New tea drinker

depends on preferance(varies person to person), that is why sampler sizes are so big with tea sites/companies.

Green= Veggy taste( tastes like swamp water to me)
Black= more robust/dark
White= Slightly veggy taste/mostly neutral
Flavored= Mix bag(w.e chemical taste they mix it with)
Herbal= Mix Bag
Oolong= ? the ones ive had just taste like green/darjeeling

my favorite is blacks, yunnan/fujian is my favorite and one of the more liked teas in my view. Keemun darker/thinner(like a dark chocolate), assam is the classic teabag black tea mostly dark/robust but no flavors that stand out, when u get a full leaf/loose version they taste of light ripe/fermented orange(imo). Darjeeling is more floral/bright, walk into a ladies arts and crafts store and take a whiff(that is what darjeeling tastes like). ceylon/nilgiri tend to be more mild(brisk?? term i see used) i usually see these as mixes for blends, not as flavorful but have a good black tea taste. those are probably the big ones that have many variations(mostly similar in base flavor) there are also more fringe regions if youre feeling adventurous.

in general just watch out for smokey teas (i dislike them) always sad when i try a new tea and it has a mild/heavy smoke. and try to get fuller leaf(not ctc) tend to get bitter quicker/have less flavor. teas with more of a bite(strong flavor) might be best cold as a lot of the tea goes when it gets cold(seems thinner/less flavorful) might be able to fix that with something to thicken it up/sweeten it(idk i drink my tea hot)

What did you try at Teavana that blew your mind? Someone here can point you towards a company with amazing tea at an affordable price.

If you are going to be adding things like honey, milk or sugar, you are probably better off going with some blends. Traditional ones include Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Lapsang Souchong. Or come to think of it, you may want to try some kind of chai since they normally can include honey.

Most origin teas (teas that aren’t blends) are normally drunk on their own because they are good enough as is. Adding extra ingredients too them would take away from the quality of the tea.

So the more I think about your question, I would go with a blend or some kind of chai tea. However, one of the cool things about tea is the large variety so don’t be afraid to do a little experimenting before settling in on your favorite tea choice. For example, I like smokey teas but another poster here does not and some of the teas I like I would have never have thought so prior to trying them. Hope this helps.

Taste in tea can be very individualistic. Many people rave about teas that others can’s stand. When I first got interested in tea, I made the mistake of buying a lot of tea in large quantities only to discover I really didn’t care for those types. Also, I moved pretty quickly to higher quality, which means I was left with large bags of lower-quality tea I bought because it was “a good deal”.

So, I would advise you to start by buying a wide variety of small samples. This would let you determine what types of tea you like. Since each sample only costs a couple of dollars, you can afford to be a bit adventurous. Upton and Adagio have excellent breadth of samples of high-quality tea at reasonable prices. Upton’s focus is on classic (unflavored) tea, while Adagio’s focus is more on flavored tea, but each offers both categories. An even less expensive source of samples would be the English Tea Store, but their quality isn’t as high.

The stores’ web sites can give you some idea of what the teas will taste like. Also, look at reviews on steepster.

As a starting point, I would buy samples of the following:
China black: Yunnan, Keemun, Fujian
China green: (I’m not a big fan of green tea, so can’t recommend. buy a couple)
India black: Assam, Darjeeling
Oolong: These range from green to black. The key parameter is the per cent of fermentation (AKA oxidation). If you don’t have a preference for green or black, pick a medium fermentation. The best come from China and Taiwan.
Flavored: pick a handful of flavors that appeal to you.

I believe you could buy samples of all of the above teas for less than $50 at either Upton or Adagio. Each sample would be good for half a dozen cups, which should be enough for you to form an opinion. Take a couple of months to explore/enjoy these teas and then move in the direction your own taste dictates.

Lost your mind, like, got overwhelmed and did not know what to choose? There are so many choices!
You could consider attending or hosting a tea tasting with some samples of black teas and green teas and oolongs to start. I think that would be a fun idea for a meetup group, actually. Or, if there’s a tea shop you like, you could just go through their menu, treating yourself to a cup of something new each time you go, and each time choose something from a different category, such as green, black, oolong, white, etc. I would also suggest checking out a book from the library about the history of tea, and how tea is categorized, just for fun if you are interested. But that’s the nerd in me, loving information!
Just as my own suggestion, I would try: a cup of gyokuro or sencha in green teas; a cup of assam or keeumun in black. That’s just me, and you may end up loving herbal tea blends the absolute best, it is a whole new world and enjoy! And please let us know what you are tasting, and liking and what you are not liking!