> I'm new to loose tea. There are so many choices, it's just crazy.

> Obviously I can't try every flavour till I find one I like, so how do I
> narrow down the search for my favorite loose leaf tea. Reality is my tastes
> are pretty simple, up until now I've just drank Tetley or some similar boxed
> tea.

> One thing for sure is I don't enjoy Earl Grey tea.

Alex,

Let me compliment you on your good taste in rejecting
Earl Grey tea. In my book, you're half way there. Now,
since you drink Tetley (shudder), try an Assam and/or
a Ceylon tea. These go into the making of Tetley, but
you will find them of far better quality. African teas also
go into the making of Tetley.

Here's a recommendation. Go to the Nothing But Tea site
which is based in England, but will ship anywhere.:

<http://www.nbtea.co.uk/acatalog/Teas.html>

Look at the teas from Sri Lanka (Ceylon), India, China, and
so on. Pick out a bunch of samples, and perhaps a couple
larger amounts. Give them a shot. I recommend this site for
several reasons: They are at the forefront of tea manufacture
throughout the tea world, they sell teas from Africa and
from countries not well represented elsewhere, they sell
small samples at very reasonable prices, and their service
is excellent. You can follow the brewing directions they
provide with confidence.

Let us know what you decide.

Incidentally, each tea has a different flavor, but don't confuse
this with flavor additives, which are also very common. A
Chinese black tea and an Indian black tea will taste very different
intrinsically; and to these might also be added different flower and
fruit bits and oils, but please avoid the additives until you have
accustomed yourself to the taste of the teas themselves.

Hope this provides a bit of guidance. Sorry for length and verbosity.

Michael