strong and awesome. It has real oil of Bergemont in it. The only downside to the World Market is they are kind of expensive but they do sell lots of imported foods. The candy is great, most of it is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup. (I know you asked about tea but I can't go to that store without picking up a few good candy bars.)
I would suggest you to try teacuppa.com they offer high quality loose leaf tea.
I would recommend you those i have tried...lion peak xi hu long jing....once you open the pack you could smell the sweet chestnutty aroma. brew it with 80 degree hot water and you get a nutty sweet aroma and sweet butttery after taste.
Another one is their spring 2007 premium bi luo chun, floral aroma and slightly nutty taste when you take the sip. Very refreshing. I find thier premium one much better to the normal bi luo chun. Unless you prefer greenish taste of green tea go for the normal one.
Others like gunpowder will give you green, vegetal taste. Pearl Jasmine will give you a jasmine fragrance green tea.
If you do not like those taste, go for white tea...they are ussually sweet and less nutty flavor like teacuppa organic fuding white tea, shou mei white tea give me a very stale sweet tea. Kinda like it once in a while if i am overdose with strong tea.
Since you didnt mention oolong tea i wont got into it. Black tea I would suggest you to try their lapsang souchung and keemun. Drink them with or without milk. I love these black tea with milk and pink rose bud. Totally satisfying as breakfast tea. I drink green/oolong tea in the afternoon or later of the day..
also they are not available in store, but through online store at www.teacuppa.com
i can't seem to find good tea from grocery stores..try a lot of brands out there but final settle down with teacuppa.com. i think you should try each one and find the best...everyone has their preferences.
hope this help..