What Are Your 'Everyday' Teas?

[Yajna Patni]

I am an everyday tea drinker. I came to the US 20 years ago, and gave up tea for coffeefor many years because it was too hard to find tea that didn't taste like vegetable water.

My budget is basically very very low. I am laid off at the moment and trying to keep costs down. But here is what i drink, and my strategy for maximum tea, minimum budget.

from the Indian Store:

Brook Bond ( I think) Green Label. Green Label is Darjeeling. No flushes mentioned, but as long as it is made properly, makes a great cup of tea, for my taste.

Tetley Massala Chai bags, decent but not fabulous. For real masala chai i get CTC tea, i like Taj Mahal, and boil it up with cardamom, ginger and pepper.

from China Town:

Keemun in a little orange tin

oolong in a pretty tin (this is not good oolong, but it brews up fine for a quick cup of tea.)

I also have some lychee tea in a lovely pink tin, its pretty disgusting, but it was $2 and the tin is cute.

On Top of this i have the ends of a bag of Lapsang souchong, this si my favorite and I ration it out. When i get really broke i mix it with assam or something of that nature.

I have a little bag of golden tippy assam also from the tea shop. its ok but not worth the money

Also i have a box of barry's tea bag, irish brekfast and gold blend, because they taste like home.

I always drink my tea with milk, so my choices reflect this. I only put sugar in Massala Chai, but i find that needs it.

so there... there are my teas.

Cheap and very basic.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Yajna Patni (log)

[Yajna Patni]

About the PG tips..... it should be made with boiling water, bubbles coming out boiling. left to brew very briefly, then drunk with milk and probably sugar. it is not meant to be savored, there are not meant to be flowery over notes or reminisces of berries or fruit or honey.

It does however to me taste a million steps above US lipton (international Lipton is another thing) in that it has enough caffeine to have a kick, and it should be very astringent in the mouth before milk is added. It should be strong, and astringent, and be totally free of the vegetable taste of green tea.

It must be said though... it is very possible that the pg tips that has become available in US supermarkets is not the same as the english/indian/where ever else they drink tea variety. Lipton in the US is completely different. It would not surprise me if PG was going the same route.

[Yajna Patni]

to the PG tips vs. US lipton... I think i would compare it to a very rough Italian Chianti, not sophisticated subtle or costly, but at least to me, a rough almost elemental essence, and completely valid for certain occasions, vs. Boones farm... cheap, sweet, mild and just nasty to me, completely unacceptable for any occasion.

[jsmeeker]

I need to find myself a good, but relatively affordable, every day tea.

I want a black tea. Something pretty "bold" and full flavored. This would essentially be something to drink instead of coffee. Not that I am giving up coffee, but I have found that brewing a pot of tea to be a bit more convenient than coffee (when starting with whoel beans)

As far as sources of tea, I don't really think I need to mail order it. I have several sources to obtain teas that should be "good enough" for this. I can get brands like "Republic of Tea" at a local grocery store. Sold there in both bulk and also tins. Same store also carries another brand in bulk as well. I also have access to Teavana stores. And of course, I can visit The Cultured Cup (probably the place I would prefer to source this tea from)

So, are there speciific types of tea that tend to be both bold and full flavored AND relatively speaking, price friendly? I certainly understand that I'll be spending far more than what it would cost to buy Lipton tea bags or even tins of Twinnings. But what I am looking for is suggestions for affordable "gourmet" type teas.

[Yajna Patni]

I suggest trying out English and Irish Breakfast for blends. Teavana probably has some. For non blends.. Assam is another good choice, as would be Ceylon or Keemun. Cheaper Darjeeling is good too. (not that the expensive ones aren't amazing).

I don't think you will find that much worth while in the grocery store.

For the grocery store route, you need to find the ones that sell Chinese/Indian/or Irish Groceries.

Some people like Earl greys, and i am sure teavana has a few. I think they are vile. but that is me. Get a decent one at Teavana and see how you like it. (don't bother with the grocery store twinings etc, those are just crass, and excuse to disguise poor quality tea with far too much flavouring.)

I just read you prefer cultured cup to teavana. I don't know either place, but my suggestion is to get your teas from which ever tea store you like. I think you will find that their blends and single source teas are you best bet. Just get ones toward the end of the price spectrum that makes you comfortable.

I don't think i cheaper tea is necessarily a worse tea. There are teas for different purposes. For me, i the morning, I ant something robust and strong enough for milk. i don't really want to have to do justice to my first flush Darjeeling.

Edited March 31, 2009 by Yajna Patni (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

I think Yajna has it pegged for the types of black teas you are looking for, Jeff.

English and Irish Breakfast Blends (and at TCC what they call an American Blend)

Ceylons

Assams

Keemuns

I typically drink either a breakfast blend or a Ceylon for my first morning cup. Around here PGTips and similar run about $8US for 4 ounces, but you can get a very good blend or Organic Ceylon at TCC for about $9US for 4 ounces. Or a good Ceylon for $7US.

[jsmeeker]

Thanks Richard and Yajna.

One of the teas I picked up on my first visit to the Cultrued Cup was a Ceylon. I rather enjoyed it, too. I think I'll try out an Assam next time. Those prices you quote for 4 ounces sound pretty reasonable to me.

[qrn]

I need to find myself a good, but relatively affordable, every day tea.

I want a black tea.  Something pretty "bold" and full flavored.  This would essentially be something to drink instead of coffee.  Not that I am giving up coffee, but I have found that brewing a pot of tea to be a bit more convenient than coffee (when starting with whoel beans)

.  But what I am looking for is suggestions for affordable "gourmet" type teas.

←

look at Vitamin Cottage in their bulk section, I have been buying earl grey for$10 per pound. looked up their adress,its 7517 Campbell Road, Suite 500

Dallas, TX 75248

Good luck

Bud

[andiesenji]

I need to find myself a good, but relatively affordable, every day tea.

I want a black tea.  Something pretty "bold" and full flavored.  This would essentially be something to drink instead of coffee.  Not that I am giving up coffee, but I have found that brewing a pot of tea to be a bit more convenient than coffee (when starting with whoel beans)

As far as sources of tea, I don't really think I need to mail order it. I have several sources to obtain teas that should be "good enough" for this.  I can get brands like "Republic of Tea" at a local grocery store.  Sold there in both bulk and also tins. Same store also carries another brand in bulk as well.  I also have access to Teavana stores.  And of course, I can visit The Cultured Cup (probably the place I would prefer to source this tea from)

So, are there speciific types of tea that tend to be both bold and full flavored AND relatively speaking, price friendly?  I certainly understand that I'll be spending far more than what it would cost to buy Lipton tea bags or even tins of Twinnings.  But what I am looking for is suggestions for affordable "gourmet" type teas.

←

I am very partial to the Nilgiri teas, and specifically to the Tiger Hill estate Nilgiri.

My most recent purchase is what I consider an exceptional tea. It brews up quite strong, as do most Nilgiri teas and is well worth the cost, which I think is very reasonable. It lends itself well to multiple infusions also.

Even Stash tea has it and so does Amazon (via Special Teas) at 4.95 for 1/4 pound.

I happened to get mine from EnjoyingTea.com because I had a credit there.

One of my favorite Assam teas is from Harmutty estate and like many Assams, is very malty.

It also brews up fairly strong and is fine for multiple infusions.

[Syrah]

I'm lucky to be able to buy pretty good tea in the supermarket. Dilmah is my favourite brand. Although occasionally I do like Twinings English Breakfast or the even stronger Irish Breakfast, but it is hard to find in leaf form and I don't do bags anymore.

I do like Dilmah's Extra Strong black tea, but mostly I just get the Premium Black which has tasting notes as below.

Pure Ceylon Broken Orange Pekoe produces a pleasing brew. Medium strength with body and structure. This is a wonderful embodiment of Ceylon Tea, with a fine balance strength, aroma and brightness. Recommended straight, possibly with a hint of lemon for its very pleasing brew. If milk is desired, brew for a minute longer than normal and add a dash of milk. 

They do seem to have a wide distribution. http://www.dilmahtea.com/

[Naftal]

Hello--I love this thread. I think that it is a very important topic.

I need to find myself a good, but relatively affordable, every day tea.

I want a black tea.  Something pretty "bold" and full flavored.  This would essentially be something to drink instead of coffee.  Not that I am giving up coffee, but I have found that brewing a pot of tea to be a bit more convenient than coffee (when starting with whoel beans)

.   But what I am looking for is suggestions for affordable "gourmet" type teas.

←

look at Vitamin Cottage in their bulk section, I have been buying earl grey for$10 per pound. looked up their adress,its 7517 Campbell Road, Suite 500

Dallas, TX 75248

Good luck

Bud

←

I get a very nice Earl Grey in bulk at my local Chaldean market. It costs approx. $7/lb. They have a bulk green and a bulk black for the same price. Edited April 3, 2009 by Naftal (log)

[v. gautam]

The Green Label was around $8/lb in a 1 lb box and now may be up a bit.

I am selecting a few that I like and feel are very good value for money.

For more black teas, you can go to my favorite vendor:

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommer...owse/Black_Tea/

The AUTUMN FLUSH below is my Go-To tea: if you brew it light, with just-below boiling water and small qty leaf, it becomes a Chinese sipping tea, aromatic, wonderful for second and thirds. If you mix with CTC/Red Label or lower grade leaf like Greeen Label, you can use boiling water and use milk.

Depending on how much 1 person drinks, 8 oz. can last a year, cut with 1 lb. Green Label. So $20 total/12 months does not seem too bad to me.

Organic Makaibari Estate Autumnal 2008 - Fair Trade Certified - 8 oz. 1130-8 $12.11

Organic Makaibari Estate Autumnal 2008- Fair Trade Certified - 16 oz. 1130-16 $22.00

http://www.silvertipstea.com/fusionecommer...rade_Certified/

If you go for Nilgiris, they are mising the floral notes of the Darjeeling, so milk is ok, you are not killing something. The first one is very nice, you can do it by itself, mix with Autumn Flush & GL for a brisk tea, very lttle milk. My bias shows, because, I like to brew very mild + light andw/o milk/sugar, & re-steep. Darjeeling is China tea and benefits by this treatment.

Tiger Hill Estate OP - 8 oz. 1200-8 $11.85

Tiger Hill Estate OP - 16 oz. 1200-16 $22.00

Organic Korakundah Estate FOP - Fair Trade Certified - 8 oz. 1201-8 $12.77

Organic Korakundah Estate FOP - Fair Trade Certified - 16 oz. 1201-16 $24.00

Here is a great Assam:

Organic Assam TGFOP - Fair Trade Certified - 8 oz. 1002-8 $12.77

Organic Assam TGFOP - Fair Trade Certified - 16 oz. 1002-16 $24.00

[Yajna Patni]

Thanks Gautam!

I will have to try out the autumnal flush... I am a milk in tea person, and tend to like the later flushes better anyway.

[v. gautam]

Actually, excellent Bangladesh teas, equal to some of the best Assams is sold unbranded in Bangladesh auctions for a wholesale of $1.65/kg!! I laugh when I read all the pretentious estate names and especially the pretentions that have become the fashion in certain circles.

One of the best branded Bangladesh is organic Kazi & Kazi sold in Japan for $9/kg, but retailed under a Japanese brand. None but a professional tea taster would be able to pick it out from a set of related high priced Assam estates. What a rum joke! 9 of 10 online tea dealers in the US and Canada are having a fine time making fools of their customers.

Like "Italian" olive oil, there is not so much tea in Darjeeling as is sold as Darjeeling tea. Even Siliguri and Jalpaiguri tea becomes Darjeeling, that then stretches to far corners of north Bengal, at elevations of 100 feet!!!! Likewise, Tiger Hills Estate in the Nilgiris surely must encompass ranges more extensive than the Himalayas and the Andes combined!!

Edited April 7, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[Yajna Patni]

Well I know what my Bangladeshi friend is bringing me back next time she goes home!

Honestly though I think a lot of snobbery is invented to part fools from their money. No offense to any one. But the world is full of people who can't taste the difference but pay for the status.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Yajna Patni (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

Thanks for pointing out the Bangaladeshi teas. A little web research shows that Kazi & Kazi is sold internationally as Teatulia, is available on-line on the Teatulia site and runs $71.43 - $100 per pound - I think that's in USD - plus shipping.

Are the other, less expensive, teas from Bangaladesh available on-line?

[v. gautam]

Richard,

I reported exactly what the owner, Mr. Kazi has confirmed he receives per kilogram, as of this year, USD9/kg, when he sells to his Japanese principals, who then do something with it and sell it in their outlets. I am not sure exactly what happens at the other end. The Bangladesh end I am sure about, including the unbranded wholesale auction prices. There is a lot of very poor quality there as well, because most of it is for the domestic market.

There are just a few thoughtful entrepreneurs who can see that Panchagarh and various districts in the north are separated from Assam, Meghalaya, Duars, Siliguri [home of much spurious Darjeeling!], Jalpaiguri etc. by a nominal political boundary, a line on a map not understood by tea plants. Only a very few have created the organic plantations and strict quality control to ensure the consistent product that can be branded.

As far as I know, there are no specialized online sellers carrying Bangladesh tea, although Kalustyan's in Manhattan is owned by a Bangladeshi and would probably be able to secure these teas should there be the demand.

Those concerned about Fair Trade and Living Wage issues should ponder the spreads of $72, $9, $1.65, all obviously earning profits, and reflect on the situation of the worker at the bottom of this value chain. Why is this relevant? Bangladesh is well on its way to becoming the next extraordinary debacle on the US and European foreign policy plate. Those of us who have anguished over the cropping systems and crop research issues there and elsewhere on the subcontinent have given up hope now.

Why the fate of the Bangladeshi laborer is tied to that of the US is because money will be drained from the treasuries here to staunch problems that by then will have become irreparable, especially by military interventions. Pakistan is a prime example of a dysfunctional agricultural political economy that needs change at that level before any improvement can ensue, no matter how many dollars are thrown at it.

P.S. In my earlier post, when I wrote, "sold in Japan for USD9/kg", I failed to clarify that it was the price received by the exporter, NOT the retail price. Mentally, I was so indignant at the low prices for Bangladeshi [i am Indian!] vs. Assam estate, that I forgot about the retail end of things! Only the auction prices remained in my mind. Sorry if I mislead a lot of people.

That said, retail WITHIN Bangladesh will be a lot more reasonable, even of the quality teas. There, one's connections matter in getting quality, so YJ need not despair. Her friend needs to tap into the mamu-chacha network, & voila, free (or almost) Kazi & Kazi.

Edited April 8, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

I may be interested in trying the organic Kazi & Kazi sold on their Teatulia site. There is little in the way of tasting notes on each of their teas on the site. While I can tell what the Earl of Bengal is designed to resemble, the other black, green, white and herbal are fairly vague. Have you tried any of them? If so, what would you compare them to?

What would you recommend as an "everyday tea"?

[prasantrin]

One of the best branded Bangladesh is organic Kazi & Kazi sold in Japan for $9/kg, but retailed under a Japanese brand. None but a professional tea taster would be able to pick it out from a set of related high priced Assam estates. What a rum joke!  9 of 10 online tea dealers in the US and Canada are having a fine time making fools of their customers.

←

Do you by chance know which Japanese brand it's retailed under? I'm curious, and wouldn't mind trying it if I could get my hands on some. If it's not a supermarket brand, my guess would be Lupicia Tea, but their website doesn't show any organic assam teas.

[Richard Kilgore]

One of the best branded Bangladesh is organic Kazi & Kazi sold in Japan for $9/kg, but retailed under a Japanese brand. None but a professional tea taster would be able to pick it out from a set of related high priced Assam estates. What a rum joke!  9 of 10 online tea dealers in the US and Canada are having a fine time making fools of their customers.

←

Do you by chance know which Japanese brand it's retailed under? I'm curious, and wouldn't mind trying it if I could get my hands on some. If it's not a supermarket brand, my guess would be Lupicia Tea, but their website doesn't show any organic assam teas.

←

The results of my googling suggest that it may be sold in Japan also as Teatulia, but more likely under another name by an un-named Japanese retailer. It appears that Japan was involved in the Kazi & Kazi project, both financially and in terms of the approach to organic tea production. which makes sense in that Japan does not produce enough lower priced tea for its own consumption and has to import.

[v. gautam]

I don't know whether they would classify KK with Assam type teas or under black teas in general.

Following the success of KK, another agrobusiness is in the process of becoming certified organic, and by next year they will probably focus on the domestic Bangladesh market where their brand has excellent recognition in many farm products: TATKA, meaning fresh. They are much smaller than KK, 100K kg vs KK's 240K kg and Bdesh total is 60 million odd kg to give you a frame of reference.

My ballpark guess is that KK teabags, the most expensive form in which it is sold, probably runs to a taka per gram, retail in Bdesh. So approximately Taka 1000/kg, a bit more than USD 10. Whether this is the exact same export quality OR, being bagged tea contains a substantial quantity of fannings & dust [i would suspect], I have no idea.

Do not forget Nepal, Sikkim black teas; even Himachal Pradesh green teas though that is becoming very rare. I have walked amidst abandoned plantations among beautiful knee high bushes laden with fruit, literally going to seed. The tea from such ancient, gnarled wind-swept plants is of impossibly high quality IF care is taken. Very laborious to pick, very difficult to maintain some of these naturally bonsai-ed, widely spaced bushes. Since they are not well- known, none will pay USD1000/lb. Anyway, this ws in the 1971, when the economic climate was also very topsy turvy.

The Japanese might be among the very few who might appreciate this quality of green tea, but that could be a very touchy subject with the them: foreign green tea. With the war clouds gathering apace in the nearby Yol camp, a staging area for the war to begin soon that winter, one of the happiest memories of my life was caressing those lichened, gnarled, small-leaved tea plants bravely keeping their heads up among the crisped and sere grass that chill autumn afternoon.

Tea in these areas has a history dating back to the time in the 2nd century BCE-2nd century CE, when the Kushan emperor Kanishka had a huge central Asian empire and brought back a Chinese prince as a permanent hostage. The latter's entourage brought some esentials to keep their royal charge happy: among them, tea, and pears, which in fact went by the name cinarajaputra: chineseprince!

Hence, the local custom of GREEN TEA. Tibetans drink a type of brick pu-erh. Kashmiris types of salt or fruity, flavored green and black teas made pink by a number of unrelated devices :quite different end results too. Only here do they drink green tea like the Chinese do, plain.

Bangladesh tea prices taken from the Daily Star, Dhaka, to how you a typical price movement on 7/7/08, from the Tea Traders Association of Bangladesh (TTAB):

Retail, packaged tea, various ordinary brands: Tk 180-190/ kg

Wholesale: Tk 170-180/kg

Chittagong auction level: Tk 135-145

http://www.teaboard.gov.bd/index.php?option=Market

Richard asked me about some cheaper brands: I have no idea about quality!

"Some of the teas are also sold at estate level with prior permission of Bangladesh Tea Board either directly to overseas buyers or to the internal traders."

http://www.teaboard.gov.bd/index.php?optio...rectoryBlenders

http://www.teaboard.gov.bd/index.php?option=DirectoryBulk

HRC is the largest exporter of Bdesh tea:

The other major exporting companies are:

Elite

A Kabir

Consol

Duncan

Ispahani : brand Mirzapur tea

Haji Ahmed

Shaw Wallace

Unilever :Lipton??

Monir Shah

AMCL-Pran

Azad Enterprise

Mukut.

A word of caution: Bangladesh teas are not some magic waiting to be discovered. There is a lot of poor stuff out there as well, not value for money. We started down this path only with respect to a particular line of reasoning. As far as ordinary tea is concerned, African or Vietnamese tea may provide overall better quality at roughly USD 2.50/kg auction level.

Edited April 10, 2009 by v. gautam (log)

[jsmeeker]

I finally made it back down to The Cultured Cup in Dallas to "stock up" on some every day tea. I wound up with two teas.

The first is an Irish Breakfast from their "Cup of Value" line. 4 ounces for $9. The other is a Mariage Fréres Assam Tara. 4 ounces for $16. I just got back home, so I haven't had a chance to brew up a cup. of either. When I do, I will certainly report back on them.

But for the time being, I think I am set on tea for a while.

[ghostrider]

I too am an everyday tea drinker. Given how cheap tea is per cup, & how many pots one can get from a half-pound of tea, this is pretty much the last place where I'm willing to compromise in my personal budget; though at the same time, I don't buy a lot of what I consider high-end teas these days.

Mariage Fréres teas @ $64.00 / lb. are a bit high for what I'd consider an everyday tea, though it's always nice to have a couple of teas like that around for variety. Other teas mentioned in the $28 - $36 per lb. range are more in line with where we should be looking, I'd think, in terms of "budget" teas.

I get most of my teas from Upton Tea Imports, as I've mentioned many times. I drink mostly Assams & Ceylons by preference, with sporadic pots of Darjeeling or similar for variety.

Upton sells its teas in metric quantities. Doing some quick conversions on my favorites, I see that I've been paying $28 - $30 / lb. for the Assams (which I usually buy in 200-gram packets) that I drink daily, and about 25% - 30% less than that for the Ceylons. Add on a $4.00 shipping charge for an order that will last me 4-5 months, and it still seems to me that I'm getting a good value while drinking some fine teas every day.

This bit of research has also led me to find that 3 of my past favorite Assams are permanently sold out at Upton, right when I'm running low & needing more! Ah well, there's always something new to be found.

[Richard Kilgore]

*******

Mariage Fréres teas @ $64.00 / lb. are a bit high for what I'd consider an everyday tea, though it's always nice to have a couple of teas like that around for variety.  Other teas mentioned in the $28 - $36 per lb. range are more in line with where we should be looking, I'd think, in terms of "budget" teas.

*******

←

I think it depends on what category of tea you are drinking as an everyday tea. You're spot-on for black teas. Some red teas and drinkable two or more year old pu-erhs may make that price range, more if you stretch it to $50/lb. Many new, not ready to drink pu-erhs would make it and then you could store them for the future, much like a wine that would improve with age, but cost you more later to buy from a merchant who did the aging.

Oolongs in general are pricier, probably $40 to $ $60/lb for an everyday Oolong. Not that you can't find an Oolong for less; you simply may not enjoy it very much, and what's the point of an everyday tea if you have to "tolerate" it?

Everyday Japanese and Chinese green teas are also generally going to be a little pricier than everyday black teas.

[Connie Bednar]

I just happened on this subject, I didn't see China Breakfast tea mentioned. This is also a good morning tea blend. I also enjoy ceylon teas as well.

AS far as price, I believe due to the fact that if you purchase tea in leaf form and resteep the leaves tea is a very inexpensive beverage. I brew tea in the morning in a basket filter. Lift out the filter and set it on a saucer and make a fresh brew with these leaves when I want a second or even third cup.