Tea Newbie
Hi, y’all. I found this site through Jenni King on You Tube. I was wondering what you would recommend for a newbie who doesn’t know much about teas. I like black, green that doesn’t taste super grassy, and I’m open to trying all sorts of things. Is there any particular place that would be good to try? Or particular teas? Where to start??? Thanks! Confused in New Mexico. :)
Verdant Tea’s 5 for 5 is one of the best deals out there. But, being part of Steepster has better rewards because there are stash sales on here.
I’m sure a few people will offer to send you samples and what not, but I shall be the first. If you’re interested just follow me and send me a message, I’d be glad to help you find your way in the tea culture/community.
Depending on where you are in NM, you might check out New Mexico Tea Co. They have some decent teas and aren’t outrageously expensive.
Welcome to Steepster! As AllanK said, samples are a good place to start. Most of us here can recommend tea stores (Verdanttea.com, harney.com, and adagio.com are three stores I recommend for samples).
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, Steepster is a very friendly community! Most of the tea stores are also happy to answer questions and help you pick new teas to try.
Happy sipping!
Hello, welcome to Steepster. (I live in NM too.)
Verdant is good for samples.
Do you? Do you buy your tea locally, or online mostly? I did fall down pretty hard at NM Tea Co—they’ve already shipped my order. WOOT! Living in Grants, it’s all online for me. I do get to Abq occasionally, though not as often as I used to.
Ah, you’re at almost Arizona. It’s mostly online for me, but I try to go by the local shops when possible. (I like the black teas an NMTC.)
If you like black teas I’m your girl. I might get you into trouble though. Shoot me your address and I will send some samples, but let me know if there are flavors you especially like or dislike.
A lot of people have not-so-kind opinions on Teavana, so I recommend doing your research before trying them for tea — but they are pretty easily accessible, and some of their teas are pretty good. (Their Strawberry Blush Rosé is great, and I’m a big fan of their Wild Orange Blossom herbal and Citrus Lavender Sage — heavily sage-y though.) DavidsTea is also great, and actually offers organic teas (unlike Teavana) and they have some great flavors. Check out their Glitter and Gold black tea (smells and tastes like Christmas), Organic Blueberry Jam (punch in the face of blueberry but as a person who doesn’t actually like blueberries, I can rec it!) and Coconut Oolong. If you like green and black teas, you might like some oolongs; they can come black or green, and the Coconut Oolong is green but doesn’t come off as grassy.
Then there’s Adagio. I happen to find their flavors can come off as kind of fake tasting, but I rec the “fandom blend” TARDIS by Cara McGee (earl grey, creme, blackberry) and one of her Christmas Cookies flavors, Coconut Macaroon (almond oolong — a black oolong — and some delicious spices). The great thing about Adagio is that the site offers tons of tea options and users name their own blends for others to buy, so you can find tons of options from some really creative people.
Thank you so much! I had heard that about Teavana, so honestly I didn’t even look at their site. I did order a few samples from NM Tea Co. and the 5 for 5 from Verdant Tea. I already got the NM Tea Co order, and I’m working through those. So far, nothing amazing, although decent stuff.
The best advice I can give is to try EVERYTHING. Even if you think “oh, I don’t really like so and such types of tea” not every tea is created equal. I love having people try something that they already have an opinion of without ever tasting and watching their minds change. And sometimes you need a second or third tasting before you have a firm opinion on a tea.
ALso, there are a lot of people who are really into the rules of steeping tea. Personally, I think tea is an amazing and versatile thing that doesn’t have to be dictated by rules. But they are there and you can use them as a starting point.
I’d be happy to send you a couple samplers to get you exposed to more teas.
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