When in the market for a quality tea the task can prove to be quite difficult. The primary reason is that most stores just don’t offer it. Coffee shops may carry tea bags seemingly as an afterthought.
Grocery stores typically carry tea bags in boxes. The tea found in tea bags is called fanning, which is the dust left over from the whole, loose leaf industry. Sadly, this is actually the tea Americans have become accustomed to drinking and is probably why tea drinking is not more popular. If at a high-end grocery store, you might be lucky enough to find some loose teas although usually of low to average quality – certainly tea leaf fragments and not whole tea leaves. The reason this selection is mediocre at best is simple, price. Grocery stores need to move inventory and the higher price point for quality tea won’t move inventory quickly enough.
Chinatowns and Korean markets carry teas however this option can be a little intimidating unless you are proficient in reading the languages on the boxes. In the past we tried many such tea via the trial and error method and ultimately spent way too much money and wasted the lesser quality tea as well. Usually these teas are sold in fixed quantities and if you don’t love it, the excess usually occupies space in your cupboard.
The latest option in tea supply is the mall teashop. These shops have a better selection than grocery stores but the tea selections suffer the same fate because they are of lesser quality and are generic – they have to appeal to the masses. So you will see a lot of blended, fruity, sweeter, inauthentic teas in the low to mid price range.
We founded Tea Vue because of these limitations. Whether you are looking for the finest Gyokuro Green from Japan, connoisseur grade Pu-Erh from Yunnan Province, or the most excellent Formosa Oolong available, you will be delighted by our offerings. We have a fantastic Jiaogulan Herbal tea if health benefits are your highest priority. If you are in search of whole, loose, leaf tea to be enjoyed, savored, and appreciated, rest assured you will only find the most exquisite teas at Tea Vue, because first and foremost we are tea drinkers. Check out our inventory and visit frequently as we are always on the search for the best teas to offer.
“I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea.” – Lu Tung