Best grocery store tea

105 Replies
Shanti said

Twinings English Breakfast, Twinings Earl Grey, Tazo Chai, and Stash Chai are all yummy :)

I haven’t had very good luck with Celestial Seasonings because of all the hibiscus they use :( but their packaging is cute!

Britt☮ said

I LOVE Stash Chai Green Tea :)

Kaitlin S said

Is hibiscus the “zinger” in all of the various “Something Zinger” flavors? I’ve been sort of tired of those lately, but I used to like them.

Shanti said

Yes, I think so. I can’t stand hibiscus anymore…it just masks the flavor of the other ingredients.

There are some blends with hibiscus that are blended well. Hibiscus is good because it adds some body and some tart (as well as some nutrients), but, too much is too much, and a carefully blended balance is necessary. I am not a big fan of hibiscus either… but, sometimes, I do encounter a blend with hibiscus that was blended well enough so that the hibiscus does not dominate.

Kaitlin S said

Hmm. Interesting. I think I can buy hibiscus at a local shop, so I might get some to try in herbal tea blends.

if anyone, like me, adores hibiscus… http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wacky-edibles/c0ce/ YUM! drop one in some tea as a sweetener & decoration!

Cofftea said

A swagbucks company even:)

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Okay, kinda digging this thread out from the graveyard, but I just had to share this.

I found Nepali Tea Traders’ tea at my local Whole Foods today!!

Yeah, it was only two blends, one was bagged and the other was loose. Apparently they are a local company (to me, that is.)

It seems like supermarkets are getting into some better tea companies! Has anyone seen any good teas at their store?

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Anlina said

I actually quite like a lot of Celestial Seasonings teas, and while I’ve only tried one kind, I was really impressed with the quality of the Lipton pyramid sachets.

Some grocery stores here carry Tea Squared loose tea, but I haven’t tried it yet.

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Bigelow has a Salted Caramel that is really good. I’ve got a few ladies at work hooked on it.

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The Bengal Spice celestial seasonings is fantastic if you like liquid red hots!

I love cooking with Bengal spice! I made a “Winter Spiced Sangria” with it a couple of times. Oh, and brownies :D

Oh my god you might be a legit genius. I have some super smokey oolong I am reserving to try as a broth addition for savory soup, but I haven’t thought about using a cinnamon based tea for anything. I know it takes on a burn similar to red hots when you let it steep for like a year, but does the flavor come out in a brownie?

It does! I used a baking mix. By replacing the water with the tea, it makes it taste all spiced chocolate-y delicious! Oh, and you should try Hojicha ramen noodles. SO. GOOD.

I actually have both hojicha and ramen noodles and we are expecting another several inches of snow this week. This is happening. Now to see if I can hunt down some brownie mix and bengal spice before it comes (as oddly enough, I don’t currently own any of either).

Ahhh! I want to know how it goes!

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Twinings Irish and English Breakfast teas, Republic of Tea (most black flavours.)

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AllanK said

I sometimes buy loose teas from my local Asian grocery store but I find that only one in four is any good.

I totally agree! I get so wrapped up (no pun intended) in the packaging and the names that I don’t stop to think that the Dian Hong I just bought is probably like 3+ years old.

Mike said

Agreed! I buy the Yamamotoyama sencha and genmaicha, it’s super cheap at the Asian grocery store. I also found a decent gunpowder green and lichee black tea there…it’s just kind of hit or miss. I usually talk to other customers when I’m in the store to get their recommendations.

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yyz said

My local grocers are starting to delve into loose leaf so recently they started carrying Kusmi, teasquared, JusTeas, and Organic Chinese teas even at the Chain stores. I still get better selection and the ethnic grocers with nice flavoured greens and decent Ceylon’s at the slavic and Baltic grocer’s, Ahmad’s teas at the the Halaal stores ( My favourite being Khalami Assam) as well as a very decent Nilgrili, occassionally really nice teas at the Chinese grocer, and my beloved Lopchu and nice CTC at the Indian grocer. I haven’t bought bagged black teas for a long time bout I used to carry some of Stashes herbal and the green chai with me when travelling. I like some of 4oclocks teas as well.

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cookies said

I’m lucky enough to have a grocery store with a decent bulk loose leaf section on top of a small selection of loose leaf brands including Rishi, Twinings, Tea Forte, Teatulia, Yorkshire and a few others.
That said, I still drink a bag of plain old Red Rose Irish Breakfast with my meals. I just can’t do without it. Definitely my favorite bagged grocery store tea.

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AllanK said

I also, in addition to the Asian markets, have a local grocery store called Fairway. They have a gourmet coffee section that also sells loose teas as sort of an addition. They are decent, some of them anyway and in theory fresh. They are a small chain and have five or six stores in NY and NJ.

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