[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

Republic of Tea was the first loose leaf tea that I tried and went "I have got to drink more tea". I only noticed the difference when I started trying teas from Teavana, most of which are infused but less then Republic, and then TG. Once I had teas that were of a high enough quality that they did not need as much infusion of flavor I could tell the difference.

It is probably similar to experiences with Single Malt Whiskeys, Wine, or other beers and foods. You start with the less expensive stuff (Lipton, Celestial Seasons) and find you like it. Someone convinces you to try the more expensive, but not too much so, version and you can see the difference. Moving from the bags to any loose leaf. Then you try the next level up and go "Oh". Moving from Bigelow loose leaf to Republic of Tea loose leaf. Then you take a step up...

I have never developed a taste for wine so most of the better wines are wasted on me. I have developed a taste for beer and strongly prefer the micro brews and craft beers to the mass produced beers. I have developed a taste for tea and have found that I prefer the teas from single estates to the blends and that I am not a huge fan of heavily infused teas.

Kind of like Astra talking about the differences between the various Senchas. It sounds like the same thing but there are some strong differences with Chinese Sencha and Japanese Sencha. I know I prefer the Japanese Sencha, actually all Japanese Greens, to the Chinese Greens. I find the Chinese Greens to be a bit more bitter and less earthy then the Japanese.

OK, it is late and I am rambeling.

My point, I never knew the differences until I started experimenting. I would have been happy had I continued drinking Republic of Tea tea but happened to stumble upon Teavana and started tasting different things.

Heck, I have even stopped snarking on that L tea and CS tea.

LOL and those of us who are still drinking them appreciate it! LOL. No, really, all your snarking about L and CS has just made me all that much more excited about getting to go the Adagio store (which keeps getting put off ). But I WILL get there, and I'm sure the difference when I do will be well worth it.