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Buying Tea Article

This post was contributed by Meredith Walker, who writes about the nursing degree. She welcomes your feedback at MeredithWalker1983@gmail.com

4 Factors to Help You Determine Whether or Not Tea is High Quality Before You Buy

There are lots of high quality, delicious teas out there sold at high end shops and grocery stores alike. Of course, there are also lots of teas out there that are high priced but don’t match the quality of other teas that may even be kinder to your budget. Here are some things to consider before you invest in an untried loose leaf tea.

1.    Source:

All true teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant but where these plants are grown and harvested and how this is done can make a big difference between a high quality end product and one that is decidedly low quality. Like wine, the climate, soil, altitude and other environmental factors determine the ultimate taste of the tea. Additionally, the highest quality teas are hand plucked, with almost 3,000 young, tender tea leaves being used to create a single pound of tea. Do your research before you head to the store so you know where the tea you’re interested in came from.

2.    Manufacturing process:

Your run of the mill, regular tea is usually manufactured through the CTC method, or crush, tear, curl. This produces tea this is composed of small particles, and while these teas can be tasty they are generally not of the highest quality out there. Rather, whole leaf teas are usually the fare of true tea connoisseurs, as less than 2% of the tea in the world is produced using this method of manufacture. Again, like fine wines, high quality teas are manufactured to produce the best aroma, clarity, color, aroma and taste.

3.    Quality control:

The best tea will come from batches which have been carefully controlled for taste and quality. This means sampling a cup from each shipment before sending it out to ensure that it is of quality worthy of the tea’s namesake.

4.    Customer service and feedback:

It is often difficult to find high quality teas in retail outlets, save for those that are dedicated specifically to selling teas. If you do not have one of these in your area, an online retailer can be a great alternative. Any high quality tea retailer will have a great customer service policy and appreciate your feedback on the quality and taste of their product. Spend some time scoping out online tea shops and you’re bound to find one that matches your interests and price range.