The Elusive Sipdown

i drink a lot….soooo i can finish off teas fairly quickly. i can’t give you a timeline though as it depends on how many teas and samples and such in my cupboard. I prefer, as a general rule to try and limit my quantities to 2oz/50g so that if it does take me a while, then it’s small quantities to drink up. there are very few teas that i want as much as 100g or 4+oz…and those are generally favourites which i drink at least once a week.

When I started drinking loose leaf about four years ago I always bought in 100 gram increments, without trying the tea first. For a couple reasons, this was a terrible idea. I still have a lot of that tea left, even of the ones I loved. Now, I try a tea with 20 grams or less. If I like it a lot, I buy 50 or 100 grams of it at a time, but it needs to have lasting appeal.

Some of the reasons it is better to try first, and buy small:
-Tastes change. Favourites aren’t always favourites!
-It does eventually lose strength. Doesn’t “go bad” per se, but isn’t as good.
-It costs a lot to lay out for 50 or 100 grams of every tea.
-It does actually take longer than you think to drink 100 grams of tea. Especially if you drink multiple kinds. If I only ever bought one tea, I’d get more. But I don’t!
-Tea goes farther than you think – especially if you re-steep.

My advice?

Try first in small amounts. Buy more in reasonable amounts if you love it. Don’t spend too much at once and don’t order massive amounts just because it is cheap. It sounds terrible, but restraint at first will probably lead to less guilt later.

Finally, depending on what you’re drinking and how you’re storing it, your tea is likely still quite fresh. At least if it is black, herbal or puerh. I know some people with massive collections drink their tea in only a few months but I’m not one of them. Ideally, things don’t sit for more than a year, but realistically 1 – 2 years works for ME for my herbals and blacks. Other types of tea and other tea drinkers likely have different needs though. :)

Basically, enjoy the tea!

+1 for Sil’s & Uniquity’s comments.

When starting out, I ordered large amounts and ended up not even liking some of the teas that much. Now I will usually only order sample sizes to start.

Occasionally I break that rule and order larger amounts if they’re on sale and come highly recommended by people whose tastes I know are similar to mine.

I drink 4-5 cups (8 oz) per day, but even at that rate, it’s taking me a long time to get through my teas!!!!