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Tea Snob

Posted by xJane on August 31st, 2008 at 4:45 pm · 11 Comments

It’s been a while since we had any tea-related postings although tea has been on my mind of late. My good friend, Onigiri, has taken to calling me a tea snob, which I readily admit to, but how did I get that way?

My step-mother-in-law got me into tea big time, while at the same time getting me deeper into pens than I already was. Perhaps she simply validated my pen thing. I started realizing that there was life beyond (and I shudder to think this, now) Constant Comment and Lipton. But I was still very much a bagged tea kind of person. The fact that I am no longer can be illustrated by the following two stories, that Onigiri can testify to:

  • I recently moved and in the process of said move, emptied my tea cupboard. I came across many fine teas that I would simply never drink. So I offered them to Onigiri, lest they go to waste. She is the happy recipient of much bagged tea, but still mocks me for my snobbery.
  • The two of us went to tea at a local tea house, where I ordered their house tea, what they called Red Rose. It was delicious and after tea, in the tea shop, I asked if they sold it loose. They did not. So I went home without any Red Rose.

    • The moment that I became the tea snob that I am was a moment a few years ago, when my step-mother-in-law was visiting. She woke early and, finding no loose tea in the house, proceeded to rip open some tea bags to make a pot of tea. In the process, she left me with a counter covered in unbagged tea, ripped bags, and a pile of shredded tea at the bottom of my pot. (When tea is bagged, it is shredded, so that it steeps even though it’s confined in a bag.) I immediately went out and bought her favorite tea loose, that I might have it on hand for her next visit.

    But then I drank it all. And while I hope never to get to the ripping-bags-open level of tea snobbery, I definitely appreciate the fact that there is a difference between bagged and loose. So now I have mostly loose tea in my home. I have a few exceptions, mostly for teas I really like and simply can’t find loose, but for the most part, I prefer loose tea.

    Tags: Consumerism · Tea

    11 responses so far ↓

    • 1 Mike // Aug 31, 2008 at 6:19 pm

      So, John, what are your favorite teas that might be available away from the Tudor House? My little town has no tea houses… we are just barely civilized enough to have a couple of coffee shops, and the best they sell is bagged Earl Grey.

      Thanks for an interesting blog….
      Mike

    • 2 Elise // Aug 31, 2008 at 11:09 pm

      I am definitely a coffee-snob. But since I am trying very hard (and occasionally successfully) to decrease my caffeine intake, maybe I will do better if I try to become a tea snob instead. Is it possible for one to find many types of high-quality, loose and low-caffeine teas?

    • 3 xJane // Sep 1, 2008 at 8:08 am

      Mike: I presume the question was meant for me, although I’m sure John could also answer it. Twinings (which you can buy online) has the classic Earl Grey. They also sell a very mellow Orange Pekoe. Harney & Sons do Big Red Sun, a black morning tea similar to English Breakfast, and Indian Nimbu. which again is a mild tea that’s wonderful without any sweetener or milk. Republic of Tea does the best Moroccan Mint I’ve ever tasted and their fruity black teas are very good as sun or iced tea.

      Elise: it is absolutely possible! Teavana is a great source (although they’re also expensive) for loose herbal and white teas. Their “To Life” tea is a winner among the uncaffeinated and caffeinated alike. Rooibus, which you can buy at Trader Joe’s is also a good non-caffeinated “tea”. Many places are starting to do Rooibus blends, like Earl Rooibus, Vanilla Rooibus, and the like.

    • 4 Craig // Sep 1, 2008 at 9:47 am

      Yeah, Twinnings Earl Grey is great.

      One of my favourite herbal teas is by the Royal Gypsy Tea Co. They produce really delicious fair-trade organic teas that are just amazing. I buy mine at whole foods. They come in really neat tall cylindrical metal canisters. One I really like is the “precious lemon rooibos”.

    • 5 Mike // Sep 1, 2008 at 10:14 am

      Thanks, xJane and Craig. Sorry about mistaking your post for John’s, xJane. At the grocery store this morning I saw that they now carry some Twinings teas, which is a big improvement over the Lipton & Bigelow that they had in the past. (It used to be that I had to take a 45 min. drive to the big city to find Twinings. Yes, I do live in a small town.) I appreciate the links, and will add them to my bookmarks.

      Thanks!

    • 6 Quin // Sep 9, 2008 at 9:27 am

      Tea is divine! If you’ve never read Douglas Adams’ thoughts on the subject . . .

      http://blog.robotfromthefuture.com/douglas-thank-you-for-the-perfect-cup-of-tea

    • 7 Mike // Sep 9, 2008 at 11:44 am

      Quin, I loved that post! I didn’t really like tea until I tried Twinings Earl Grey. Thanks for all the suggestions- my order should arrive via UPS any day now. :-)

    • 8 xJane // Sep 9, 2008 at 4:50 pm

      Thank you, Quin, that’s awesome! I don’t often swirl the water unless it’s quite cold out. Then I’ll just use hot water from the tap. Other than that, i do this just about every morning :) I even make tea in a tea pot if I’m going to put it in a car-mug.

    • 9 Vagabond Loafer // Sep 14, 2008 at 11:01 pm

      Try Lapsang Souchong. Nothing else will do for me now. An acquired taste, perhaps, but it’s mysterious, dark, and strong.

    • 10 Craig // Sep 15, 2008 at 10:05 am

      And where might one find said mysterious tea?

    • 11 xJane // Sep 15, 2008 at 10:28 am

      All the major tea purveyors sell it: Twinings, Republic of Tea, Harney & Sons,< ahref="http://www.teavana.com/shop.axd/Search?x=0&y=0&keywords=Lapsang+Souchong">Teavana.

      I’m also a big fan of Oolong: especially a half-and-half combination of Monkey-Picked and Ti Kwan Yin. A hint of raspberry with insane energy (not just caffeine, either, something deeper; maybe speed).

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