How to choose a tea? Help?!
I’m also very new to tea , is it best to just try stuff ? like go to tea store or something and try stuff ?
That is a good way of trying or you can also look at tea tasting notes at Steepster and even there are channels on Youtube where you can find information on various kinds of teas.
Absolutely! Although you can look at reviews and research every tea out there, it all comes down to what do you enjoy the most, what type of flavor are you a fan of, and even more important, how does your body reacts to the tea. That’s why is so important that when you find an interesting tea, just go for it and try it… That’s exactly how I discovered matcha tea, after looking for coffee alternatives, trying different green teas, and finally found the perfect one for me. You can read about matcha tea here: https://www.livelymatcha.com/pages/health-benefits-of-matcha
Samples! find somewhere online that sells small bags, like 7-10g and just try out ones you like the sound of. Try some green, white, red, black, gold, Green Oolong, dark Oolong, raw puerh, ripe puerh… you need to find out what tastes you like. I like floral & fruity & sweet quite a lot so I often choose those teas
To make the most of the experience you need a cup infuser, a gaiwan & some way of getting the right temp water (thermometer or vari-temp kettle)
controlling the temp & brew time can make even bad teas a lot nicer
Hi guys you seem really experienced when it comes to tea drinking :) As Im still in the explorer phase- I made a little (and really pretty) survey with few tea related questions: I would really appreciate if you could spare 5min of your time checking it out! http://bit.ly/2fZoeIa
Hi Nora,
You’re absolutely correct. There’s just too many options for everybody’s taste, but it can be overwhelming at first to get into tea land. I was a 5-6 coffee cups a day addict, which as you can imagine, is not ideal at all! When I started looking for a way to replace it, I was drawn to green tea after reading so many great things about it online. Later, I tried matcha green tea, and for more than a year now, I drink 1 cup of matcha a day. The effects and the benefits of this tea are really powerful and they will blow your mind!
Check out the health benefits here: https://www.livelymatcha.com/pages/health-benefits-of-matcha
Its already been said, but just sample a lot, and don’t splurge and buy a huge amount of any tea you really like. You prob don’t know how to store it, and having a huge stash early on prevents you from exploring other teas or ties up money.
And when you find something you like, buy a little (not a lot). Problem is people find a tea they like early on and splurge on it, then their palate changes when they try better teas, or the tea goes stale before you drink it all, and that huge investment from last year is now just ‘meh’ because you’ve had better teas and your experience has grown. As you sample, various teas from various vendors, you’ll get a good idea of what you like and who has quality tea. Additionally, don’t rule out any type of tea, ever. Keep an open mind. Teas you don’t like now, maybe either your palate isn’t ready for them, or perhaps you got a bad sample, or perhaps you’re still learning how to brew it properly, or maybe that tea just isn’t ready to be drank yet.
And its about the journey, no rush. Just start anywhere with whatever looks good to you in the moment. Or ask the vendor/shop for recommendations :)
For me its all about trying EVERYTHING!! But I started by getting a couple of plain green and black teas and a handful of blends I thought sounded / smelt nice. What flavours do you like? For me I love Vanilla, ginger, mint so I went for blends with those in as well as some blends with flavurs I wouldnt normally go for.
I also recommend buying smaller packs. Good stores/online places do small sample packs that way you can try much more for you money.
Theres also a good selection of tea subscription packs too!
If you want some inspo check out my site: www.tastethetea.co.uk I try to be as descriptive as possible. See if you like the sound of any of them and that might help you.
Good Luck and keep us posted ! x
just choose anything, you cant go wrong since all routes lead to experience. heavy/light? start with that even. gl
Hey guys thanks for being so helpful during my process of selecting teas! I have became big fan of Oolong and sencha. Just unbeatable in the cold winter mornings :)
I did got annoyed by few in-practicalities connected with loose leaf tea preparation and I wonder if you have the same problems. I made a little (and really pretty) survey with few tea related questions: I would really appreciate if you could spare 5min of your time checking it out!
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