Green Tea

[BPritchard]

I still like my morning cup of joe. But prefer green tea the rest of the day.

I've been using Bigelow Organic tea bags (from Amazon, 4 bags per pouch,10 pouches per box).

I've decided that bulk tea would be cheaper and can use my coffee press.

My first purchase of bulk was from a Teavanna store in the mall. I got enough so I could look at the best places to order online.

Would like some suggestions from any tea drinkers.

I sweeten with Sweetleaf stevia.

[Lani]

BPritchard -- I'm not a regular green tea drinker (I go through phases) but having just gotten back from Japan, I'm definitely still in a green tea mood.

In Japan, nobody adds sweetener to their green tea. Are you open to going with it plain?

I definitely agree, going with bulk tea is much cheaper. You don't even need a coffee press, really; for teas, letting the leaves steep naturally without pressing on them seems to work fine for me (and I think most bulk tea drinkers just use a steeper/strainer of some sort).

As we head into the summer months, you might want to consider drinking ICED green tea. Quite refreshing!

Also, in Japan, there are a lot of different kinds of "green" tea -- I personally LOVE "hōjicha" -- roasted green tea. Much lower caffeine, and it has a fantastic roasted flavor. I also love "genmaicha" -- green tea with bits of roasted brown rice. Again, it has a bit of a roasted flavor, but with a um... "nuttiness" from the rice.

As for where to get your green tea... do you have access to any Asian grocery stores in your area? The fancier green teas in American stores seem overpriced to me. You will save money by going with bulk tea, but if you can get to an Asian grocery store (particularly one that sells Japanese stuff), you will likely run into several different types you can try.

[Badger]

I'm with Lani: buy your tea from an Asian store or order from Mitsuwa. That way you get fresher product. I prefer loose-leaf hojicha in the morning (because it's roasted it's more like coffee, if that makes sense) and sencha in the afternoon, unsweetened only. You can just put the leaves in the bottom of the pot and pour through a strainer.

[Darcy]

I'd never claim to be an expert on tea, but I do like ordering from Mountain Rose Herbs. I find the bulk spices, teas and herbs that they offer to be very fresh, high quality, and priced reasonably.

[pw1224]

I'm very much of a tea snob. I love Assams, Darjeelings, and various breakfast blends. I also like Oolongs. My green tea of choice is available at Mitsuwa and Marukai Markets in the U.S. The company is Takaokaya and the product is Shizuoka Sen-Cha. I tend to get the 60-teabag package. They also make a very nice Genmai-Cha. It's very smooth without being bitter. The optimum brewing time is 3 minutes.

[s_clarsach]

My favorite tea purveyor is Upton Tea Imports.
Upton Tea Imports: Purveyor of the World's Finest Teas

You can search by country for the type of tea you like. They have green tea from: Ceylon, China, Formosa, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and Nepal. The company is based in Massachusetts.