help me find tea

So finally we are getting an electric tea pot for work, since slowly but surely our Indian contractors have managed to institute an informal tea time around three (I love them) and it gets a little crowded in the breakroom with half the men in my unit and two microwaves (they have lured pretty much all xy chromosomes into this; trust me, if you have never seen a breakroom the size of a closet filled to the brim with various males looking casual while clutching their mugs and loose tea and chatting while eyeing the microwave, you have not lived), so I need to upgrade my tea supply in response to endless hot water and no microwave wait.

Tell me of reliable online shops that carry tea I can buy from, preferably that carry both bag and loose. And what are your favorite brands? I am kind of religiously Twinnings and Bencheley and sometimes Republic of Tea, but that's more easy-access than like, some deep meaningful relationship (Except Bencheley apricot and Twinnings black currant--my OTTs).

I haven't been this excited about work since--um, ever. I wonder if there's any chance we could slip snacks into tea time?

ETA: Also, weirdly, I found one a while back called The London Cuppa. It was good. *eyeing it thoughtfully*

ETA 2: Have ordered Adagio, since seriously, that seems to be very popular among you all? And also, wow, their site. Am eyeing other recommendations as my God, so much tea.

Thanks very, very much for all the recommendations!

Comments

[cyprinella]

I get most of my tea (well, tisanes, actually since I can't have caffeine any more) these days from Teaism. I can't really speak to their proper teas but I've heard good things. I load up on Berry Beauty for ice tea in the summer and Star of Africa is my winter blend (although also good iced). (

[the_future_modernes]

love it!

[meri_oddities]

My favorite summer tea is Taylor's of Harrogate Blackberry & Elderflower. For the winter, I like Constant Comment Green Tea. And oddly enough, I can get them both from Amazon.

[kopernik]

I went through a big tea phase a few years back and a good friend recommended this site to me very highly.

"McNulty's has the best tea. It's a cute little shop in Greenwich Village, so not easy to get to. But my mom has been ordering loose tea from them since 1970, and it's the best. Totally worth just calling up and ordering some samples. My mom always get the special mixed, which is a blend of green and black teas -- it's got caffeine, but it's very mild and drinkable without much sweetener. I just tried a few new varieties; set myself up with a sampler when I was there over the summer. I love the "nectar mixed" and there's one that's a rose green tea that is just lovely. Nectar mixed is a blend of green, black, and oolong -- very soothing, and you don't need any sweetener.

So I recommend ordering up a catalog and giving them a call. Seriously."

[raine]

Two of my faves:
Murchie's http://www.murchies.com/ (Canadian)
Tea Forte: http://www.teaforte.com/

[rembrandtswife]

I recommend SpecialTeas.com. We are really fond of the Mount Everest and East Friesian blends, and their Irish Breakfast tea kicks bum.

[swordage]

I personally love Harney and Sons and I've also had Adagio Teas recommended strongly by a couple people.

*saves all the links to tea sites*

[zelempa]

I'm always ordering from harney & sons (harney.com). I love their silken sachets, which are bagged tea but with whole leaves so it tastes just as good as looseleaf. My favorite flavors are blackcurrant and paris (a very nice black tea). They also make a delicious basic green (sencha).

[twistedchick]

The teas from House of Tea in Toronto are excellent; I stopped there while I was visiting. I don't know how their internet ordering is, but I like the owner and she was very good about letting me sniff a lot of things and poke into bins. She has other teas that aren't listed at the website; you can call and talk to her about whether you want (for example) a spice tea with more cinnamon or clove or cardamom or orange or whatever, or a specific tea from India or Sri Lanka, or China or Japan.

[bedlamsbard]

I really like Adagio Teas -- good tea and they have amazingly friendly customer service. (You can get Twitter updates when your tea is being packaged and shipped!) Ito-En also has really fantastic tea; although I've never bought from their online store, I can vouch for the quality of their tea.

My other favorite brand of loose leaf is Rishi Tea, but again, I've never ordered online, but their tea is really good.

Disclaimer -- my favorite kind of tea is green, jasmine, oolong, and variations thereof, so I don't really have much to say about herbal tea or black tea. Also I have been accused of being a tea snob. (In my defense, my mother is from the premier tea-producing region in Japan, so my grandparents sometimes send us the same tea that also gets sent to the emperor. It is really amazingly good. *clings*) If you like green tea or its variants (genmaicha (green tea with roasted brown rice) is much better than one would think upon hearing what's in it), Uwajimaya sells Japanese tea in their Amazon store.

[harpers_child]

i buy my teas at local stores, so i can't help with internet ordering. i am chiming in to say The London Cuppa is awesome. one of the discount shops will randomly have it and i'll buy two of the biggest boxes available to tide me over until i see it again. i ration it out and my friends know that i really like them when they get permission to have a cup of it instead of one of my other more restockable teas.

also i'm jealous that you get tea time at work.

[winter_elf]

http://www.aveda.com/product/CATEGORY10699/PROD10253/Body/Tension_Relief/index.tmpl?PSID=true&cm_guid=3-_-399885587512-_-55766426012&ngextredir=1&cm_mmc=Yahoo-_-Standard-Brand-Product-Body-_-Tea-Comforting-Tea-_-Aveda%20Tea|-|Y399885587512

Aveda's Comforting Tea. I just LOVE the taste of this. And I don't like licorice! But the combination gives a super nice flavor that doesn't need any sugar.

[grammarwoman]

Hee! I was just going to post Yogi Tea's version of the same combination, for the same reason - it's sweetened already, without being supersweet. Yum!

[lurksnomore]

I order from Upton Tea (www.uptontea.com)--they also sell supplies like electric kettles, teapots and so on.

[eatsscissors]

Teavana.com has a big selection of black teas, which are good little caffeine boosts for the middle of the afternoon. They also have a lot of retail locations, so it may be possible to skip shipping. (The site offers free shipping for orders over $50, but...holy crap, that's a lot of tea, especially if you're experimenting.)

tea

[(Anonymous)]

I don't often respond to anything, but I've worked for Peet's Coffee & Tea. Good stuff, highly recomended, and they deliver. Alfred Peet origionally worked for Twinnings so they ususally know what they're talking about. Just an option.

Love your stuff.

--Kim

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

I'm a heathen. I like Lipton, more than the fancy brands, more than the standard British brands. I did try them once. :P

[vickita.livejournal.com]

I'd eyed the Adagio (http://www.adagio.com/) site for quite a long time, but never ordered anything from them until I ordered a selection of decaf teas for my stepmom for last Christmas. And while I was at it, I got some mango tea for me.

Oh. my. God. It is the best thing ever. Also? Their tea comes in these adorable little canisters that you will want to pet and coo over and name them George.

[perspi.livejournal.com]

I SECOND ADAGIO WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

I have had many, many kinds of tea from them, and I love that you can order a sample tin. Right now in my cupboard I have peppermint (which is so unbelievably fresh OMG), hazelnut black tea, Earl Grey bravo (which can be a bit overwhelming with the bergamot), ceylon sonata, Irish breakfast, and apricot black tea (which is so fantastic). And peach oolong, which is great in the afternoon. The English breakfast is deliciously smoky. The hazelnut is especially good blended with chocolate black tea.

A note, though, about the canisters: They have been moving to sending the loose tea in bags, so you may not get the canisters, but I really hope they start selling them soon, because they're really quite awesome.

[littledrop.livejournal.com]

Twinings? Pfui! I'm a fan of Clipper (http://www.clipper-teas.com/), because they're delicious and Fairtrade and carry a lot of speciality teas, and Taylors of Harrogate (http://www.taylorsofharrogate.co.uk/), because they're delicious and Fairtrade and Yorkshire and legendary.

ETA: Clipper are way more Fairtrade than Taylors, though. And - unbleached teabags! This is vitally important.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

That's the one I couldn't remember--Harrogate!

[eretria.livejournal.com]

I've received good stuff from here (http://www.englishteastore.com/). Both loose-leaf and bags, and their prices are more than moderate, too.

[dont_panic4242.livejournal.com]

I haven't tried it, but now that I've seen the site I kind of want to:
http://www.davidstea.com/

[lazulisong.livejournal.com]

I'm really fond of Tao of Tea

http://www.taooftea.com/

but uh, I like Stash Teas too. Their ginger lemon herbal tea is God's own cure for miserable winter colds.

I have to admit I primarily drink terrifying amounts of super black Irish Breakfast with sugar and milk. My excuse is that it's the drink of my people -- well that and whiskey -- but I hear normal people don't enjoy having their spoons actually dissolve in their tea? =w=

[seperis.livejournal.com]

..I am drinking twinnings irish breakfast right now. For reasons I don't understand, if tea has hte word 'breakfast' in it, I will buy it. Like, instantly.

[eretria.livejournal.com]

But, please, for the love of all that's good in this world: Tell me you do not microwave the water for your tea.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

*sad* Only at work where there'es nothing else. At home, I have a kettle and for emergencies, a tiny pot for the stove.

[wolfshark]

http://www.teavana.com is awesome. I swear by the blend of the white ayurvedic chai and samurai chai mate. Yum! *goes to make some*

[eretria.livejournal.com]

I second that. Their Golden Monkey and their Assam are fantastic.

[thepouncer.livejournal.com]

Adagio Teas (http://www.adagio.com/index.html) is my go-to online place. I'm very fond of their vanilla tea, and their Masala chai. Let me know an email address (I always buy stuff with my hotmail account, not anything fannish-related), and I can send you a five dollar coupon.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Ooh. seperis at yahoo dot com.

[traveller.livejournal.com]

on the occasions when I don't buy local, I order from Peet's (peets.com). their Assam Golden Tip (http://www.peets.com/shop/tea_detail.asp?id=64&cid=1000154) is my favorite tea in the world. I also like this (http://www.peets.com/shop/tea_detail.asp?id=77&cid=2006), and this (http://www.peets.com/shop/tea_detail.asp?id=121&cid=2001).