Best grocery store tea

105 Replies

I find loose leaf teas at most of my local grocery stores. They’re not always in the tea aisle so it can be tricky. Check out the ethnic food section! My local shoprite has Twinings loose leaf in the tea aisle. The sushi station even has matcha :) I’ve occassionally found Adagio teas in A&P. I’ve had a lot of good luck with tea bags too. Morton Williams has some excellent ones like Mighty Leaf and Two Leaves and a Bud. I even found Harney and Son bags at Duane Reade (LOVE the green tea with thai flavors).

Cofftea said

Ethnic food? You’re kidding me… wow…

Kaitlin S said

You know, one of my grocery stores has a huge ethnic section, and even though I’ve noticed the tea there, somehow I always forget to really look at it. I should give it a try!

Shanti said

Cofftea, why “wow..” ? Tea is an “ethnic” food. It’s imported from Asia and is a staple food item in many Asian countries, where it was developed….

US Army commissaries carry PG Tips and a couple other typical British teas (mostly loose!) separate from the rest of the tea. They also sometimes have Asian stuff nearby. Also, at H.E.B, there are a lot of other teas hidden in the Asian food section!

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KaTEA said

Ok firs of all its finally nice to find a discussion that I am smart enough in the tea world to join in on. (I’ve been looking for 2 days). I don’t have the opportunity to go to tea shops very often as I live rural, but many of the groceries nearby have started carrying organics and with that come better teas. I love the Yogi and Traditional Medicinals. Oh and Stash Peach Black. I haven’t had any teas from these two companies I didnt like.

Cofftea said

Kate, don’t knock yourself like that- you are definitely smart enough to chime in! Even the most seasoned tea veterans are constantly learning things:)

Kaitlin S said

I agree with Cofftea – I’m new here, so still getting the lay of the land, so to speak, but I think there’s plenty of room for all types of tea drinkers. I totally appreciate your input! I’m going to read some Yogi tea reviews on your recommendation. I’ve had some of their teas now and again, but not enough that I have favorites.

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KaTEA said

Oh, these are always in the bag, so if thats an issue you may want to stay away from them. From what I have read the bagged tea isn’t so popular with many people on this site, my palette must not be as refined.

Kaitlin S said

Hey, I love bagged tea! It’s just more convenient. I drink some loose tea also, but I especially like the bags when I’m still half asleep in the morning. :)

Cofftea said

“when I’m still half asleep”- you need the Breville tea maker VegTea!:) I like filling my own tea bags- selection is better and so is the quality. Although prepackaged bagged teas do have their place and purpose.

bah! i drink bagged tea all the time, i think that loose leaf does taste better but there are some flavors (Celetestial seasonings, stash) they don’t offer in loose-and sometimes it’s just easier to have a bag of tea (at work, traveling)

loose tea, bagged tea, matcha, instant, as long as YOU like it Kate it’s all good :)

Cofftea said

AmazonV- I definitely agree that not all loose flavors are available in bagged and vice versa. I’m almost exclusively loose (or putting loose in paper filters), but I actually picked more bagged teas from the TTB than loose. But then again, another reason was cuz I didn’t have to buy a whole box:) I love sample sizes and bagged are often more than a handful of servings. I’m kinda skitzo about tea “MMM!!! That was SO GOOD! … it’s gone… Oh look! Different tea! Moving on.” LOL I do, of course, have some staples:)

@Cofftea i wish there were more sampler sets from companies, i do love trying flavors and not getting stuck with a whole box, but then again it’s not too bad an issue now that we have the take it away thread :)

KaTEA said

thanks for the vote of confidence, this is actually a great discussion, and it’s helping me get my feet wet…YEA

TeaParT said

I mix it up. I’m happy with both bag and loose. Most of the time I save the bags for when I’m on the run and the loose is for when I fix it myself at home or the office. I’m also lucky that my teenager likes to butter me up with a nice cup of tea - so I make sure to always have an assortment of teabags handy. ha ha I’ve been milking this for all its worth – “Oh OK since you went to all the trouble to fix me a cup of tea…”

Cofftea said

I’m not understanding the connection between your teenager making you a cup of tea and “so I make sure to always have an assortment of tea bags handy”.

Kaitlin S said

I think the connection is that if tea bags are around, it is easier for said teenager to make a cup of tea for his/her dear mother when he/she feels so inclined. :) Cute. I do think the tea tastes better when my husband makes it for me!

Cofftea said

That’s true VegTea, but if said teenager, hubby, wife, etc really wants to make you a cup of tea they should make you whatever tea you want or suprise you regardless of the packaging.

gmathis said

I’m going to have to stick this post under my 16-year-old’s nose and drop hints :o)

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As much as I love drinking and ordering loose tea, bags are more convenient! Sleepytime is a standard, as well as constant comment decaf and Twinings teas. The Meijer near me sells Typhoo decaf, one of the few decafs I like. I like to check out the local ethnic markets; some Mexican markets sell Tila leaves (nice for bedtime), and asian markets usually have some Yamamotoyama in bags (just bought their Houjicha, yum!). I sometimes splurge and (gasp!) buy a big square of Oregon decaf chai. Three Leaf brand has some nice greens too.

Cofftea said

I’ve actually started drinking more tea since I’ve found paper filters because of the convenience:)

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I’ve probably had fewer than 20 teabags in my entire life (and the last 3 were homemade with my own leaves and teabags bought on ebay). But I think good teabags are definitely better than mediocre loose leaves. Last time at a friend’s home she gave me the 360 degree organic black teabag (I think it’s sold in whole food and Trader Joe’s), and it was very good. It’s very similar to a CTC Kenya black tea I like (but later Whole Food people told me the 360 degree tea is from China).

There are a few good cheap teas in Asian groceries, but usually they hide among many bad cheap teas, so it’s hard to pick out the good ones. But this one I highly recommend. It can be used for desert, bubble tea, facial mask, and of course, just tea! http://steepster.com/teas/tradition/9198-green-tea-powder-250g-pack

Janefan said

“good teabags are definitely better than mediocre loose leaves. "

I agree! Thank you for that statement.

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KaTEA said

So you all have been so kind, Yogi triple Echinacea, is a nice one and is great for your immune system, and I love the Women’s Moon Cycle, I also love the following from Traditional Medicinals, Gypsy Cold Care, Throat Coat and Nighty Night, mostly for their soothing abilities of the cold, sore throat and sleeplessness, but Eaters Digest to drink any time, it’s just a nice tea. I purchase these at Whole Foods, Hy-Vee, and some Price Choppers, I have heard you can get them at Hen House also. (I am in the midwest). They run about $5 a box

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My frontrunner bagged grocery store teas are Bigelow’s I Love Lemon and Numi’s Chinese Breakfast, though this latter may only be available at more specialized groceries like Whole Foods. At Starbucks you can get Refresh which is my favorite mint tisane thus far.

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Grocery store teas I like
Does your store have Mighty Leaf? Republic of Tea? Numi? Zhena’s Gypsy
some nice grocery stores do, if not;
lipton has nice new pyramid bags now
i adore celestial seasonings, i know i know, but so many flavors!
i would start with a twinings or celestial seasoning multiple flavor variety pack, it’s less of a commitment, if you can also-try stalking the “take it away” thread

KaTEA said

I had a hard time liking the lipton pyramid teas something about the flavor tasted “artificial” how long do you let them steep and which ones have you liked maybe I picked the icky one, I find alot of the celestial seasonings taste this way also.

So far i have been enjoying the caramel lipton teabags, and i love celestial seasonings raspberry zinger and sugar cookie sleigh ride

Kaitlin S said

Sugar cookie sleigh ride was one of my favorite Christmas flavors! I got a bit sick of it, though. I still have a box leftover from the holidays. Maybe some evening I should try it again.

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fcmonroe said

I really like Twinnings. I’m not sure if this is in the grocery store yet, I purchased it at Disney, but their cold brew iced tea is really, really good. We’ve tried the Earl Grey and the Mint. If you see them, give them a try. It’s so convenient to be able to brew some real iced tea in just a few minutes in some cold water.

I have noticed the Twinings Cold Brew at my Walmart. They are carrying the Classic English, Mint Green, and Mixed Berry, not sure it that is the full range of flavors or not. I’m looking forward to trying them, now that I have heard a good testimony I may pick some up this weekend.

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k_t_bug said

I was delighted to find Twinings Prince of Wales tea at a local neighborhood grocery store. I just bought my second can of this loose tea this morning. It’s my current get-up-and-go-caffeine-fix-in-the-morning tea.

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