Cupboard Question

My cupboard is beyond manageable … it might even be beyond hope to be anything similar to manageable. But, that’s OK.

I always want to have at least one of these in my stash:

a yellow
a jasmine (I usually go between pearls and white jasmines when it comes to a favorite)
an Earl Grey (black tea base)
and an Oolong, preferably an Ali Shan

However, I don’t see that my stash is going to thin out any time soon…

My stash is steadily growing, but I don’t have a large stash yet so I think I can keep spending money… haha!

I always must have

a simple green
an Earl Grey
a dessert tea

As long as I have one of those, I’m good to go. But if I don’t, I am always craving it until it gets restocked. I’m going to be a very needy pregnant woman when that time comes n_n;

Teas to always have on hand: Rooibos (orange or vanilla), Assam, Wuyi.
My stash is steadily expanding to fill up all available room in my kitchen and growing less manageable by the day. I love trying new teas, and while I am truly trying to curb my obsession for purchasing new teas, I am only partially successful.

But I’m ok with that :)

Oh certainly, I’ve got my Standard Panel which, it seems, is somewhat larger than most.

Smoky Earl Grey (Kusmi)
Caramel (Kusmi)
Blackberry (AC Perchs)
A Lapsang Souchong (Currently also AC Perch’s but may also be different brands)
Raspberry Oolong (AC Perchs)
Tan Yang Te Ji (TeaSpring)
A Keemun (Brand varies)
Lemon oolong (Nothing But Tea)
Orange Puerh (Nothing But Tea)
A plain pu-erh of some sort.
A Sencha (also AC Perch’s but brand might vary)
A dark oolong of some sort (currently AC Perch’s)
A couple of roiboos’ which are the boyfriend’s (I don’t like them) but they count
A blend of chamomile for medicinal purposes, blend and brand may vary.

There will be a vanilla black as well once I’ve found The One. Chi of Tea had one that I thought would be the one, but alas, out of stock.

I believe that covers it.

I got on hand at all time
1. Lapsang Souchong
2. Beverley Estate from Nilgiri India
3. Cream Earl Grey
4. some Oolong’s
5. Rooibos Vanilla
those are always on hand

Right now my cupboard is so full of samples that I hadn’t been thinking about what I would always keep on hand, but I did have occurrance to think about it this weekend. There are a few specific teas, and a few more general that could be filled in different ways.

Tower of London (Harney)
Paris (Harney)
Chocolate-nut Black
Rose Black
Cream Earl Grey
Trad. Earl Grey (currently Tavalon)
Green/White Earl Grey (will replace with Harney’s Winter White EG)
Jasmine Pearls (Harney)
Magnolia Oolong
Lemon/Ginger Green or Oolong
Almond/marzipan
Milk Oolong
Mango or Passion Fruit Black (or both)
and a variety of many-layered French teas, pref. Dammann Freres

My small collection of absolutely must haves and can’t live without lest I kill someone usually consists of:

Assam
aged yunnan
golden yunnan
roasted oolong
lapsang souchong
green oolong
purple oolong
sencha
gyokuro
silverbud
And were not even going to go into my pu erhs

I suppose I could live if I was relegated to only the above. When I find a good tea that I really like I usually buy a couple hundred grams at a time.

I’m still relatively new to teas and my cupboard is entirely too large to have a standard set just yet.
However, I already know that I will always need:
A chocolate/rasperry note Ceylon
A malty assam
Strawberry white (mostly peony)
Chamomile
Spearmint
Rooibos (orange or nectar)
Sunshine Mate (lemon)
Whisky White
Milky Oolong
A basic roasty black oolong I’ve yet to find

I totally understand the going through phases where you buy everything that sounds interesting! A local store was clearing out their The O Dor tea, so the husband and I pretty much cleared them out ($40 tins for $8, so we bought one of almost every kind).

Here’s what I like to keep on hand though (as you can see, we drink a lot of iced tea):
- a fruity green (usually for iced tea)
- a good darjeeling
- a couple flavored blacks – some for iced tea, some for hot
- several types of earl grey (that’s for my husband)
- a couple of fruity teas for icing
- a rooibos
- medicinal teas (chamomile, dandelion tea, etc)

Right now though, we have much more than that because of the sale at the local store (and I just placed an order with Harney & Sons and 52teas and I want to go to David’s Tea this weekend, so there’s more coming!). I also have a list of teas I want to buy, so it’s getting a little ridiculous.

My cupboard is starting to thin out a little and as it does I am starting to realize there are some teas I just can’t live without.

- Earl’s Garden (DAVIDs)
- Flavoured Rooibos a Chocolate, a Chai and a Vanilla (to curb my sweet-tooth cravings)
- Fruity Green Tea (I drink more of these in summer, because I prefer them iced)
- David’s Darjeeling
- Nepal Black
and, whatever 3 herbals catch my fancy as I run out of them.

I am limited to what I can get at Silk Roads, Murchies and DAVIDs as I do not have a credit card, but between the three I am guaranteed to keep a full cupboard.