# Good Tea Sources?



## GlassEye (Nov 3, 2013)

Does anyone have any good sources for high-quality tea?


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## marcr (Nov 3, 2013)

http://www.redblossomtea.com
https://www.imperialtea.com
http://www.sevencups.com
http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/default.asp


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 3, 2013)

I really like New Mexico Tea Company.


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## Salty dog (Nov 3, 2013)

Hottest thing in tea in these parts
http://www.rishi-tea.com/?gclid=CLTsjOu2yLoCFa1aMgodvB4AYg


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## Bef (Nov 3, 2013)

Much better than anything else: http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/ Located in Canada, though.


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## tripleq (Nov 3, 2013)

Bef said:


> Much better than anything else: http://camellia-sinensis.com/en/ Located in Canada, though.



Oh yeah. I've ordered from them before. Good products and service. They are in Canada but offer free shipping to the US as well.


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## Mr.Svinarich (Nov 3, 2013)

The republic of tea, its were I get 90% of all my tea.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Nov 3, 2013)

Off to spend money, I've been wondering this myself.


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## GlassEye (Nov 3, 2013)

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone.


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## chinacats (Nov 4, 2013)

This place is local to me but the selection and quality are exceptional.

http://www.southernseason.com/shop/coffee-tea/tea


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## panda (Nov 5, 2013)

this is the best tea i've ever tried (even better when iced and sweetened with truvia). but i can't justify paying those prices for tea.
http://www.teavana.com/the-teas/best-tea-blends/p/blueberry-kona-pop-tea-blend


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 5, 2013)

Interesting to see beets in that tea panda.


Sent from my iPhone using Kitchen Knife Forum


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## panda (Nov 5, 2013)

it tastes phenomenal, bought $25 worth and yielded only 2 gallons which is outrageous, lol. their 'rock sugar' is stupid however, don't even bother with that.


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## AFKitchenknivesguy (Nov 5, 2013)

Some of the prices, especially in the first few posts, where a bit crazy. Yeah I know you can get more than one brew out of tea, but I'm not paying $60-$100 for a lb of tea.


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## mpukas (Nov 5, 2013)

Prince of Peace
They sell/distribute other products from Asia. Their tea in "gift boxes" is excellent. I stock up when I get to a Pacific Ocean Marketplace on the front range. Especially the Pearl Jasmine - really, super duper nice. Spendy though - don't just look at the price, also look at the amount per box because it varies with each tea. 

http://www.popus.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4_26&language=en 



Tao of Tea
Visited Portland OR a few years ago and went to the Chinese Gardens, and had tea in the Lansu Tea House. They sell Tao of Tea, a local Portland company. Very nice teas. Especially look out for the Silver Needles white tea - that stuff gives me a wicked buzz for some reason. 

http://www.taooftea.com/


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## mpukas (Nov 5, 2013)

AFKitchenknivesguy said:


> Some of the prices, especially in the first few posts, where a bit crazy. Yeah I know you can get more than one brew out of tea, but I'm not paying $60-$100 for a lb of tea.



Good teas are far more expensive than coffee, and IMO tea is under-rated and under-estimated in our culture which has become dominated by good coffee. I love coffee too! 

You really only need to buy 4-6 oz of good tea at a time, and you can get 3-5 good cups from teaspoonful. I steep my tea in a 20 mug (about a tablespoon) and usually get 3 mugfuls out of it. Depending on how long I steep each round, the last cup can be quite mild.


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## mpukas (Nov 5, 2013)

Anyone have a recommendation for a good tea kettle? I go through several kettles from Oxo, Le Creuset, other randoms, and now on an All-Clad. They are all ok, but all kinda lame in their own ways. 

I've been thinking of getting a traditional Japanese iron kettle like this, but don't know anything about them. Plus, the GF wants a whistle...


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## ptolemy (Nov 5, 2013)

mpukas said:


> Anyone have a recommendation for a good tea kettle? I go through several kettles from Oxo, Le Creuset, other randoms, and now on an All-Clad. They are all ok, but all kinda lame in their own ways.
> 
> I've been thinking of getting a traditional Japanese iron kettle like this, but don't know anything about them. Plus, the GF wants a whistle...



I have been using zojirushi hot pot. It always keep water at 195 and I can brew as I need to. In my experience, most electrics die within 2-3 years. My stepfather went through at least 4-5 different brands in the last 10 years.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 5, 2013)

Ive been spending $30-$40lb for teas which I like. I use a 2" mesh ball on a chain to steep my teas in a tall quart mason jar. I will resteep 2-3 times depending on my mood. 2lbs per year on a slow year sounds about right for me... Using an OXO kettle right now but definetly want something cooler...a Russian Samovar or a cool JKettle would be nice eventually.


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## Jordanp (Nov 5, 2013)

I dunno I've got quite a few from http://www.davidstea.com which are pretty good but I think I'm going to try a few from the ones listed and see how they compare.


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## ptolemy (Nov 5, 2013)

I am so picky about tea. I basically dislike most flavors... I simple prefer ceylon black, little sugar, little lemon.


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## GlassEye (Nov 6, 2013)

mpukas said:


> Good teas are far more expensive than coffee, and IMO tea is under-rated and under-estimated in our culture which has become dominated by good coffee. I love coffee too!
> 
> You really only need to buy 4-6 oz of good tea at a time, and you can get 3-5 good cups from teaspoonful. I steep my tea in a 20 mug (about a tablespoon) and usually get 3 mugfuls out of it. Depending on how long I steep each round, the last cup can be quite mild.


Agreed on good tea being underrated. I am currently drinking a tea that will give around 12 infusions, it is the highest quality tea I have seen, not a single imperfect leaf or stem piece in the 8oz. or so I have been through already, all perfect, uniform small green leaves coated in a white fuzz. So, a good tea will last a bit longer than a low quality tea that will only give one or two infusions.

I have been steeping in a Pyrex 2-cup measuring cup, no strainer or anything like that, I have found that the leaves need to freely float for the best infusion. I just carefully pour the liquor off while tea leaves settle in the bottom of the cup.


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## wenus2 (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm prolly s'posed to keep this on the DL, just for those in "the know," but ya'll, share so much with me...
http://www.smithtea.com/shop/
Portlandia newest darling. A personal pet project brought to you by the guy who founded Stash (sold it) and then went on to make Tazo a household name (and then sold it to $bucks).
Allegedly, he's aleady made his fortune and now has begun this self-named, self-ran, company out of passion.

I generally drink Teavana Jasmine Oolong and occasionally Davidsons Myer Lemon (not a flavor guy, but this is an excellent beverage). Smiths has come highly recommended by a couple of my most trusted friends (one a professional distiller, so you know he has a palate). I have yet to receive my first care package, so I have not experienced it yet.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 6, 2013)

Glasseye: so which tea is this that you are enjoying so much?

Wenus2: youre nice.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 6, 2013)

$50


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## GlassEye (Nov 6, 2013)

wenus2 said:


> I'm prolly s'posed to keep this on the DL, just for those in "the know," but ya'll, share so much with me...
> http://www.smithtea.com/shop/
> Portlandia newest darling. A personal pet project brought to you by the guy who founded Stash (sold it) and then went on to make Tazo a household name (and then sold it to $bucks).
> Allegedly, he's aleady made his fortune and now has begun this self-named, self-ran, company out of passion.
> ...



I have tried some of the Smith Tea, it wasn't good enough that I wanted to buy any more.


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## GlassEye (Nov 6, 2013)

quantumcloud509 said:


> Glasseye: so which tea is this that you are enjoying so much?
> 
> Wenus2: youre nice.



All I really know is that it is a JingXuan that was given to me by someone who got it from an ambassador that brought it as a gift. It is the tea that opened my eyes to the potential of good tea.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 6, 2013)

http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/rare-and-aged/formosa-assam.html

This looks promising


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## GlassEye (Nov 6, 2013)

quantumcloud509 said:


> http://www.redblossomtea.com/tea/rare-and-aged/formosa-assam.html
> 
> This looks promising



Yeah, there is a lot of nice looking teas on that site.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 6, 2013)

GlassEye said:


> I have been steeping in a Pyrex 2-cup measuring cup.



And my wife was trying to tell me Im the only person in the world who does this!


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## GlassEye (Nov 6, 2013)

:thumbsup:


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## mpukas (Nov 8, 2013)

I got some mini fine mesh strainers from the Asian market the fit nicely into most cups & mugs. 2 minutes for first steep, 3-4 minutes for 2nd, and depending on the tea, up to 10 minutes for the last. After that it's pretty much done. 

I've also used a french press - that works well because it gives the tea leaves plenty of room to float around, and when pressed it keeps the leaves from brewing further. I got a press that has a handle that you can spin and close off the mesh strainer at the bottom that insures no further brewing of coffee/tea. Bu ***'s too much bother compared to a simple mini strainer in a cup. 

Plus the mini strainers are great to dusting deserts w/ cocoa, powder sugar, etc.


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## Lucretia (Nov 9, 2013)

quantumcloud509 said:


> And my wife was trying to tell me Im the only person in the world who does this!
> 
> View attachment 20055



That looks familiar. See it at my house every morning!


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## orangehero (Nov 12, 2013)

Upton Tea Company (uptontea.com) if you're in the northeast. Great prices, quality, and shipping time. Also you can get sample sizes of any selection. I haven't bothered with any other sources.


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## quantumcloud509 (Nov 18, 2013)

Ok lets keep this thread going some...whats a good top of the line Japanese green tea?


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## seattle_lee (Nov 18, 2013)

mpukas said:


> http://www.taooftea.com/[/URL]



Seconded. Especially like their pseudo-Puerh brick teas. 

My favorite source, though, is http://www.teasource.com/. Top notch tea at great prices.


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## seattle_lee (Nov 18, 2013)

mpukas said:


> Good teas are far more expensive than coffee, and IMO tea is under-rated and under-estimated in our culture which has become dominated by good coffee. I love coffee too!
> 
> You really only need to buy 4-6 oz of good tea at a time, and you can get 3-5 good cups from teaspoonful. I steep my tea in a 20 mug (about a tablespoon) and usually get 3 mugfuls out of it. Depending on how long I steep each round, the last cup can be quite mild.



Yeah, tea is more expensive on a per pound basis, but on a per cup basis, I think it's the other way around. But it does depend on the tea -- I mostly like white/green/oolong, all of which are good for multiple infusions.


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## seattle_lee (Nov 18, 2013)

quantumcloud509 said:


> Ok lets keep this thread going some...whats a good top of the line Japanese green tea?



It may not be top of the line, but I really like this tea . Need to order some more, in fact. 

Top of the line would be gyokuro, but I haven't found a source that *reliably* produces one that I like; would welcome suggestions.


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## orangehero (Nov 18, 2013)

After water, tea is the most consumed beverage around the world.

The fad in USA is green teas, but my favorite tea by far is Darjeeling, an Indian black tea. It's called the champagne of teas. Give a try if you haven't yet.


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## Jim (Nov 18, 2013)

Two sources I like are http://www.jingteashop.com/ and http://yunnansourcing.com/.


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## mpukas (Nov 24, 2013)

orangehero said:


> After water, tea is the most consumed beverage around the world.
> 
> The fad in USA is green teas, but my favorite tea by far is Darjeeling, an Indian black tea. It's called the champagne of teas. Give a try if you haven't yet.



I mainly drink green, jasmine and white teas, because that's what Iv'e been able to find in my local Asian markets of good/high quality - but I would really like to find some good Darjeeling and other Indian black teas. 

Interesting tidbit - A client/friend of mine (whose British) has a local coffee roasting and tea company, and he's traveled around the world a bit sourcing tea and coffee, once told me of a study that found the main difference in the health benefits between green and black tea (green being much more healthy that black, apparently) isn't the roasting process that makes black tea black, but adding milk changes something about the chemical nature of the tea itself. Green tea is typically consumed with nothing added, while black tea is often consumed with milk.


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## RoscoesChicken (Nov 24, 2013)

Salty dog said:


> Hottest thing in tea in these parts
> http://www.rishi-tea.com/?gclid=CLTsjOu2yLoCFa1aMgodvB4AYg



+1 for Rishi tea. I've had good experience with their range of greens, darjeeling, and their white needle.


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## RGNY (Nov 24, 2013)

these folks have been good to me.

their 'Baroness Grey' is exceptional...

http://www.pittsburghcuppa.com/bagr1.html


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## marcr (Dec 16, 2013)

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/05/teavana-starbucks-brew-cuppa-tea


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 17, 2013)

Im currently using a stove top OXO tea kettle and I want to gift my wife and I a new kettle for Christmas. Super torn between going traditional clay or cast iron vs http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KYSLNQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 .

Any of you more hard core tea heads prefer one over the other?


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## GlassEye (Dec 17, 2013)

I really like electric kettles, for speed and control; I need a new one with accurate temp control for coffee. I have yet to try a clay or iron pot yet, though I really would like to.


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 17, 2013)

Ima go ahead and buy the electric and then get a clay in the near future so Ill boil in the electric and steep nice expensive leaves in the clay pot.


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## orangehero (Dec 17, 2013)

I've been looking at this one for myself:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## GlassEye (Dec 17, 2013)

orangehero said:


> I've been looking at this one for myself:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



That looks like just what I have been wanting; may have to get one for myself for Christmas.


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## Justin0505 (Dec 17, 2013)

orangehero said:


> I've been looking at this one for myself:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YR0F40/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20



I looked for a long time and suffered a lot of duds before ending up with one of those. Im pretty confident in saying its the best of whats currently available. Temp setting is very accurate and can be customized down to the degree.


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## Bef (Dec 17, 2013)

Justin0505 said:


> I looked for a long time and suffered a lot of duds before ending up with one of those. Im pretty confident in saying its the best of whats currently available. Temp setting is very accurate and can be customized down to the degree.



I have received one of these as a Christmas gift last year. Used it every day at the office, and ended up buying another one for home.

It is a really nice product. The fit and finish, however, is not really impressive.

Bef


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## quantumcloud509 (Dec 17, 2013)

I had it in the cart at one point last night. For whatever reason went for the one I mentioned earlier. The buttons reminded me too much of a microwave or something...I like the Turkish style spout but the base didnt look too cool.


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## tongas (Feb 1, 2019)

Very old thread buried for too long...time to see if some of you enjoy tea

If you do, 20% off due to new pig year, until 11th of February

https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/

Their teas are worth a try.


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## GorillaGrunt (Feb 2, 2019)

Yunnan Sourcing and Dragon Tea House


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## osakajoe (Feb 2, 2019)

The tea crane

https://www.the-tea-crane.com


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## tongas (Feb 2, 2019)

https://www.yunnancraft.com/en/


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## chinacats (Feb 2, 2019)

Glad to see this thread revived. I've been enjoying quite a few varietals from Harney and Sons...believe it's Harney.com

They offer most of their looseleafs in tins and more importantly they offer samples of most things on their menu...and free shipping!

https://www.harney.com/pages/oolong-teas

https://www.harney.com/pages/black-teas

They also offer a decent selection of white and green teas.

I've also bought from these people and enjoyed my purchases...

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/teas/organic-black


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## tongas (Feb 2, 2019)

Japan

http://www.thes-du-japon.com/index.php?main_page=index&language=en 
(tea & teaware) one of my fav.

http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/english/top.html
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/
http://www.ippodo-tea.co.jp/en/
https://www.zencha.net/

http://gokuchaninshop.cart.fc2.com/
in japanese

Taiwan
https://www.taiwanteacrafts.com/ mostly Wulong, top notch

Yunnan Sourcing and Dragon Tea House as GorillaGrunt wrote large range of teas/teaware

China
https://www.yunnancraft.com/en/ small shop based in Kunming, Yunnan


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## chinacats (Feb 2, 2019)

tongas said:


> Very old thread buried for too long...time to see if some of you enjoy tea
> 
> If you do, 20% off due to new pig year, until 11th of February
> 
> ...


This place looks awesome, thanks!


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## hawkoath (Feb 3, 2019)

i would recomend going to a good teahouse where you try out a lot of teas first and figuring out what you like


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## McMan (Feb 3, 2019)

GorillaGrunt said:


> Yunnan Sourcing


Absolutely!


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## ACHiPo (Feb 3, 2019)

Just checked out Yunnan Sourcing. A bit overwhelming! I had mixed emotions to find the "snowflake duck [email protected] aroma" oolong was sold out.
https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/dan-cong-oolong-tea


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## McMan (Feb 3, 2019)

ACHiPo said:


> Just checked out Yunnan Sourcing. A bit overwhelming! I had mixed emotions to find the "snowflake duck [email protected] aroma" oolong was sold out.
> https://yunnansourcing.com/collections/dan-cong-oolong-tea


Yeah, they know their (Duck) Sh1t there! 
I'll usually go 50/50--and get some teas I know and some way out there stuff. I haven't been disappointed yet.


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## GorillaGrunt (Feb 4, 2019)

McMan said:


> Yeah, they know their (Duck) Sh1t there!
> I'll usually go 50/50--and get some teas I know and some way out there stuff. I haven't been disappointed yet.



Lol, I think I got some of the last of that! I tend to get the stuff with cool names, Golden Monkey and Iron Buddha and such, haven’t gone wrong yet.


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## NBrewster (Feb 4, 2019)

For New Yorkers I encourage folks to check out 29B Teahouse in the village. Relatively new spot, had a guy come in to my office and perform a bastardized tea ceremony. Extremely high quality macha, and it's open late if you want a late night caffeine buzz.


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## boomchakabowwow (Feb 5, 2019)

My mom gave me a container of loose leaf tea. It’s “Bo Nay”

My mom said it’s from a tea grove that generates an exclusive and expensive product. Someone clipped trimming and grew new plants. This tea is from the offspring plant. 

The tea is profound. Rich, deep, floral and super perfume to the nose.


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## Ochazuke (Feb 6, 2019)

I have to throw https://www.o-cha.com/ out there. The ship tea from a store called Tsuen, which is one of Japan’s oldest tea shops. For reference, this tea shop has been around more than twice as long as the US has even existed. They must be doing something right!


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## Anteater (Feb 6, 2019)

Yunnan sourcing for anything Chinese. I honestly don't know why it doesn't get more attention, but o-cha.com is basically the only place I'll get Japanese green tea from.

Specific recommendations include...

Miyabi - for a very deep, brothy tea. Almost like liquid seaweed.

Ujibashi San no Ma - for a very light, grassy tea. It reminds me of a Bright Virginia tobacco if any of y'all are pipe smokers.

Kettle-wise I can only recommend the OXO Gooseneck Electric Kettle. Adjustable by individual degrees from 115-212 F, and the gooseneck allows for some quick but really accurate pouring if you're the type of person who likes to weigh everything out to the 0.x gram.


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