The Good Stuff
Something I’ve noticed about myself… I like to have a wide range of nicer, fancier teas (milk oolongs, fine TGYs, dong ding, ali shan) and I truly adore and savor them when I drink them…. which is usually once or twice when I first buy them. It seems like after I buy a really nice tea, I never feel like an occasion is “special” enough for such a quality tea, so I drink the cheaper, more common teas that I buy in bulk almost all the time, denying myself the privilege of the fine teas. Am I being silly? Do any of you do the same? Is this what it’s like to be a wine collector? Tell me what you think.
I am the same way, but am making a conscious effort to drink only good tea, so I work my way through my hoard of fine teas. :) Plus, those merchants who supply the fine teas count on us to keep buying. I make myself happier about special teas becoming every day teas by knowing that I am supporting merchants I like and encouraging more fine teas to be available to us all! :)
Haha I am the same way… I mean I drink common stuff when I am looking for something to drink as I am running out the door. But if I am going to take the time to sit down and gongfu something it better be something I enjoy (which vary in price) especially since I normally am brewing it for 2-3 days. The rest gets western steeped (and maybe iced).
In regards to ‘fancy’ vs ‘general’, here is how I see it:
Average price per ounce that I am willing to spend/drink daily: $15
Why?
Well…
$15 for 28g is roughly 5.6 sessions for me at 5g per session
That means a session is $2.67 and I can get multiple steeps out of it so we are talking what… anywhere from $.50 to $1.00 a cup?
At $.50 a cup, I’m not even going to pay attention to price.
However, I don’t always drink tea that is $15 an ounce. Though I’ll pay that much, some companies sell 100g for that price so lets reduce the price by 3/4 (roughly) to check on it: $.67 a session and at 3 steeps w/2 cups per steep it becomes basically $.10 per cup.
I could go into units of util in an economical sense and then break down the concept of emotional gauging one’s self on the food and drink we intake in regards to price, but I want to go drink my oolong now :)
I won’t pay more than $1/g (puerh, specifically) unless I know the tea is really good. Still cheaper than Starbucks at that price point and at $1/g, you’re getting some really high quality stuff. Most great puerh is still cheaper than that price. It’s just the initial shock of potentially spending $250 on a beeng.
Agreed. At $1/g range it better be extraordinary to buy a cake or more of. I haven’t tried a bunch at that price range but enough and only 2 or 3 of them I’d consider a buying more than a sample of
I have no idea who this guy it, but it was posted on Reddit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9zT5VZKHI0&feature=youtu.be
Anyways, he mentions that @ $600 for an expensive pound of tea will still result in $1 a cup which is the price of a Coke. That would be 450ish grams for $600. I can honestly admit, I would probably never look to pay $600 for a pound of tea… but I’v paid $25 for an ounce before. I think it comes down to the upfront price you pay for something… maybe?
I’m agreeing with Liquid Proust. I will (and have) paid 1.00/g (25.00/oz) for tea BUT I wouldn’t every pay 350.00 for a full cake. I don’t want to lay out that much cash all at once.
Even at 1.00/g and using 6g per session (muliple steeps result in a lot of tea) – it’s still cheaper than a fancy Starbucks coffee.
Teas in this price range are the “special” ones in my cupboard – and I normally only drink them when I have time to sit and experience all the multiple steeps.
Oh god, me. All of the time… Sometimes I want to drink a fancy tea, then deny myself because the time is not ‘special’ enough, and then become paralyzed with indecision while trying to chose a lesser tea that I feel would be an acceptable replacement… sometimes for so long that I end up not drinking any tea at all!
I’ve been drinking loose leaf for years and though I was very much like that at first, I am not any more. I think it started as a question of economics. Though LP makes it sounds inexpensive on paper, my tea habit is actually one of my biggest non-necessity expenses as I live very simply. To spend $.50 on a cup of tea was actually outrageous, and felt like it should happen rarely.
But now, I have a stock of beautiful teas that I replenish as needed. I try not to over-purchase on poor quality just to have quantity. I have a cup or two of tea every day now, but I make it a cup that I love. I am not spending hoards of money frequently, instead I spend less than $50 once or twice a year and that keeps me going with my favourites. There are prices I simply won’t pay, but that’s my personal decision.
If I take out the finances, I have no problem drinking high end tea regularly. I am of the belief that we have things to use. I use my ancient beautiful teacups, I wear my jewelry, and I generally only have/purchase things I will use. No point in having things if they’re just going to sit still unless sitting still brings you pleasure.
Yeah, I think it’s because I’m a broke grad student and I have already spent too much on tea this year. It makes me hyper aware of every 10 bucks that leaves my clutches… :(
I think I am the opposite, I’m trying to only have the good stuff and just drink that all the time.
I have a few teas that I save for “special occasions,” but that doesn’t mean they’re higher quality or cost more.
Tea is made for drinking, so drink it!
One of my biggest problems is that I don’t like drinking tea within an hour of brushing my teeth, and I don’t like drinking tea while I have other, powerful, lingering flavors still in my mouth. I don’t drink the nice teas in the morning, because I’ve either got morning mouth or am still minty from brushing, and then usually not around dinner because I’ve got the taste of cumin or cayenne or garlic or onion on my tongue. And of course, not before bed, because the caffeine affects my sleep, so I only drink tea around midday, but then I’m at work!
That all only applies to nicer teas, though. I still like to drink my less exciting teas when I don’t have the ability or inclination to sit and appreciate the more exceptional ones.
Haha, me too! Especially with all the samples I have that are only one or two cups. I save them for when I have a good “mouth environment”, so that I can properly judge them. I know a lot of people pair tea with food, but I can’t bear to unless it’s a giant pitcher of iced tea because it feels like I’m cheating the tea of being fully tasted.
I’ve got some of those teas too but the rest of my collection is not what I consider cheap. I’ve got all good quality teas (except for a small few). I have many teas in my general collection bought at a good price that I prefer most times over the expensive teas. Of course , it’s all a matter of mood & timing (Agree with what Mugger says above about mealtimes). I’m always in the mood for a green tea, less often for an oolong or pu’erh, and even less for a black. So some of my fancy black teas I go through a lot slower than a fancy green.
And special time to me doesn’t mean a special occasion. It just means quiet time by myself to chill & enjoy my tea. So saying all this I think I will go and brew myself a fancy oolong.
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