How to Buy Tea

Ah the refreshing taste of tea can provide you with instant comfort right from the very first sip. That is providing that you are drinking a cup of good quality tea. So how can you the average person tell if you are buying quality – not expensive – tea? Well there are numerous ways but the main things to use when you are choosing your tea is look, taste and smell. If you use these three facilities with some care and time you will find that you can easily choose a relatively good tea.

The first step is looking. When most of us drink tea from tea bags you will probably notice that the tea is a powdery. This type of tea is called tea dust. While the tea from these tea bags is usually tasty it is not of the exceptional quality that you are looking for. In order to get a good cup of tea you will need to buy tea which has a whole leaf. This type of tea is better in quality as compared to the tea leaves which have been cut, torn and crushed. These crushed tea leaves will often give you a tea that tastes bitter and unpleasant.

The next step in getting some good tea lies with your nose. As most of you know when you make a cup of tea there is a delicious aroma which invites you to drink and savor the taste. Each type of tea will give off its own unique smell. For example green teas will have a leafy grassy smell to them, black teas will most often taste sweet and pu-erhs have an earthy smell to them. This smell is also true of the flavored teas that most of us are now fond of drinking.

When you buy one of these teas as a sample make sure that you get the prime smell – for instance if the tea is Jasmine then you need to get the Jasmine smell – in the infused tea. There is one other point that you should consider if you can smell the tea even before the brewing process then you can see before buying whether you are choosing a quality tea.

Now there are some tea shops where you will be allowed to feel the tea leaves themselves. When you handle good quality whole tea leaves they will not crumble or break in your hands. This is yet another sign that you have a good tea in your hands. However since we can’t always get to feel our tea leaves you will need to see the other ways of judging your tea.

The final step in buying quality tea lies with the taste. Now before we go on any further you need to be aware that taste is a matter of personal choice. Since each person will have different ideas of what a great cup of tea is like only you can say whether you have bought a superb tea type.

There is one fact that you should keep in mind when you are shopping for your tea. Any tea that you buy should not taste flat, stale or even flavorless. If you have bought tea which falls into any of these categories then you have wasted your money but not your time as now you know what to avoid. Now the best way for you get a flavor mouthful is to slurp the tea in order to allow some air to mix with the brewed tea. This mixture will enhance the flavor of your cup of tea.

Now that you know how to buy good quality tea lets see just how much tea you tea you should buy in one sitting. Most of us have three or four different tea flavors and brands sitting in our cupboards waiting for the times that we can brew them. This mass buying does not help your tea as the freshness of the tea will die away by the time that you get to it.

Therefore it is always best to buy your tea in small quantities. 4 to 6 oz packs of tea will mean that you will need to shop more often for tea. But in the long run you will be buying tea which is fresh and therefore more flavorful.

As we have stated before there are many different brands, types and flavors of tea and without knowing how these teas can taste you can get lost. There is also the fact that without experimenting you will lose out on the opportunity of tasting different tea types. So the best way that you can get this varied taste experience is by experimenting.

You can start experimenting with drinking the different teas from your local tea shop, or your coffee barista. From each of these places not only will you get the chance to taste some different tasting tea but you can also ask some questions which should hopefully point you in the right direction. As you see when you are looking to buy tea there are many considerations that you will need to look into. The main item that you should never forget when you are choosing your tea is to have fun and enjoy the myriad tastes that you will encounter. Your life will never be the same again.