Best grocery store tea

105 Replies

I have had some good WEGMAN’S Brand Teas – Loose Leaf, that is…

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Kaitlin S said

Ok, I was feeling slightly bolstered by everyone’s suggestions and picked up a Twinings black tea sampler (English breakfast, Irish breakfast, lady grey and earl grey) as well as the Bigelow Vanilla Chai. I was short on black teas for morning, so this should hit the spot. I wasn’t at my usual grocery store – I intend to branch out more significantly next shopping trip. :)

oo the vanilla chai, NOM!

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Joker said

Most of the Twinings and Bigelow lines provide good teabag teas. Personally I’m not too concerned about saving the planet with my tea purchases. Just ordered a couple pounds from Harney & Sons online. Let you all know what I think after it arrives.

PS; Don’t be afraid to order tea online from reputable sellers. The prices are actually pretty reasonable. Also check online for tea discount codes, can save you a % on your purchase or get free shipping.

Kaitlin S said

Oh, I have ventured into the world of online teas a little – I’ve ordered sample sizes from Adagio once or twice, and I will probably check out some other online sellers after delving more deeply into the reviews here. I just don’t feel like I’ve fully explored my grocery store options yet. :)

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Britt☮ said

The grocery store is actually my main source for tea! (But then again, I live in Japan.) Most of the loose leaf tea is different brands of sencha, but there’s also a few other types like oolong and jasmine.

My favorite bag tea is Relax Chamomile from Nittoh, and my favorite bottled tea is Jasmine Green Tea from Ito En. I’ve seen teas from non-Japanese companies such as Lipton and Twining as well.

If you can find an Asian or international grocery store, it’s worth it to check out their tea selection!

Cofftea said

Yeah you’re spoiled lol:)

Britt☮ said

Haha. I was checking out the spices in the store today and ended up buying matcha salt! I thought of you, of course :)

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Joker said

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Caitlin said

I love prince of wales from twinnings – also lipton tea pyramids aren’t bad!

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If your grocery store has a big organic section be sure to check there- I find a number of teas hiding there. That’s where my grocery store stocks Numi. For grocery store teas, I’ve had good luck with anything Numi, Twinings Lady Grey, Stash peach black tea, Bigelow Plantation Mint, Constant Comment, and Raspberry Royale.

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Kaitlin S said

Ok, I tried Twinings Lady Grey today, and the Bigelow vanilla chai yesterday. Both get a thumbs up – I’ll be logging them soon. :)

Those of you who drink Numi tea, what varieties do you recommend? I will peruse the reviews, but could use a nudge in the right direction.

Cofftea said

The only Numi I’ve tried so far is their Chocolate Pu Erh, but I’d ABSOLUTELY recommend it as one of the best chocolate teas I’ve ever had.

KaTEA said

Haa… funny you bought that twinings sampler, I saw it in the grocery this weekend and didn’t buy it because I wanted to check here first. Yea, and thanks for the reviews.

Joker said

Numi makes a very yummy rooibos tisane.

Kaitlin S said

Kate – I’ve also had the Irish Breakfast from the sampler, and it was very good. I haven’t done a review yet because it’s been quite a while since I had it.

Thanks for the Numi suggestions. I love rooibos and chocolate flavored tea, although I’ve never had a pu erh. I’ll have to read up on what to expect. :)

Cofftea said

Sheng and Shu Pu Erhs are 2 completely different creatures… and while a shu, Numi’s Organic Chocolate Pu Erh is different still.

I thought the best Numi bagged tea (other than their pu erhs) was Chinese Breakfast (not to be confused with Morning Rise, which is another breakfast blend they have). This is my favorite of the Numi’s I tried, pretty much hands down. Their Earl Grey isn’t bad, it’s a milder Earl Grey flavor than many, but there are much better Earl Greys available. And their Monkey Picked Jasmine and White Rose are ok if you like those flavors.

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gmathis said

This thread made me think … and after a quick peek at the website, it just dawned on me that Celestial Seasonings doesn’t do a plain ol’ straight-up unflavored black tea of any kind. Wonder why.

Joker said

Could it be because you don’t cover the taste of a fine tea with strong flavors? Ergo cheap teas are mainly used for flavor combos?

Kaitlin S said

They used to have an English breakfast, I think? I think it might have more to do with their brand – they are known for fun flavors, so plain black probably doesn’t go over as well. I noticed when they came out with white tea that they had a plain decaf white (but white tea already has so little caffeine..?), but the regular white only came in flavored varieties. Kind of weird, I thought.

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The only two grocery stores that I purchase tea from are Trader Joes and Whole Foods. I simply do not trust other grocery stores with tea… and here is why:

A few months ago I was in WalMart (don’t go there often, but hubby used to get his prescriptions there), and I happened to start browsing down the tea aisle. I found a box of Tazo Ginger Green tea and I considered buying it, until I happened to look at the expiration date on the box, and it was almost a year (11 months!) past the expiration date. And yes, it was an expiration date, packaging date.

Tea is simply too important to me to purchase at a place that chooses not to respect it.

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