Since I'm new here, I thought I'd drop a note here.
Cigar Smoker - 2 weeks
Fine tea drinker - 15 years

Always happy to answer any questions you might have on types, vendors, anything really. :-)
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Welcome to the Asylum, I am a bit of a tea nut as well, although I doubt anywhere near the experience you have! I find that good black teas compliment almost any cigar I am smoking!
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I have an inquiry, O Great Tea Guy.

Where can I find a good chai? I find most bagged offerings at the grocery store to be lacking; they don't taste like anything but hot water and pepper. Celestial Seasonings makes a good chai to me, but I'm sure you know of better.

Also, I'd like to know what the real difference is between English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish breakfast teas.

And one more; I've seen Darjeeling referred to as the "champagne of teas" - I like it, but does anything make it special?
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Not really a drinker of Chais, but I'd suggest a good American online retailer. Special Teas or Adagio are my two go-to spots for great prices and customer service.

English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Fresian, Russian etc, are all very similar. There's nothing really proprietary about using the names per se. They are all blends of Assam, Ceylon, Chinese, Tanzanian, etc broken blacks in varying proportions. I would suggest that if you go the route of online ordering, try a bit of each of the constituent teas. Amazing when you taste the different components on their own. Give special Teas a shot as they offer small sampler packs of any of their teas whereby you can go nuts.

Darjeeling being the "Champagne of teas." What you have to understand is that the Indians were the first to embrace western marketing techniques and really attempt to broaden the market. Champagne is evidence of this. Darjeeling is actually 3 different teas based on flushes (teaspeak for harvests). In the Indian climate, tea can be harvested three times a year, so you have first, second and autumnal flushes. First flush is where all the hype and bucks are. Expect a tannic, but flowery/fruity cup. No milk or sugar for this one. Second is very fruity, a bit like ceylon on steroids. Fall is most like what the tea you're probably used to.

WARNING! Tea is a slippery slope. The top of the slope is not as steep as the cigar slope so a lot fewer get sucked in, however, I've been known to drop over $30 for 50 grams (a tad less than two ounces) of good Da Hong Pao (a chinese oolong) so it can get ugly.

Ignore all of my above ramblings after the chai tip if you wish to avoid the steep part. :-)

Also, if you get to the real steep part, at least you save money on milk and sugar. :-)
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Zana et al ... I too am a fan of Adagio Tea for several years now.

I really enjoy their White Darjeeling :-) with a cigar but it’s been on back order since November and won’t be available until, maybe, March 2010.

[http://www.adagio.com/white/white_da...1c554a621886f3 ]

What Adagio tea are you drinking with the cigars?

Since I haven't found a good substitute for the Darjeeling, I'm using cold water.
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Here's one I've been enjoying...but then I'm also partial to Twinnings Earl Grey...

Adiago's Green Citron
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Love me some hot tea!!! :-)
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Don't really buy from domestic suppliers anymore apart from perhaps Hou De Asian Art & Fine Teas. I'm more into the "hard stuff" from China. I find young sheng pu-erh or a good Wuyi oolong goes great with smokes.
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Welcome to CA
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I had some Adagio Green Citron in the pantry and never thought of pairing it up with a smoke (RyJ). Did it today...I enjoyed it. :-)

Thanks!
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Never had pu-erh tea. What vendor do you recommend? I would like to sample a few. Thanks.


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I'm in the similar boat you are Tony (minus a number of years...im only 21...ha), I've been drinking tea for 6 years (parents are big tea drinkers, really got me into it at a young age), and smoking occasionally for two, starting to get alot more often...what are your favorite teas from adiago? (main place ive got mine as well as a couple local stores) and what other online realtors do you suggest?
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Well, the easiest place to start would be http://www.puerhshop.com/ . IMHO, he's not a great vendor, and the teas he offers aren't that great either. That being said, it is a great place to sample a few raw and cooked pu-erhs without eating the silly small order SAL shipping costs from China (Basically, shipping from China is like $25 whether it's one gram or 5 kilos. I exaggerate, but that's what it seems like.).

Should you decide you like Sheng (raw, my passion) or Shu (cooked), at that point, you can delve into http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/ . Scott is the premier pu-erh vendor in the world in my and most others' opinions. When you get to this point, you can do as I do and just order 20+ tuos or cakes at a time whence the shipping becomes relatively cheap.

Hope this helps.
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Alright, my quick and dirty guide to on-line tea retailers.

http://www.specialteas.com/ - A nice domestic retailer for those starting out in the world of tea.

http://www.adagio.com/ - Same as specialteas above.

IMHO, these are the two places to start your tea journey. I should mention Teavanna here. Many love these folks, many order from them. I do not nor would not do business with them. I shall disparage no more than that apart to say price/quality is just not there. If you'd like me to disparage more, do it in PMs please.

Now, the next level, should you decide this tea thing is for you are the domestic premium tea retailers:
http://www.redblossomtea.com/index.php
http://www.puerhshop.com/
http://www.shanshuiteas.com/
http://www.sevencups.com/
http://www.theteagallery.com/
plus several more too numerous to mention.
I will say that these are good, quality vendors with quality teas. I will also say that I do not use them. I tend to order from China, Japan, Taiwan, etc., the source as it were.

Some of my favorites in this vein are:
http://www.houdeasianart.com/ (Yes, they're domestic, but Guang has access to some truly stunning teas not available elsewhere).
http://www.jingteashop.com/default.cfm My favorite oolong vendor.
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/ My favorite pu-erh vendor.
http://www.teaspring.com/ My favorite Chinese green vendor.
http://www.tuochatea.com/
http://www.teafromtaiwan.com/
http://www.teahabitat.com/store/ Another domestic, but Iman has the best Dan Cong oolong generally available.
http://teamasters.blogspot.com/
http://www.denstea.com/
http://www.o-cha.com/

and others too numerous to mention.

Should you find yourself far enough down the slope that this last group comes into play, check out http://www.teachat.com/ , the Cigar Asylum of the tea world.

Hope this helps.
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Thanks Zana. Another tea adventure for me. :-)



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I don't have the time in business of some of the folks above, but in the absence of that, I have the enthusiasm and the interest in my customers.

If I don't have what you are looking for, I will make every attempt to get it for you at the best price. I also make the claim that I will meet or beat the price of any US-based pu-erh tea vendor for the same tea.

We look forward to hearing from you and becoming your tea source of choice on the Internet.

Best regards,
Steve
www.JAS-eTea.com
sales@JAS-eTea.com
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I have to agree with the Pu-erh and the oolong pairing with cigars. I have a preference for a nicely aged sheng (raw) Pu-erh...3-10 years. The young beengs are a bit wild for my palate.
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i am tea lover too. But i drink oolong tea every day. I am not very like puerh
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Puerh teas of different ages and types provide different flavors and are available at different prices. Different people are likely to choose to drink different teas. Consequently, tea drinkers should first determine the following: are you buying the tea to drink immediately or to store for a number of years before drinking? Afterwards, settle on a budget and select the best tea that fits into your budget.

I alway purchase puerh tea here which is fine and good: Puerh Tea
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Bye-bye Chinese spammer!
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