I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good way to
start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any stand
out so far as good quality is concerned...

Thanks

Jim

Jim,

Upton ( http://www.uptontea.com ) offers samples for only $1 on most
teas (really high-end teas have sample prices of $2 or more). I like it
because the size is just enough for a 2-cup pot or two, so I don't have to
suffer through too much tea I don't end up liking.

They also offer sample sets that include four similar teas in larger
proportion than their regular samples. I've always been satisfied with the
quality from Upton, but I've heard people who were unimpressed with them.
One problem I will note is that the samples are in envelopes that don't
preserve the tea so you have to drink it quickly. Along the same vein, their
tins don't seal well. If you choose Upton, you're probably going to want an
alternative plan for storing the tea if you aren't going to consume it all
right away (you probably wouldn't be able to consume all the tea in one of
their sample sets in time).

Hope this helps.

AM

"JBSummer" > wrote in message
...
> I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good
way to
> start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any
stand
> out so far as good quality is concerned...
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim


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Do *NOT* get any of Upton's sampler sets. They often feature atypical
teas (e.g., a first-flush Darjeeling that tastes like a second-flush
and a high-fermentation China Oolong), low-grade teas (their Oolong
set recently downgraded from Formosa Oolong Choicest to F. O. Choice,
though anything under Fancy isn't worth the time or money), and they
come in loose-lidded, useless containers (I once completely ruined
some $30 Ti Kwan Yin in one, while some $12 Ti Kwan Yin gotten at the
same time stored in Holy Mtn's Mihon Can was still perfectly fragrant
and tasty).

The only other samplers I have ordered are the pu-erh and Oolong
samplers from Holy Mountain. I was altogether happy with the Oolong
(save that the Oolong "choice" was not good), and thought that the
balance of expensive and affordable teas of similar styles in the set
made it very well-rounded. The pu-erh was very nice on the whole,
though I think that, considering I had no use for scented tuocha, I
didn't get my money's worth. However, their pu-erh sampler offers
samples of teas otherwise only availible in largish (and expensive)
cakes (the You Zi Cha was odd, but worth trying. The Tibetan Mushroom
pu-erh was probably my favorite, though the "large-leafed pu-erh from
old trees" was also outstanding).

As to things I have heard of, but not experienced: Specialteas and
IPOT offer your standard sampler kits, and ITC usually includes 1oz of
four teas, for $20+ (emphasis on the "+"). Recently, IPOT has had a
sampler set in which you get two Formosa Oolongs (a Pouchong and a
medium-fermentation) together for $50, wheras they would normally cost
a little less than $70. Those are a quarter-pound per tea, though. A
company known as the Oolong Tea Store offers a free sample of most of
its teas, the customer only pays shipping.

The only other unusual thing to mention is that Grey and Seddon offer
samplers of their tea for a flat price of $25 per sampler (including
shipping, which is noteworthy for an Australian company shipping to
the US). These samplers seem well-rounded, but the unusual part is the
quantities: they usually include a large amount of one tea (say, 100g)
and then smaller samples of several other teas (about 25g per tea). It
is unusual for them to offer individual samples of their tea, save
with expensive teas (like their Chinese greens and the Da Hong Pao
they recently put up).

On the whole, I would advise against samplers. Usually, you can get
better teas (ones better-suited to your tastes) and avoid spending
money on teas you don't want by ordering individual samples. These are
the circumstances under which I would order a sampler: (1) you want
*every* tea in the set (you *will* waste money otherwise, no matter
how many other arguments there are in favor of this), (2) either there
is a substantial discount (e.g., that IPOT samper I mentioned), you
don't know where to start (as in choosing among ITC's green-tea
selection), or there are teas in the sampler not availible otherwise
as a sample (like a pu-erh cakes).

Good luck to you on your effort to expand your tastes. If only
everyone had the time and inclination to do likewise . . .

Many happy infusions,

ZBL

(JBSummer) wrote in message >...
> I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good way to
> start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any stand
> out so far as good quality is concerned...
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

Hi Jim,

We sell samplers of quality Chinese teas in 50 grams size. Quality and
freshness are guaranteed. Check us out at http://www.TeaSpring.com.

--
Daniel
TeaSpring.com

"JBSummer" > wrote in message
...
> I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good
way to
> start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any
stand
> out so far as good quality is concerned...
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

i also concur about not buying sampler sets-
many companies sell online with small samples-i enjoy chinese oolongs and
scented tea-
www.funalliance.com
www.imperialtea.com
www.tentea.com
i would also suggest going to frequently asked questions and also check out
http://pages.ripco.net/~c4ha2na9/tea/-
lots of siie to keep one busy for days-




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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?

"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

"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

"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

"Zephyrus" > wrote in message
m...
> "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.
>
I basically agree with you on all counts. I don't buy the sampler sets
because usually, I'm not interested in several of the teas in the set. I
prefer to buy individual samples.

> 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.
>
> 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. :-)
>

I recently tried a sample of Upton's Jade Oolong Imperial, and found it
excellent. That was the first oolong I'd tried from Upton so I can't comment
on their others. I'm a real fan of lightly oxidized oolongs, and this one
was really good. It's pretty pricey though. I also had a sample of their
Shou Mei white which I thought was good.

Agalena

We offer fresh packed samplers in our store http://www.culinaryteas.com. We
also offer sampler size bags of all our loose teas which is typically enough
for 10-12 cups. You can find the samplers he
http://www.culinaryteas.com/Tea_Samplers/index.html

Candie Yoder
http://www.culinaryteas.com
1-866-799-4005


"JBSummer" > wrote in message
...
> I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good
way to
> start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any
stand
> out so far as good quality is concerned...
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim

Candie wrote:
>
> We offer fresh packed samplers in our store http://www.culinaryteas.com. We
> also offer sampler size bags of all our loose teas which is typically enough
> for 10-12 cups. You can find the samplers he
> http://www.culinaryteas.com/Tea_Samplers/index.html
>
> Candie Yoder

One highlight:

"Tropical Fruit Tea Sampler #1

This is the best way to try a
group of our different Flavored
teas. You get 1 oz bags of 5
different loose teas. Teas included:

Coconut
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Mango
Banana"

I like to make these with lots of sugar, freeze in ice-cube trays, and
then whirl in a blender with a little leftover tea. I call it
"Daiqui-tea"! It's like a Slurpee for gourmets!

Or perhaps this one:

"Maple Green Tea

The incredible taste of maple coupled with a
high grown Ceylon green tea. Superb as an
after-dinner tea."

....or topped with mini-marshmallows and crushed Butterfingers after a
brisk autumn's outing to the mall.

To Candie's credit, though, I don't feel she's a cynical businesswoman
just giving the people what they want -- I believe she truly loves this
stuff. Nevertheless, if you use my name "Daiqui-tea", Cindy, I'll sue
your ass for copyright infringement.

--crymad

Candie wrote:
>
> We offer fresh packed samplers in our store http://www.culinaryteas.com. We
> also offer sampler size bags of all our loose teas which is typically enough
> for 10-12 cups. You can find the samplers he
> http://www.culinaryteas.com/Tea_Samplers/index.html
>
> Candie Yoder

One highlight:

"Tropical Fruit Tea Sampler #1

This is the best way to try a
group of our different Flavored
teas. You get 1 oz bags of 5
different loose teas. Teas included:

Coconut
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Mango
Banana"

I like to make these with lots of sugar, freeze in ice-cube trays, and
then whirl in a blender with a little leftover tea. I call it
"Daiqui-tea"! It's like a Slurpee for gourmets!

Or perhaps this one:

"Maple Green Tea

The incredible taste of maple coupled with a
high grown Ceylon green tea. Superb as an
after-dinner tea."

....or topped with mini-marshmallows and crushed Butterfingers after a
brisk autumn's outing to the mall.

To Candie's credit, though, I don't feel she's a cynical businesswoman
just giving the people what they want -- I believe she truly loves this
stuff. Nevertheless, if you use my name "Daiqui-tea", Candie, I'll sue
your ass for copyright infringement.

--crymad

"Candie" > writes:

> We offer fresh packed samplers in our store http://[...]. We
> also offer sampler size bags of all our loose teas which is typically enough
> for 10-12 cups. You can find the samplers he
> [...somewhere...]

If your samplers are fresh packed, doesn't that mean you open one of
your storage bins to the air each time a customer orders, say, an
ounce? And doesn't that accelerate the decay of your product?

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

On 04 Oct 2003 01:18:16 GMT, (JBSummer) wrote:

>I am trying to expand my tea tastes and figure a sampler would be a good way to
>start. I have found plenty of suppliers online but am wondering if any stand
>out so far as good quality is concerned...
>
>Thanks
>
>Jim


I have always had good samplers from TeaTraders.