Loose tea?

PencilBreathPencilBreath Posts: 3,643
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Just wondered if many of you still make tea in a teapot with loose tea. Our supermarkets have a pretty dire choice of one or two brands of the "normal" teas, but millions of the flavoured ones however.

Can you recommend a brand worth trying that can be bought on-line for example?
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  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    Just wondered if many of you still make tea in a teapot with loose tea. Our supermarkets have a pretty dire choice of one or two brands of the "normal" teas, but millions of the flavoured ones however.

    Can you recommend a brand worth trying that can be bought on-line for example?

    I buy loose tea as my local supermarkets are incompetent.

    I use a local company in Pluckley. http://www.tea-and-coffee.com/pluckley-tea/c23

    Orange Pekoe is my favourite.
  • burton07burton07 Posts: 10,869
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    I still make tea in a teapot with loose tea. I like a strong flavourful cuppa and I use Tesco own brand loose tea. AFIAK tea manufacturers make the tea specially for different water hardness areas. The Tesco tea is cheaper than say, PG Tips and it's just as nice. Loose tea is cheaper than tea bags too. The tea in tea bags is much finer than proper leaf tea and is quite powdery.

    Also there is the "green" affect - I think that the manufacturing processes involved with making the teabags and putting the tea in them is another drain on the Planets resources. Call me a wierdo, but I think of these things. I also use un-refined sugar for the same reason.
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    burton07 wrote: »
    I still make tea in a teapot with loose tea. I like a strong flavourful cuppa and I use Tesco own brand loose tea. AFIAK tea manufacturers make the tea specially for different water hardness areas. The Tesco tea is cheaper than say, PG Tips and it's just as nice. Loose tea is cheaper than tea bags too. The tea in tea bags is much finer than proper leaf tea and is quite powdery.

    Also there is the "green" affect - I think that the manufacturing processes involved with making the teabags and putting the tea in them is another drain on the Planets resources. Call me a wierdo, but I think of these things. I also use un-refined sugar for the same reason.

    They should ban teabags then more supermarkets will sell the loose tea I like.
  • cdtaylor_natscdtaylor_nats Posts: 816
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    I buy mine from Twinings

    http://shop.twinings.co.uk/shop/

    Large variety and good quality if a little pricey
  • diablodiablo Posts: 8,300
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    Tea made in a pot always tastes better than bags, though I do tend to use bags mainly these days. :o

    My favourite used to be Lyons Red Label, though it ceased to be stocked in local supermarkets some years ago, though I see that Waitrose and Ocada do it now - plus Tesco by mail order.

    Most of the supermarket 'red label' teas aren't bad either - but they are more like builder's tea than yer refined stuff. :)
  • PencilBreathPencilBreath Posts: 3,643
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    I have to put 2 tea bags in a cuppa to make it taste even close to tea made in a pot.

    I will look into those sites, thanks.
  • moosepaw56moosepaw56 Posts: 54
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    We are recently home from Sri Lanka and i came home with a LOT of loose tea!!
  • PencilBreathPencilBreath Posts: 3,643
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    I looked at those sites & the choice is a bit bewildering.

    What one should I get if I like a tea like Yorkshire loose tea?

    Is that a breakfast tea? I just want an old fashioned English cuppa :)
  • LilAbbyLilAbby Posts: 82
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    moosepaw56 wrote: »
    We are recently home from Sri Lanka and i came home with a LOT of loose tea!!

    We did that too :) I now buy Ceylon loose tea from Wittards in London.

    http://www.whittard.co.uk/

    Can't beat it. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 732
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    Oohhhhhhhhh real tea, those were the days, todays tea bags are just dust, in the old days it was said they used the sweepings for teabags.
  • InkblotInkblot Posts: 26,889
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    I use Assam teabags but the other day I was tempted to start using loose tea when I saw this beautiful Hoganas Keramik teapot in a Scandinavian design shop. Then I found out it was £75.
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,908
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    I always use loose tea - the leaf is usually broader and makes for a a more full-bodied flavour.

    I get mine in the Mecca at Aberystwyth. English breakfast blend and Celtic breakfast blend - yummy.
  • abercrombieabercrombie Posts: 905
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    I've only recently found Yorkshire loose tea (bought from the co-op).
    Usually I drink PG tips loose tea for which I go to Sainsburys. But I only buy the tea from there, nothing else.
  • bostin_austinbostin_austin Posts: 810
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    Currently drinking Irish Breakfast Tea and Breakfast Blend Tea from Fortnum and Mason, Really very, very good. Tea leaves are a decent size, so does not resemble the 'powder' you get in some brands.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    My loose tea of choice is currently Tetley Orange Pekoe which is delicious. I bought 4 225g caddies from a cheap food shop for 59p each, a real bargain. Trouble is it's imported from Canada, so when it's finished, I'll have to take pot luck! I make it in a cafetiere, it's easier than my teapot.
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    evil c wrote: »
    My loose tea of choice is currently Tetley Orange Pekoe which is delicious. I bought 4 225g caddies from a cheap food shop for 59p each, a real bargain. Trouble is it's imported from Canada, so when it's finished, I'll have to take pot luck! I make it in a cafetiere, it's easier than my teapot.

    I love Orange Pekoe.

    I use an infuser as the tea pot is difficult to clean.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    OP, There's quite a few recommendations in the replies, enough to confuse. I'm no tea expert but here's a few guidelines. In yer normal tea bags it's a blend of black teas and these will be lower grades in the cheap bags and higher grades the more you pay, It's not leaf tea they use in the bags, but 'dust'. In loose teas you get one type of leaf only. The black teas have a stronger flavour as opposed to the green, and less often, the white teas. I like Orange Pekoe but you could also try Assam or Ceylon. Darjeeling is a bit wishy washy and Earl Grey is flavoured with bergamot to give it that distinctive flavour.

    The best quality black tea is sold as 'first flush' and next down the line is 'second flush', but you pay a high premium for these 2 grades. There's also organic tea. It's all a matter of choice but I find that the organic teas have a cleaner finish on the palate, again this will cost you more.

    I checked out the prices of loose tea online and there's no denying the cost in some cases is prohibitive. You'll have to look around and then decide yourself how much you want to pay, if you want a loose leaf tea. If there are any tea experts who read this, then I might have made a few mistakes and if so I apologise. I haven't done enough research to be 100% sure about what I've posted.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    The forum went down before I had a chance to edit my post and this has given me a chance to update. So I'll try again. What I wrote about tea bags was OK but you can get loose leaf bags as well although they are expensive. Re loose tea, you can get blended teas as well and these sell without grades as well as Gold, Red & Fairtrade. The Gold and Red are self explanatory and Fairtrade is supposed to be ethical although it is really a marketing gimmick to promote sales. The loose leaf types are split into colours and processes:eg Black, Green, Yellow, White, Oolong and China. Then there are the flavoured teas as well. This link shows pictures of the types of loose tea: http://www.tea-and-coffee.com/buy-tea/c38

    I'm going to concentrate on the mainstream Black teas as they are the most common here in the UK and have the strongest flavour. There are the Indian teas Assam & Darjeeling, the Sri Lankan teas Ceylon & Orange Pekoe and the Breakfast teas which are a black tea blend.

    As I wrote in my previous post the Darjeeling is a light tea whereas the others have a full flavour. Assam has a malty taste and the others are just different. The 'flushes' refer to the growing seasons.

    Prices are more expensive for the single variety teas than the blends. When DS was down I checked loads of prices and the cheapest but still good quality are Taylors of Harrogate where you can buy 125g boxes (about 50 cups) of Assam, Ceylon and English Breakfast for £2.10 plus £3 del: http://www.taylorsofharrogate.co.uk/subcattea.asp?catid=117
    and Daintee Classic Ceylon 150g for £2.99 plus £1.70 del from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B007O6GNQI/ref=dp_olp_0?ie=UTF8&condition=all&redirect=true

    Where I live I am lucky because we have a couple of discount shops that sometimes sell high quality tea (and other premium groceries) at bargain prices. Home Bargains is one.
  • diablodiablo Posts: 8,300
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    I looked at those sites & the choice is a bit bewildering.

    What one should I get if I like a tea like Yorkshire loose tea?

    Is that a breakfast tea? I just want an old fashioned English cuppa :)

    Well, although the likes of Orange Pekoe and specialty teas are nice to have now and then, they aren't usually the teas specified by builders.

    Have you tried any of the supermarket 'red label' teas yet? Co-op 99 tea is another black tea blend which is full-flavoured (or it was the last time I tried it).

    When I were young (long time ago now) a chum who was a trainee motor mechanic said that the way he made tea in the workshop was liked better than anyone else's efforts. All he did was to put a heaped teaspoon of loose tea into each mug, add boiling water and leave it for a minute - then add milk. I was very sceptical at first but when I tried it was quite pleased with the result!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 210
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    I stupidly thought I'd try PG Tips' loose-leaf tea, and, sadly, they're not as strong (still with three teaspoons' worth) as the Yorkshire Tea (red packet) I've had for many years, so, yes, back to the YT, it is!

    I've had loose tea for as long as I can remember, and ground cofffee.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    I've sent a message to Tetley UK via their website asking them if they would consider selling their Canadian Orange Pekoe loose leaf tea here in the UK, with a link to this thread. It'll be interesting to see their reply.
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    evil c wrote: »
    I've sent a message to Tetley UK via their website asking them if they would consider selling their Canadian Orange Pekoe loose leaf tea here in the UK, with a link to this thread. It'll be interesting to see their reply.

    Have you got an answer yet?
  • Welsh-ladWelsh-lad Posts: 51,908
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    I love Orange Pekoe.

    I use an infuser as the tea pot is difficult to clean.

    I never clean my teapot - just rinse and the leaves come out.
    My Gran's old teapot was totally brown inside. Lots of residual flavour!
  • PorcupinePorcupine Posts: 25,231
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    I used to use loose tea at weekends, but i got out of the habit. I loved the whole discipline of it. The warming of the teapot, chosing the perfect loose tea, getting tea strainer out.

    I then bought a Bodem (I think) tea maker that used loose tea and that was quite good.

    I stopped doing it though which is a shame as i have about 4 teapots. Maybe i should dig them out ?
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
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    Have you got an answer yet?
    No! I have just completed another form on their 'Contact Us' page with the ref no. they gave me on their automated reply 11th May. Just have to see what happens....if anything!
    Edit: Just received another automated reply with another ref no. I'll give them a week and then 'phone if I don't get a reply. I'm surprised by their lack of response.
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