loose tea or not loose tea that is the question

[ahammer]

I got to buy some more tea. going to buy from stashtea.com

I have always had tea bags before.
I would like to know is it worth the extra effert to get the loose bags and a tea press or sould I just get the tea bags?

[desertgrandma]

I know i"ll be ostracized for this, but the only tea I drink is Starbucks' Passion fruit tea, sweetened, with lemonade.

Not even sure its real tea.............

[toomanybooks]

I'm a tea snob. I have a nice clay tea pot and japanese tea bowls and I only use loose tea. I takes longer, but I view drinking tea as a relaxing experience not just a drink. Right now I make tea per George Orwells' essay on tea, but I am thinking about learning to make Japanese and Russian tea as well.

[ahammer]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I know i"ll be ostracized for this, but the only tea I drink is Starbucks' Passion fruit tea, sweetened, with lemonade.

Not even sure its real tea.............

no im more talking about black tea that I can make myself. starbucks is a the price I want to spend on a day to day bases.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by ahammer

no im more talking about black tea that I can make myself. starbucks is a the price I want to spend on a day to day bases.

yes.......I was being facetious..........

[Laine]

There's no option for both. I think it depends on the situation. If you want a quick cuppa then good quality teabags are O.K. But for a relaxing, civilised experience then loose tea can be wonderful. Of course, there are far more varieties available in loose leaf if you have a specialty tea shop nearby.
I remember when I ordered a pot of Darjeeling at The Tea Centre in Sydney I was asked 1st, 2nd or 3rd flushing. ??????

[Cabe]

Monday to Friday its bags of varying quality - at home its Jacksons Fairtrade tea and it's really, really good.

Saturday and Sunday morning is Twinnings loose teas...mmmmmmmmmm

[Daithi]

You're kidding me! They sell tea loose? This must be a European thing.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by Daithi

You're kidding me! They sell tea loose? This must be a European thing.

You can get loose tea in the US. I haven't seen it in many supermarkets, but heath food and other specialty stores often sell it. And of course there's that "new fangled world wide web." [ to quote Alton Brown ]

I've always wanted to try loose tea. One of these days...

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Laine

There's no option for both. I think it depends on the situation. If you want a quick cuppa then good quality teabags are O.K. But for a relaxing, civilised experience then loose tea can be wonderful. Of course, there are far more varieties available in loose leaf if you have a specialty tea shop nearby.

I agree. It depends on the situation. On sunday morning, when we've plenty of time, we always drink tea made from loose tea (unless we're fresh out, which happens to the the current situation!). On normal working days, it's the teabag that gets used.

Also, there are two varieties of teabags. You have the "cheap" bags, which contain only finely ground tea leaves and the more expensive ones, which contain larger leaves.

Originally Posted by Laine

I remember when I ordered a pot of Darjeeling at The Tea Centre in Sydney I was asked 1st, 2nd or 3rd flushing. ??????

Those flushes point towards the date on which the leaves were picked.

From wikipedia:

• 1st Flush is harvested in mid-March following spring rains, and has a gentle, very light color, aroma, and mild astringency.
• In Between is harvested between the two "flush" periods.
• 2nd Flush is harvested in June and produces an amber, full bodied, muscatel-flavored cup.
• Monsoon or Rains tea is harvested in the monsoon (or rainy season) between 2nd Flush and Autumnal, is less withered, consequently more oxidized, and usually sold at lower prices. It is rarely exported, and often used in Masala chai.
• Autumnal Flush is harvested in the autumn after the rainy season, and has somewhat less delicate flavour and less spicy tones, but fuller body and darker colour.

[mklynds]

Loose tea all the way. I have at least 6 jars on the go at once all though since I moved out to a small town I have to make a trip into Calgary for more now.

I do own some silk reusable tea bags that we some times use if we are having company that are un accustomed to loose leaf. They were well worth the 5 or 6 bucks we spent on the set.

[ahammer]

this is who I will be ordering from. http://www.stashtea.com/index.shtml#index (us company)
I already get my tea bags from them I like them alot but never try loose tea. it is good quality tea and it nice they wax seal each bag so it does not go stale.

I drink tea mainly at work.

so If I do go loose tea would should I get an Infuser or a press like

[ahammer]

ok doing the math look like it cost less to get the loose tea. now I just need to fig out how to make that stuff press or infuser

[ruskie]

Loose tea all the way. But I use this gadget to avoid having it float around
Best of both worlds


And there's always time to make it loose. I mean all you need is boiled water and wait for N minutes to be ready.

[Polyglot27]

Originally Posted by Laine

There's no option for both. I think it depends on the situation. If you want a quick cuppa then good quality teabags are O.K. But for a relaxing, civilised experience then loose tea can be wonderful. Of course, there are far more varieties available in loose leaf if you have a specialty tea shop nearby.
I remember when I ordered a pot of Darjeeling at The Tea Centre in Sydney I was asked 1st, 2nd or 3rd flushing. ??????

I agree with you that it depends on the situation. I have a big collection of loose leaf teas but for the quick cuppa, I still use tea bags.
1st, 2nd or 3rd flushing? I didn't know that Oz is so advanced in serving tea in shops! I was very impressed that in any Australian coffee shop one can order different kinds of coffee, like long white or short black etc. In Paris, unless you go to a specialist coffee shop, the coffee you get in a traditional French cafe is expensive and horrible.
The flushings could mean rinsing of the leaves before it is served. I was told that the 1st pot of tea made with Oolong should be thrown away because it tastes dusty and bitter. It is only from the 2nd or 3rd infusion that the best taste comes from. By the way, Oolong can take at least 6 refills of hot water so don't throw the leaves away after just one filling of the teapot. It will be like the story of how Europeans threw away the water after making tea and ate the leaves when they first discovered it.