Does anybody know about tea?

[NicolausN]

I'm looking for tea. I mean good British tea and preferably available online. Furthermore, I'm rather uneducated on how to properly brew the stuff. I've only ever used tea bags. I've done some preliminary searching via Google, but haven't come up with too much. Does anyone have any advice?

[arch]

Nicolaus,

Try this link for starters:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3016342.stm.

There are many reasonable brands, Twinnings, Jacksons, Bettys & Taylors etc for loose tea. You could also try Fortnum's and some of the other grander department stores in London. I hope that gets you started and remember one for the pot!

[pvpatty]

Make sure you get a decent pot. I hate drinking tea that comes out of steel pots in cafes; I think that it gives it a funny taste. Something ceramic is best.

Also make sure that you get a decent number of cups per pot.

[andreyb]

NicolausN,

These are whom I use: http://www.hrhiggins.co.uk/.

Better known for coffee, but have a nice selection of tea, too.

I order online from Moscow; I believe ordering from the US should be no problem.

Andrey

[wanderer]

You might like to look at Whittard of Chelsea.
http://www.whittard.co.uk

They have tasting notes and brewing information on the site.
I like Assam best.

With loose tea you will probably want an infuser
A simple tea ball will work.

However, a step up is a glass infuser with a plunger like this one.
http://tinyurl.com/58pg3n

[culverwood]

Fortnum and Mason have a very good selection. My favourite is their Smokey Earl Grey
http://www.fortnumandmason.com/Black-Aromatic,352.aspx but you may prefer something more conventional.

My two basic necessities would be a large china teapot and a tea strainer. Tea always tastes better if allowed to move around in the pot so the infuser types do not do it for me.

The normal recipe is one teaspoon per person and one for the pot. You will need to experiment and alter to your taste.

[Guille]

Any British tea will be good, as Britain holds the tradition of tea, however amongst all Twinings is its legend.

I agree with pvpatty, ceramic is by far the best to use for pots and cups.

Also don't forget to try different kind of teas, there are many, and they vary in composition (some have slight touches of flavours) and in origin (indian, chinese, south-east asia, arabian, morrocan).

[Frog in Suit]

We (my Dear Wife and I) buy our tea from Mariage Frères in Paris and Grace Tea in New York (they both have web sites and offer a range of loose teas). We tend to prefer Assam.

1) First heat up the (China) pot (I pour boiling water and let it sit in the pot)
2) one teaspoon for each cup and one for the pot (or more, I like my tea STRONG, especially in the morning)
3) pour BOILING water to fill the pot (Mariage indicate the precise temperature for each type of tea)
4) Let steep for 5 to 7 minutes (that can vary also according to the tea)
5) stir the tea, then pour
6) add a little milk in each cup as desired. BEWARE: the order of pouring (milk first or tea first )seems to be a class indicator in the United Kingdom (cf. John Betjeman et al.).

Sip, preferably noiselessly.

Frog in Suit

[drifting]

In my experience, Upton Tea Imports is an excellent online source for all manner of loose tea. I've been purchasing tea from them exclusively for four or five years now.

http://www.uptontea.com

They have excellent selection and quality, and are reasonably priced, both in product and shipping. Reading through their website should allow you to answer any questions you have about tea preparation, equipment, and etiquette. They also allow you to purchase sample sizes, which is an excellent way to try a wide variety of teas and find what you enjoy - like wine and whisky, terroir plays a large role in tea.

drifting

ps. a slight non-conformist, I find using a French press/bodum is an excellent way to prepare loose tea - a fresh pot generally doesn't last long enough around here to require a traditional teapot and cosy - we save that for entertaining.

[Manself]

I cannot recommend Postcard Teas, in London's Mayfair, highly enough. The best way to explain how good their teas are is to consider them to be bespoke (which they sort of are, as Tim d'Offay who runs the shop blends them himself) while teas by companies like Twinnings are more like high-end ready to wear. Tim d'Offay will also be able to offer lots of good advice on how to brew successfully, and he sells beautiful tea cups and pots. He also does mail order.
www.postcardteas.com

[storeynicholas]

Frog in a suit has put the top on the pot, as usual; especially with reference to the question of how to make a decent pot. My father always asks: 'Has it been wound up?' - ie stirred, after brewing. Forget tea bags: not only does the bag not allow for proper infusion but, if you open a bag up you will find that the tea is just dust (presumably either inferior tea or ground up to counteract the effect of the bag on the infusion). Hundreds of them out there: Twining's, Fortnum's Jackson's of Piccadilly (the former premises are now the Richoux tea shop there) - Jackson's helped Rosa Lewis save the old Cavenish Hotel from debt, after Mr Lewis nearly ran it into the ground - buying the quail that she bought at market, her famous quail pies and her preserves. There are many others mentioned in the threads above. I like Earl Grey in the morning (a sometime mother-in-law used to mix it, rather successfully, with Lapsang Souchong). It certainly rectifies the head. English breakfast teas I find have to be drunk pronto or they become too strong. Darjeeling, Lapsang or Orange Pekoe green tip are great in the afternoon, maybe (on a cold winter's day),with a little tot of single malt on the side. Some people claim that Lapsang Souchong has aphrodisiac properties. Then there are green teas, to which you would never bring milk: sometimes called gunpowder green or twanky. Oolong is the best stuff to accompany Chinese meals. If one could become a drunkard on the cup that cheers but does not inebriate, I would be in the gutter, mumbling that we are all looking at the stars. The phenomenon which the eximious Frog describes, concerning placement of the milk, results in the description 'MIF' ie Milk in First - 'They are MIF', meaning something like 'We don't want their boy in the family' ......now, Norman, where are those fish knives?..........
NJS

[Frog in Suit]

...probably put away with the doilies...

Frog in Suit

[pvpatty]

BEWARE: the order of pouring (milk first or tea first )seems to be a class indicator in the United Kingdom (cf. John Betjeman et al.).

So what does this say about someone like me who puts the milk in after the tea?

[NicolausN]

Wow! Thank you everyone for your replies. It'll take some time sorting through them all.

[shindeco]

BEWARE: the order of pouring (milk first or tea first )seems to be a class indicator in the United Kingdom (cf. John Betjeman et al.).

So what does this say about someone like me who puts the milk in after the tea?

That you're PLU (people like us)

(Actually, I put nothing in my tea.What they say about THAT I've never known!)

Oh, and, in my opinion, Pu Erh is just as good as(if not better than) oolong with Chinese food.