Whole leaf loose tea lovers: quality English blends, sencha, oolong, puerh etc.

terra_ferma

earl grey without bergamot, that takes some imagination lol
lovely website though :T

I've started a caddy of lovely jasmine tea, cheap from a chinese supermarket, interestingly enough the first brew was too strong, too scented. The second was really lovely, right strength for me. Look forward to trying the third one tomorrow, to see how far it stretches.
This tea is going to last a long time :):)

Swan_2

Long shot terra, but if you're ever anywhere near Dundee, visit Braithwaites in Castle St, they've been specialised tea & coffee merchants since the 1860's, their Oolong is outstanding.

The shop's still run by the same family & still has all the original shop-fittings, well worth a visit for a tea lover

terra_ferma

Swan wrote: »

Long shot terra, but if you're ever anywhere near Dundee, visit Braithwaites in Castle St, they've been specialised tea & coffee merchants since the 1860's, their Oolong is outstanding.

The shop's still run by the same family & still has all the original shop-fittings, well worth a visit for a tea lover

was looking for their website and found this, if you can't go to the tea, let the tea come to you
http://www.braithwaitescreamtea.co.uk/#/find-us/4563944222

Swan_2

terra_ferma wrote: »

was looking for their website and found this, if you can't go to the tea, let the tea come to you
http://www.braithwaitescreamtea.co.uk/#/find-us/4563944222

That's really weird, it seems to be an entirely different company, the one here has been local since the mid 19th century, here's a pic of the inside of the shop.

What are the chances of two tea specialists with such an unusual name, wonder if they're related? :think:

terra_ferma

Swan wrote: »

That's really weird, it seems to be an entirely different company, the one here has been local since the mid 19th century, here's a pic of the inside of the shop.

What are the chances of two tea specialists with such an unusual name, wonder if they're related? :think:

Yes really weird. Lovely shop indeed!:)

Swan_2

terra_ferma wrote: »

Yes really weird. Lovely shop indeed!:)

The smell in the shop is wonderful, you want to stay & chat just to breathe in all the lovely scents, in fact when you're just walking past on your way somewhere else the aroma draws you in.

If you go for a cream tea, you must ask if they have relations who run a shop in Dundee

terra_ferma

Swan wrote: »

The smell in the shop is wonderful, you want to stay & chat just to breathe in all the lovely scents, in fact when you're just walking past on your way somewhere else the aroma draws you in.

If you go for a cream tea, you must ask if they have relations who run a shop in Dundee

I think both of these are out of reach, but you never know.
I love cream tea too, it's interesting how each country has it's own little tea ritual...

RuthnJasper

I know they sound terribly expensive - but they aren't TOO bad, given the quality... Fortnum and Mason are wonderful - and you can order online: http://www.fortnumandmason.com/c-67-fortnums-exclusive-blends-fortnum-and-mason.aspx

wendym

I've remembered another source:

http://www.northern-tea.com/

And Imperial Teas (link posted earlier, #10) do trial sizes of their most unusual/expensive teas.

terra_ferma

After a lot of research I'm going with the Chinese shop I mentioned above, it offers great value for money and comes highly recommended by tea 'experts' on tea forums, a fairly safety bet.
(to get the same premium quality from a European store one would have to pay a much higher price, just for the fancy packaging and posh website...).

here's more of their recommended less expensive teas:
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea-shop-red-tea-taster.cfm (great for a present)
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea-shop-jasmine-pearl.cfm
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea-shop-red-tea-yxhc.cfm
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea-shop-aljtgya.cfm
http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea-shop-oolong-dhp.cfm