Tea Drinkers!

JessicaMurch5515
JessicaMurch5515 Posts: 150 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Where to you buy your loose tea? I checked 2 grocery stores and Target, all with no luck. Im going to try Whole Foods or Sprouts on the drive home tonight. I bought an infuser travel mug on a whim. I didnt think loose tea would be this hard to find.

Replies

  • bashiera
    bashiera Posts: 140 Member
    I caved in to the beast that is Teavana if I buy loose leaf in a walk-in store. They have a huge selection, and the people at my local store aren't crazy pushy about sales. Online though, Adagio tea is an awesome place, an awesome return policy, and lots of yummy blends.
  • aqm22
    aqm22 Posts: 153 Member
    I'm not sure where you live so I don't know what's available around there. I usually go to asian markets to get my loose tea. Hmart should be in most major cities, but I'm not 100% sure on that. If that doesn't work, you can find anything for sale online these days.
  • JessicaMurch5515
    JessicaMurch5515 Posts: 150 Member
    I'm not sure where you live so I don't know what's available around there. I usually go to asian markets to get my loose tea. Hmart should be in most major cities, but I'm not 100% sure on that. If that doesn't work, you can find anything for sale online these days.

    I do have an asian market, I wouldn't have thought of that. Thank you!
  • jenready
    jenready Posts: 2,658 Member
    I also am a huge fan of Teavana. I just can't seem to get away from there. I also find some good teas at different ethnic stores or markets, just ask the people there what they suggest.
  • HeartME511healthy
    HeartME511healthy Posts: 163 Member
    Where to you buy your loose tea? I checked 2 grocery stores and Target, all with no luck. Im going to try Whole Foods or Sprouts on the drive home tonight. I bought an infuser travel mug on a whim. I didnt think loose tea would be this hard to find.

    try ordering it online if you know exactly what you want. It's easier only if there is a specialized tea shop.
  • TLambertbda
    TLambertbda Posts: 1
    Do you have a Teavana store near you? If not, you can order online. They are great.
  • jodilo88
    jodilo88 Posts: 63
    We have a natural/organic food market that sells loose teas in all different varieties - it makes up for not having a Whole Foods, I guess.
  • jennifermaffei17
    jennifermaffei17 Posts: 158
    I don't buy loose tea but I work above a peets coffee shop and they sell it. Now, that's probably expensive so I would love at either grocery shops or special tea places otherwise....try online?
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    Cost Plus World Market
  • smittenkitten4
    smittenkitten4 Posts: 41
    I order mine from Adagio mostly, with the occasional splurge trip to Teavana. Adagio has an app called Teafinder that will show you tea houses near you (or you can do the same thing from their website). If you want recommendations, let me know.
  • jadedzen
    jadedzen Posts: 221 Member
    i don't know id DAVIDStea is in the usa but i prefer them greatly over teavana. i also frequent about 4 tea shops that are local/within easy travel distance.

    edited to add: http://www.davidstea.com/
  • ablazeoflife
    ablazeoflife Posts: 169 Member
    You can look at any decent health foods store, David's Teas, online bulk retailers as long as their name is reputable, or if you're doing chai you can make your own blend at home.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Cost Plus World Market

    Here and any Asian/International food markets you might have locally, they carry wide varieties and you have your choice of loose or bagged. Online's also an option especially if you prefer certain brands like Republic of Tea or Twinings.

    Personally to me, Teavana's an overpriced joke of a tea shop. What they offer seems marketed more toward the hippie-type tea drinkers who want all-natural or organic this, exotic whatnots they haven't heard of, and pretty words on cards telling them what it's supposed to taste like if you stand on your head and sing backwards as the water brews.
  • ShadowSP7
    ShadowSP7 Posts: 53
    Try Ebay, you can find anything on ebay.
  • Redapplecandie
    Redapplecandie Posts: 171 Member
    Personally to me, Teavana's an overpriced joke of a tea shop. What they offer seems marketed more toward the hippie-type tea drinkers who want all-natural or organic this, exotic whatnots they haven't heard of, and pretty words on cards telling them what it's supposed to taste like if you stand on your head and sing backwards as the water brews.

    haha, thats exactly what I was thinking about Teavana! I have no problem going to the store and sampling whatever they have brewing, but DAMN their prices are outrageous. I typically use bagged tea, easier for me at work. I have a box of nearly every single flavor of Celestial Seasonings teas.

    Favorite will always be the Christmas tea blends from them.

    If I actually dig out my loose leaf tea crap, I can just open a tea-bag and pop the tea into the infuser like that. But I rarely do that.

    A friend of mine in Missouri has a tea-shop and sometimes I order from her, at discount of course.
  • BrainOnAStick
    BrainOnAStick Posts: 126 Member
    I buy tea on-line from Harney & Sons (http://www.harney.com/) or Upton Tea Imports (http://www.uptontea.com/). If I am buying from a grocery store, I usually buy from an Asian or Indian grocery. For my Indian-style tea, I like Brooke Bonde Red Label loose tea.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    Online

    Upton tea Imports is awesome. There are some other ones as well but that is my favorite.
  • kenziestx
    kenziestx Posts: 75
    I believe I've seen it at World Market. What kind of tea do you like? I have just started drinking it regularly (2 or 3 cups a day) and really don't know what I should be looking for. I've been doing green tea with ginseng.
  • JessicaMurch5515
    JessicaMurch5515 Posts: 150 Member
    I believe I've seen it at World Market. What kind of tea do you like? I have just started drinking it regularly (2 or 3 cups a day) and really don't know what I should be looking for. I've been doing green tea with ginseng.

    Right now I'm liking green tea, the bag kind I have now has a hint of peach flavor to it. I do have a World Market thats closer than the Asian Market so I'll check there first :smile:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    stash.com

    I love their seasonal flavors ... Pumpkin Spice Chai ... mmmm
  • JessicaMurch5515
    JessicaMurch5515 Posts: 150 Member
    stash.com

    I love their seasonal flavors ... Pumpkin Spice Chai ... mmmm

    Pumpkin Spice Chai?! I must check this out.
  • DeeDeeLHF
    DeeDeeLHF Posts: 2,301 Member
    I love drinking tea and have tried from many sources. I prefer a loose tea but do not mind a bag if it is a quality blend. The Wegmans near our home has a tea shop. Large canisters that you can pick and choose the tea you like and buy small quantities to try many kinds to see what you enjoy. The have very nice bags for transporting the tea with a ziplock that is sealed (look for the brown paper kind).

    Today, I enjoyed a pot of organic white tea with peach. Yesterday, was a pot if silver needle, one of my favorites.

    When you see the loose tea compared to what comes in a bag you will be convinced that your purchase was not ill made.

    Also, remember that one of the benefits of loose tea is that you can use it over for about 3 or 4 times if you use the diffuser. (within a 24 hour period)

    Read a bit about tea and the temperature of the water and how long to steep. I prefer to not leave the loose tea in the pot for too long as it starts to become bitter. Most times, I will pre-heat two teapots. One to brew and so the tea can swirl (I love my brown betty for this) and and then strain and pour into one for serving. I do this even if it is just me drinking the tea.

    Loose tea is MUCH more economical than tea bags.

    Tea and wine...enjoy the nuances of both!!

    D
  • dgwheeler24
    dgwheeler24 Posts: 4
    I found loose leaf Lipton tea st Wal-Marts and Brookshire Grocery Stores
  • LessLikeHer
    LessLikeHer Posts: 47
    I buy mine on amazon a lot of the time.
  • Bob_Sutton
    Bob_Sutton Posts: 27 Member
    I buy a lot of tea online at Adagio. Some of prices look a little high, but you might be surprised how much tea you actual get.

    They have sample packages for a couple bucks. I started out with the sampler packs which have 4-6 different teas of a similar style to find the ones I liked best. Their storage tins keep the tea usable a lot longer than expected. I have a few teas that are a couple years old and they still taste just as good as they first did, I do need to use a little more on a couple of them to get to the strength I want, but that is what i get for purchasing about 20 different teas in a short time.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
    Most high end coffee houses also sell a variety of loose tea. I buy mine at a place called the Ten Ren tea house in NYC's Chinatown. They have a huge variety of green, black and oolong tea and sell online as well

    Ten Ren Tea - Home
    www.tenrenusa.com/Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Co. ... Ten Ren's Tea and Ginseng Co. 79 Mott Street, New York, N.Y. 10013. Tel: (212)-349-2286 Fax: (212)-349-2180 ...
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
    I've found Whittards to be the best. I love their loose tea.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    It's available at the bigger grocery store in my town (Kroger).

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