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After all this talk of coffee in the dining forum, I was surprised not to find a tea thread. While the meteoric rise of gourmet coffee has stolen the limelight, the quiet tea invasion has been nearly as profound. Twenty years ago, tea was principally known in iced form, or from that obligatory pot on the table in Asian restaurants, or as an afternoon sip for old ladies to stir milk into while they nibble on biscuits. Fast forward to the 21st century: DC gains at least three specialty tea chains, bubble tea is hip, and people are routinely downing chai and tisanes. A flurry of brands like Mighty Leaf and Tea Forté hit the shelves recently with whole leaf teas in disposable bags.

There are a lot of different tea cultures, so I'll just mention a few things I like. Tea seems to have an affinity for the cultures that make kebabs, so I rarely skip out on the Persian tea at Shamshiry. The cardamom tea at Panjshir II is also delightful. When having dim sum at Fortune, New Fortune or any of the Wheaton restaurants, go for the chrysanthemum tea sometime. The pot is packed with whole flowers, and the cup is sweetened with a few pieces of rock sugar. Or in my case, a lot of sugar. On warm days, I'm a sucker for the Japanese sweet green tea at Teaism. And even though DC is on the wrong side of the sweet tea line, I keep ducking into Chick-Fil-A for a fix.

Ching Ching Cha in Georgetown is worth a visit all by itself. Tea is served conventionally, but you can also opt to have the oolong served "gong fu" style where the hot water is tranferred between a series of vessels to maintain an optimal steeping time and temperature. They also have the best deal in the area on loose jasmine tea balls, each one a hand-tied cluster of leaves with a jasmine flower at its center, dried into a neat sphere the size of a gumball. At Sur La Table, similar tea sells for 3x the price in a fancy gift box.

In retail land, the search for loose Chinese tea has to start with Ten Ren, a branch of the Taiwan-based chain. Communication can be difficult, so follow your nose. They also have one of the better area selections of Yixing pottery tea sets, some of which can be quite fancifully decorated. Despite their being a mall chain, I like a few things from Teavana: their "perfect tea maker" steeping gadget, their loose white tea, and their loose masala chai blend is really good...nice cardamom and ginger in the spicing.

Finally, if you find yourself in Hong Kong, don't forget to visit the Flagstaff House Museum.

What do you like?

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What a great topic to start. I think I have more shelves in my pantry dedicated to tea than to any other food item. (That might be a sad statement on the frequency with which I cook, but I choose to see it as a testament to my love of the beverage...)

I don't know Ten Ren -- where is it? I tend to buy my tea on trips to Asia (and always have chrysanthemum tea in the house, so am excited to hear I can find it at dim sum places as well!). Upton Tea Imports comes highly recommended as well, although I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet. I occasionally stop into the Japanese shop on Connecticut Avenue in Dupont (is it called Ginza? I never remember) to stock up when I'm running low.

When having tea out, I tend not to stray far from Teaism, mostly because of its proximity to my house, and the fact that they carry gen mai cha, one of my favorites. I still need to check out Ching Ching Cha -- I've stopped in to buy loose tea there before, but have never sat down and enjoyed a drink there.

And, this article about America's only tea plantation might also be of interest to some. I haven't been, although I did enjoy the China Tea Museum, located in Hangzhou. You get there by strolling through the Longjing (or dragonwell) area that produces some delicious tea.

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Aside from Teaism is there anywhere local (D.C. or Metro-accessible preferred) that sells a nice variety of good quality loose teas? I just ran out of the bag of my staple (gen mai cha) and am looking to branch out to another supplier aside from Teaism. The supply I brought back from Japan was subtly different in an interesting way, so I'm interested in seeing what else is out there. Online or mail order suggestions would work, too. Thanks

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Aside from Teaism is there anywhere local (D.C. or Metro-accessible preferred) that sells a nice variety of good quality loose teas? I just ran out of the bag of my staple (gen mai cha) and am looking to branch out to another supplier aside from Teaism. The supply I brought back from Japan was subtly different in an interesting way, so I'm interested in seeing what else is out there. Online or mail order suggestions would work, too. Thanks
Ching-Ching-Cha in Georgetown, on Wisconsin just south of M Street, is the best place in town for buying (and enjoying) tea. Online, I usually buy through Upton Tea in Mass., who have a great selection. Another good online purveyor is Grey and Seddon. A Google search will reveal many others.
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Aside from Teaism is there anywhere local (D.C. or Metro-accessible preferred) that sells a nice variety of good quality loose teas? I just ran out of the bag of my staple (gen mai cha) and am looking to branch out to another supplier aside from Teaism. The supply I brought back from Japan was subtly different in an interesting way, so I'm interested in seeing what else is out there. Online or mail order suggestions would work, too. Thanks

I buy all my tea from Upton Tea and have had no problems with quality or selection. I also like the sample packs that they have to easily try out different styles, like this one which is pretty tasty.

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Thanks for the suggestions! Honestly, I had totally forgotten about Ching Ching Cha; aside from Paradiso Georgetown is totally off of my radar these days. I'll have to stop by when Fall starts behaving like Fall again.

Off to do some online tea shopping ...

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Thanks for the suggestions! Honestly, I had totally forgotten about Ching Ching Cha; aside from Paradiso Georgetown is totally off of my radar these days. I'll have to stop by when Fall starts behaving like Fall again.

Off to do some online tea shopping ...

I've liked Adagio Tea, and my cousin told me Teality is good. It looks like they have a good selection of Asian teas.

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Old Town Coffee Tea & Spice has a really wide selection of loose and boxed teas and coffees, as well as some nice gifts, candies, cookies, teapots, utensils, etc. It's located down near the water at 215 S. Union Street. Last time I was in, the very knowledgeable and friendly staff even brewed up a small sample of loose tea for me to try before buying. (703) 683-0856.

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Until recently, both Borders and Barnes&Noble sold cannisters of specialty tea. The cans were about 7" high, 3" in diameter, with about a dozen sachets per unit. I bought orange, chamomile, red, green and white versions at various times. Now those items are gone from both chains. When I ask the people behind the counter about them, they drop their lower lip and say, "Huh?"

Alas, I never bothered to look at the trade name on the packaging. Does anybody know how to find those things, either online or in stores?

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Until recently, both Borders and Barnes&Noble sold cannisters of specialty tea. The cans were about 7" high, 3" in diameter, with about a dozen sachets per unit. I bought orange, chamomile, red, green and white versions at various times. Now those items are gone from both chains. When I ask the people behind the counter about them, they drop their lower lip and say, "Huh?"

Alas, I never bothered to look at the trade name on the packaging. Does anybody know how to find those things, either online or in stores?

Are these what you had in mind? If so, I know for sure Wegmans carries them; I think Whole Foods may as well.
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My kids and I love the different teas from Republic of Tea. At least some of the Whole Foods locations (Tenleytown and Clarendon) are carrying a lot fewer varieties than they had in the past. It took me several weeks to find the British Breakfast. Wegman's does carry more flavors than I knew possible, but it is not at all convenient for me to get to one. Panera usually has a few flavors for sale. World Market has a pretty good selection, but not as many as Whole Foods used to have, or Wegman's.

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For what it is worth - if one of the Republic of Tea flavors you like is rooibos (which isn't actually tea; the plant is a legume), then try Rodman's. They sell (in bags, not cans) the FreshPak brand that is commonly sold in South Africa at a fraction of the cost. The box may remind you of Lipton's but don't be put off. I've tried the fancy, expensive brands of rooibos and they aren't any better than FreshPak. Some are flavored, but the basic tea seems to be nearly the same in quality and flavor.

Also, I noticed last night that Balducci's sells Adagio teas in cans but I'm not sure if the tins contain loose tea or tea bags.

Ellen Paul

Chevy Chase, MD

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At first I wondered if the Republic of Tea initiated a green policy when it comes to its tins of loose tea and local retailers decided that shoppers would be more inclined to purchase small quantities of tea bags as opposed to spending more than $25 on blah-looking paper bags filled with larger quantities of tea.

My favorite is the Cardamon herbal tea and I gave up searching for it. Just checked the company's Web site and saw this: click.

THEN, I noticed this page on the Web site: packaging options. Small quantities of both loose tea and tea bags are options.

It really does seem that retailers have decided loose tea is what hippies drank back when they bought their spices and bark-remedies in bulk. The tea section at Whole Foods still has a wide variety of brands, but a more conservative, limited range of varieties or flavors.

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I ordered 6 cannisters online just short of a week ago and they arrived today, average speed. All of them have some citrusy component -- lemon, orange, etc. The advantage, of course, is that all the company's products are available, unlike Wegman's, et al, where some may be out of stock. Also, you get a free baseball cap, which permits you to advertise The R of T, at no cost to you, the consumer. Wow.

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I had the pleasure of visiting North America's only tea plantation this winter in Charleston, South Carolina. It was marvelous to see the tea camellias being grown and processed. The tea was delicious. I still purchase some other teas for the variety but the green,black,oolong and "Earl Grey" can't be beat for clean taste and freshness.

http://www.bigelowtea.com/act/

It was bought by Bigelow a few years back.

I hope we all consider buying more American and more local for economic and environmental reasons.

Now I'm going to Edible Landscaping to buy a tea camellia online.

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One of my favorite blogs in the whole wide world web (yes, that was intentional) is Authoritea.com. The author, Jessica, writes in a manner reminiscent of wine reviews, covering the spectrum of appearance, aroma, and taste. Through her reviews, I've become recently addicted to the Seven Cups company in Arizona, and I've also dabbled with several Adagio blends. I'm starting a foray into Oolongs, and have already hit a wide variety of greens, blacks, and white teas along with several rooibos, chamomile, and other herbal blends. The Seven Cups varieties are expensive, but unparalleled in quality for Chinese tea available here in the USA.

A couple of tips have greatly enhanced my tea experiences:

*Aim for the right temperature of water. Different types of tea taste best brewed at certain temperatures.

*Don't oversteep. Even the highest quality green teas become puckered-mouth bitter if over-steeped.

*Consider glass teaware to fully appreciate the beauty of your brew. I've found the Bodum 9 ounce, double-insulated glasses to be the perfect tea holder for home brewing.

With summer coming on, I'm now playing with cold steeping of various teas. If I run into any favorites, I will post again here, and welcome seeing what everyone else is up to with their leaves.

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I wanted to share a quick snapshot from my recent foray into tea. I've cast an intentionally wide net, everything from rare green varieties from China to domestically produced fruit and herbal blends. I'm finding that having such a large variety on hand is a luxuriant boon when company arrives.

The sweeter teas have especially been welcomed by folks not wanting the caloric cost of dessert, but seeking the continued conversation from dinner along with indulgent flavor. I've listed my current collection below, which continues to grow.

Bottom line--The abundance of variety of high quality tea continues to delight me. That being said, there are a lot of awful blends out there as well. Those did not make the "cut" on the list below because I have already shipped them off to neighbors, friends, or the compost pile.

Label: Variety*asterisks denote "overall deliciousness", 5 stars is the highest rating.

ArtofTea: Raspberry Nectar (raspberry/honeybush/lemongrass)***better iced than warm; DragonCrisp (genmaicha)***, Green Pomegranate**overtly tangy and easy to oversteep; Ethos (chamomile/mint/rooibos)***delightful evening tea

Tease: Chocolate Mint Rooibos****this is a liquid girl scout cookie, amazing flavor, only downside is that the second steep is flavorless; Ceylon Orange Pekoe****clean, crisp, classic; Carrot Cake****shockingly reminiscent of the dessert, a huge hit with several guests

52 teas: Date Flavored Black have not tried yet; Coconut Cream Pie****with warmed, foamed milk, a guilt-free piece of pie in liquid form, astounding coconut flavor, would be most intriguing when iced

Seven Cups: Premium Shui Xian (light roast rock oolong)****exceptional example of toasted oolong; Imperial HuangShanMaoFeng (rare green)****delicate, floral, delightful but like all greens, avoid oversteeping

Others: The house genmaicha from Tachibana (McLean)**easy to drink several cups in a row, includes both tea leaves and ground tea in addition to the rice, a quintessential food tea, hard to oversteep; variety sampler from Seven Cups****; other varieties incoming soon from BlueRaven and others

post-5654-1239475858_thumb.jpg

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ArtofTea: Raspberry Nectar

Tease: Chocolate Mint Rooibos; Carrot Cake****shockingly reminiscent of the dessert, a huge hit with several guests

52 teas: Coconut Cream Pie<snip>

My stomach literally lurched when I read these flavors, leading to the question: What is the appeal of dessert or fruity teas? Why get it in "tea"* form when one can have the real deal?

*Tea is in quotes because being a traditionalist, you must harvest leaves to make tea, and well, these can't be harvested...

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My stomach literally lurched when I read these flavors, leading to the question: What is the appeal of dessert or fruity teas? Why get it in "tea"* form when one can have the real deal?

*Tea is in quotes because being a traditionalist, you must harvest leaves to make tea, and well, these can't be harvested...

I know, I was skeptical as well. It really works, though. And the "real deal" would be really great if not for the gluten, sugar, etc.

*sigh*

My pantry is a cabinet of contradiction. Outrageously expensive, and worth every penny, Seven Cups Camellia sinensis side-by-side with "tisanes" of dried fruit and herbs.

As I typed this, Pandora belted out "Freedom of Choice" by Devo, perfect timing.

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I know, I was skeptical as well. It really works, though. And the "real deal" would be really great if not for the gluten, sugar, etc.

*sigh*

My pantry is a cabinet of contradiction. Outrageously expensive, and worth every penny, Seven Cups Camellia sinensis side-by-side with "tisanes" of dried fruit and herbs.

As I typed this, Pandora belted out "Freedom of Choice" by Devo, perfect timing.

When I was abroad, my dad sent me a care package including two-ounce packets of nearly every Rooibos flavor (there were like 30 of them). It was months before I made myself try the chocolate mint, and though I didn't like-like it, I was surprised to not dislike it as strongly as I thought I would. (Sorry, KMango :rolleyes: ) And though I don't ever drink fruit teas, I kind of enjoyed the blueberry Rooibos, which also was refreshing iced.

For me, though, for dessert, nothing beats Earl Grey with milk and sugar. But I'm a traditionalist...

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looking to restock on tea. I don't want to do mail order unless I have to.

Where can I find great loose leaf tea at reasonable prices. I heard there is a chinese tea shop in rockville. But am looking for wider varieties of tea then just chinese (e.g., english and indian).

Any assistance is appreciated.

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Honestly, with a commodity such as tea (and it is a commodity) you may be best off going mail order. I've been using Upton Tea for several years now and have never been disappointed with price, quality, freshness or service. If you want to to stay local for other reasons I've never had a problem with Teaism, but their selection and turnover just can't compete with the good online offerings.

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Honestly, with a commodity such as tea (and it is a commodity) you may be best off going mail order. I've been using Upton Tea for several years now and have never been disappointed with price, quality, freshness or service. If you want to to stay local for other reasons I've never had a problem with Teaism, but their selection and turnover just can't compete with the good online offerings.

I've used Upton Tea for over ten years (although not lately), and have been consistently happy with them.

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Can anyone suggest a good book or online resource to read up on teas? I don't know my oolongs from darjeelings, but the topic has always interested me.

A groovy joint to pick up tea is The Lost Dog up in Shepherdstown WV. Ditto on coffees. Expensive, and certainly out of the way, but the town is worth the trip, and it's a great spot for a hot beverage.

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Can anyone suggest a good book or online resource to read up on teas? I don't know my oolongs from darjeelings, but the topic has always interested me.

A groovy joint to pick up tea is The Lost Dog up in Shepherdstown WV. Ditto on coffees. Expensive, and certainly out of the way, but the town is worth the trip, and it's a great spot for a hot beverage.

One of the best tea 'blogs on the 'net is Jessica Pezak's Authoritea. She writes about tea like most people write about wine. It may be an ideal resource for you to learn more about flavor profiles.

She also links to books, other tea resources, etc., that you'll see if you scroll down the left side.

The 20+ tea selections I have on hand at any given time are almost all purchases triggered by one of her reviews. Bloggers like her, who put so much time into sharing their passion and enabling others experiences to expand, make me so happy.

And I know it.

*clap clap*

(name that tune)

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One of the best tea 'blogs on the 'net is Jessica Pezak's Authoritea. She writes about tea like most people write about wine. It may be an ideal resource for you to learn more about flavor profiles.

She also links to books, other tea resources, etc., that you'll see if you scroll down the left side.

The 20+ tea selections I have on hand at any given time are almost all purchases triggered by one of her reviews. Bloggers like her, who put so much time into sharing their passion and enabling others experiences to expand, make me so happy.

And I know it.

*clap clap*

(name that tune)

*clapping turns to crying*

Jessica will soon shut down the Authoritea blogspot. We're trying to talk her into leaving the site up as an archive, but she might take the entire thing off line in another few days. This could be last call to check out her goldmine of tea information.

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How did I miss this thread before? Tea is one of my passions, though I'm afraid my tastes have narrowed with age. Jessica Pezak's blog seems excellent if you're into flavored teas. I admire the breadth of her palate, though it's pretty much the opposite to mine. I rarely drink anything other than Assams & Ceylons these days; the occasional Darjeeling & other Indian tea will surface peridocally. I've never had much of a taste for flavored teas. I drank a lot of Chinese teas in the 1970s & 1980s, then pretty much stopped. Hard to explain.

For years, the above-mentioned Upton has been my primary source of tea. Recently I grew fed up with their discontinuing another of my favorites & have begun trying other merchants again. To date TeaGschwendner USA, the American outpost of a big German firm, is the best alternative I've found for Assam & Ceylon teas.

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Updating my earlier post, lest anyone think I've gone nuts:

TeaGschwendner has set up a new website. More to the point, as of this writing, they no longer have 3 of their 4 best Assams. I am severely disappointed. I still recommend their Assam Heeleakah, and the Ananda is decent. I cannot speak for the others.

Their Ceylon Nuwara Eliya & Blairlomond are also excellent.

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On our annual trip to National Harbor for a convention that my wife attends, I discovered one significant improvement from last year - an outpost of Capital Teas had opened back in June. It's a pleasant little store, with lots of nice teapots & other accessories.

I didn't try any of their teas since my cupboard at home is overlowing after a new order from Upton. I did grab a nifty little hand-painted miniature pot.

The shop certainly made National Harbor seem less of a wasteland than before.

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I was surprised to find this thread and then more surprised that no-one has mentioned Shan Shui Teas, a local mail-order business. Brian Wright sells very high quality oolong teas from Taiwan, as well as some green teas from Korea.

I haven't tried any of the green teas, but I've been a buyer of his oolongs for several years. They are truly top-notch and well worth the price.

I'm sipping through my Shan Shui tea inventory after purchasing too much a few years ago. Currently drinking the Winter 2008 Bao Zhong.

I should add that these fine oolongs are teas to be savored and thought about, not something I'd brew to drink while reading the newspaper. My everyday first-cup-of-the-morning tea is from Upton. I used to be a dedicated Assam fan, but lately have migrated to Ceylon teas. My current favorite is the Koslanda Estate OP.

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I was surprised to find this thread and then more surprised that no-one has mentioned Shan Shui Teas, a local mail-order business. Brian Wright sells very high quality oolong teas from Taiwan, as well as some green teas from Korea.

I haven't tried any of the green teas, but I've been a buyer of his oolongs for several years. They are truly top-notch and well worth the price.

I'm sipping through my Shan Shui tea inventory after purchasing too much a few years ago. Currently drinking the Winter 2008 Bao Zhong.

I should add that these fine oolongs are teas to be savored and thought about, not something I'd brew to drink while reading the newspaper. My everyday first-cup-of-the-morning tea is from Upton. I used to be a dedicated Assam fan, but lately have migrated to Ceylon teas. My current favorite is the Koslanda Estate OP.

I second the Shan Shui recommendation. I've also purchased a couple very fine Xinjiang teapots from him.

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The tea is a puer. One of the post-docs has taken me on as a project because I'm willing to try pretty much anything set before me, so we are having a different tea with each meal. Puers are not my favorite, but this one was fairly mild in comparison to others.

Oh, no! But pu'er teas aid in digestion (and word is that they help repel fat or something like that).

I recently stumbled up Ahmad teas (they are sold at several places, but I bought mine at the Mediterranean Bakery in Alexandria). The Ceylon is a bit weaker than I would like, but it's not bad. I've also stumbled upon Takeya tea makers for my iced teas this summer. It has been great using real tea leaves that I need using up for my summer teas. I wish I had more storage space, since I just bought the Ahmad and then I couldn't resist passing up Ching Ching Cha for fresh tea leaves....

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Oh, no! But pu'er teas aid in digestion (and word is that they help repel fat or something like that).

It may be a side effect of my hyper-sensitive senses, but the aroma, and, therefore, main flavor profile of puers is something like the horse manure compost I use in my garden.

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