"Agalena" wrote in message news:XMNfb.682687$Ho3.146143@sccrnsc03...
"JBSummer" wrote in message
...
Thanks all for the feedback. I will check out all of these sites.

While Upton may not have good samplers, is their tea better when one
purchases
larger quantities?

Upton has a very large selection, and I've gotten some very good teas from
them.

Agalena

Let me qualify my statement--Upton has good samples, if you're into
the kind of tea Upton usually excels in (i.e., Black (red) teas of all
sorts). The samples are just about the perfect size--maybe just a
little small. I was warning about the sampler kits, which provide much
too much of each tea, in addition to the problems I've already
mentioned. The samples are sent in little envelopes, not the
loose-lidded canisters like the sampler kits. However, it is highly
advisable to provide storage for samples (a ziploc bag in addition to
the envelope, maybe?).

As I say, Upton is most usually mentioned in connection with black
teas (and giant selections). Although I heard that their Lu An Guapian
is good, most of their Chinese greens & whites are nothing to write
home about. They have a small selection of Chinese Oolongs, none
really outstanding.

Their standard $5/quarter-pound Pu-Erh is surprisingly good, at least
for a beginning foray into pu-erh. However, the $16 "Celestial
Tribute" Pu-erh is not good: it has most of the qualities of a good
tea (I think...) but it's all overwhelmed by a weird, overpowering
smoothness. It's so silkily smooth that you can't notice anything
else; thus, unless you're a BIG tofu fan, I can't imagine finding much
in this tea to appeal. It's almost like a production of Hamlet wherin
the second spearman from the left tries to steal the show. Smoothness
is good in the background, but it cloys easily. Upton is not the
greatest pu-erh dealer extant.

They're usually also associated with good high-fermentation Formosa
Oolongs. I remember being unimpressed with their "Jade" Oolong, but I
was quite a newbie then, and didn't even think to smell the tea. :-)

If I were to start ordering samples, I think I would start with
Specialteas, which supposedly has good greens (and oolongs? Their
Oolong selection *looks* better than Upton's, but I have not yet tried
any).

Good luck,

ZBL