alex wrote:
> 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.

It can be daunting for sure, the biggest thing to remember is not to
rush it. Many of us have been drinking and enjoying tea seriously for
decades. There is no fast track, and in fact trying to speed it up
artificially will probably result in you overlooking or missing some
key teas.

The first thing is to start cheap and buy a lot of different tea. Go to
a Chinese/Asian Market and buy as many $1/box teas as possible. Realize
that these are low-end tea and are not really indicators of the real
deal but they do give you the basic flavors of each category: White,
green, oolong, black, herbal, puerh, jasmine, etc. After this you will
see that you naturally gravitate towards certain ones. Pay attention to
those teas and finish the boxes of them. Now, go online or your next
trip to a market and buy a better grade of those few teas. Drink those
and note the differences, and what makes them "better." Now you should
have a pretty good idea of the class of tea you like initially. Start
exploring, asking questions, and learning.

But... keep those other boxes of cheap tea and revisit them in a few
months. You may find that some you didn't care for initially are now
enjoyable. Then start branching out and exploring them too. This gives
you a solid base to build on. Slowly move up to the higher grades of
tea too, going from a cheap teabag to the best you can buy will not
accomplish or prove anything, to appreciate the better stuff you have
to know and taste what makes it better otherwise its a waste. Also,
don't be surprised if you return to those cheap teabag brands after
having better stuff, sometimes they are nice and good for what they
are. You skills at brewing will get better, your palate will get
better, your knowledge will grow, and you'll enjoy it a ton more.

Best of luck!
Dominic