How to Buy Loose Leaf Tea

Identify what qualities you are looking for in a tea., Learn a little about the different varieties of tea., Read online reviews, tea reviews, and tea community website before purchasing from a company., Experiment.

6 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Identify what qualities you are looking for in a tea.

    Even if you haven't tried much tea, you probably have an idea of your tastes:
    Do you want a strong, black tea, a grassy green tea, or an oolong tea with a roasted aroma? Do you prefer floral-scented teas, or deep, earthy, or malty qualities? Do you want your tea to be bitter, sweet, tangy, strong or mild? Or subtle in flavor and mostly aromatic?
  2. Step 2: Learn a little about the different varieties of tea.

    Not only does tea come in green, black, oolong, white, and Pu-erh, which are broad classes of tea, but each of these teas comes in different varieties, often produced in different regions.

    For example, Darjeeling and Assam are both teas from India, but Assam is strong and malty, whereas Darjeeling is lighter and floral.

    Green and oolong teas are similarly diverse. , Check to see that people have ordered from a company, and that they have had good experiences with shipping and customer service, and that they have found the company's descriptions to be accurate and honest. , Buy from a company that offers affordable sample sizes, and the first time you order, instead of ordering a lot of one or two types of tea, order a bunch of samples of many different kinds of tea.

    You will likely discover a few favorites, and you may find some teas you care less for.

    This way, the next time you order you'll have a better idea of how to select the best teas to suit your taste, or the taste of others whom you are buying tea for.
  3. Step 3: Read online reviews

  4. Step 4: tea reviews

  5. Step 5: and tea community website before purchasing from a company.

  6. Step 6: Experiment.

Detailed Guide

Even if you haven't tried much tea, you probably have an idea of your tastes:
Do you want a strong, black tea, a grassy green tea, or an oolong tea with a roasted aroma? Do you prefer floral-scented teas, or deep, earthy, or malty qualities? Do you want your tea to be bitter, sweet, tangy, strong or mild? Or subtle in flavor and mostly aromatic?

Not only does tea come in green, black, oolong, white, and Pu-erh, which are broad classes of tea, but each of these teas comes in different varieties, often produced in different regions.

For example, Darjeeling and Assam are both teas from India, but Assam is strong and malty, whereas Darjeeling is lighter and floral.

Green and oolong teas are similarly diverse. , Check to see that people have ordered from a company, and that they have had good experiences with shipping and customer service, and that they have found the company's descriptions to be accurate and honest. , Buy from a company that offers affordable sample sizes, and the first time you order, instead of ordering a lot of one or two types of tea, order a bunch of samples of many different kinds of tea.

You will likely discover a few favorites, and you may find some teas you care less for.

This way, the next time you order you'll have a better idea of how to select the best teas to suit your taste, or the taste of others whom you are buying tea for.

About the Author

J

Joyce Gonzales

Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in practical skills and beyond.

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