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http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/20/us-starbucks-tea-idUSBRE85J17620120620
Something to note for sure.
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Leo,
From what comes the bad reputation of Tazo? I’ve been interested in reading about how they compare in real terms to non-commercial teas. As I believe I mentioned, Tazo was something like my gateway into becoming increasingly tea interested. I actually have a tin of their so-called “Full Leaf” China Green Tips on my desk here at work.
That said, I do hope their efforts help to promote a greater tea awareness here in the US. Pretty generally where I am, it is a subject well in the dark.
M.
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M,
Tazo is a good entry for places where better quality tea is not easily available. and I do have high hopes that Starbucks’ venture will bring good effects to push the awareness of finer teas. I have no intention at all to mean any negative comments on those, including yourself, who happily have discovered tea on a new level at Tazo’s. Do continue to enjoy the discovery process.On the other hand, this forum is open to people with all levels of background and there are those who have come a long way. And still have a lot that they want to cover.Just as Starbucks is a leap forward from McDonald coffee, Tazo is a giant step from fannings. You have come a long way yourself to the gate of the grand tea garden. Relax and enjoy. Just as a tea producer friend from Nepal said this morning, “I have been in tea since 2001 and I am still a novice!” There is so much here to have fun with…How’s the tea from the Chinese online shop? -
Ah, no disrespect intended. It is rather a jump up; I find the scent of the dry leaves to be rather emboldening. I’ll admit though, after having read through your site I’m left wondering just what kind of green tea the “China Green Tips” is trying to emulate. Previous to reading through here, I was only aware green tea came in 3 types: “Green”, “Sencha” and “Matcha”. I remember years ago learning that the “two types” (back then I knew only green and black) came from the same plant and being amazed. Said amazement continues with what appears to be more than a dozen types of greens alone, many with sub varieties. I may have to get a white board and make a diagram sometime, or at least a checklist.
I too hope Tazo shops raise awareness. From what I can figure, we have a handful of chains in the US, with the largest being Teavana. Teavana is not a good company from what I’ve read, and they average an employee turn-around of about 4 months. There is a place near me called Tearific, but from what I gathered it’s primarily a “Chinese “Food” ” place that also sells pots of tea. Unsure if they sell loose.
Speaking of which, how do you acquire your tea? One article spoke of open air tea markets in some parts of China, though if I remember you are in Hong Kong, which from what I can piece together should be a tea selling powerhouse (being in China and at one point occupied by the UK).
As for the tea shop, I’m actually just ordering it today; had to crawl through the site with my roomate to assemble what we wanted to order. I’ve decided to go with these:
http://www.jkteashop.com/jk-white-tea-assortment-p-296.html
http://www.jkteashop.com/handmade-imperial-high-mountain-long-jing-dragon-well-green-tea-p-697.html
My roomate is after the white, which is a kind of tea I have no (real) experience with. I’m after the green, as apparently longjing (which I likely am not pronouncing right) is the essential green. If this works without a hitch, I’ll likely go all out on the next – there’s a few tea instruments there that are appealing.
Bening on the East Coast though, it’ll likely be a while (15-30 days) before I recieve it. Waiting time well spent!
M.
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Well, looks like it doesn’t stop at just their Tazo brand: http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/14/news/starbucks-teavana/index.html
Mixed feelings. On one hand, -maybe- it’ll help people become more tea-aware…they’ll begin to google their purchases, and perhaps find the TeaGuardian (It was my curiosity of Tazo’s full leaf tea that brought me here, after all).On the other hand, Teavana already has an established “niche” – and it’s not nice, as a general thing. Starbucks gave the U.S. a lot of coffee culture. They also gave us a lot of bad coffee culture.All we can do is observe.M. -
In the office, tea bags are still common for me, and sometimes I will get the China Green Tips tea bags, because it is one of the very few types of green tea in tea bags that actually tastes pretty good. From what I understand, it’s supposed to be a maofeng tea from Zhejiang province. Note that this is not Huangshan Maofeng, but rather a general style of green tea produced throughout China.
Most of Tazo’s teas are flavored with all sorts of added stuff, as are most western teas (maybe to cover up the taste of the actual tea leaves). The China Green Tips is actually quite unique because it is only tea leaves, and it actually tastes the part. I’ll give them credit for actually providing a tea that introduces people to the basic taste of green tea. Other types of green tea in tea bags are often flavored with lemon, ginger, and all sorts of other stuff, or are brownish with a questionable taste at best!
At home, my favorite tea these days is Tianshan April Mist, which is 10x better than that other stuff. 😛
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That April Mist is a pretty good green; just about used up my stock of it. Even my girlfriend, who very generally hates things that are not sugared, drinks it (and eats the leaves). I decided on a different green this order, but I may consider it next time. It’s a great value, and a handy green for when guests just ask for “Green tea”.
I’ll agree on the China Green Tips. As I’ve probably said somewhere, those were my first “full leaf” teas. I have been meaning to get another tin so that I can do some experiments and weights on it (now that I have other full leaf greens). You get precious little in a bag, from what I remember; ordering anything other than their “Tall” is rather a waste.M. -
“Starbucks gave the U.S. a lot of coffee culture. They also gave us a lot of bad coffee culture…” ;-D Well said, MEversbergII!
About all that has been discussed over loose leaf vs teabags and flavored tea, I used to be a little skeptical about the real quality difference. However, after the first shipment from Tea Hong, it is a trip of no return. Those from Teavana were used as potpourri and Tazo my deodorizer in the fridge! I don’t understand why people here are not selling real teas like Tea Hong. Is it a profit thing? -
If I had to guess, it’s a lack of knowledge on some parts, but if the question is “Why”, the answer is usually “Money”.
A couple weeks back I tried a Vanilla Black Tea Bag for kicks at the office. I think I’d rather run headlong into one of the walls of the hanger next time. On the bright side, the vanilla part wasn’t bad.Appeasing your market’s also a big part. I think the U.S. has got it bad for sweet things, so you find a lot of “fruit flavorings”.M. -
In China, food quality and tea quality are quite important. High quality is not only viewed as healthier (and often rightly so), but is also a status symbol. Seeing someone drink low quality tea when they can afford good quality, is viewed as a bad thing for that person. It’s a sign that they are cheap, or don’t know how to recognize good things, or how to take care of themselves. That may sound harsh, but it’s basically true. When I first tried Chinese tea, I bought some cheap stuff, and I didn’t really know what I was buying. When others saw it in our office, I was promptly told that I should buy better tea.
For all their wealth, the U.S. and U.K. actually have cultures that encourage thrift, and getting a good deal for the money (good value). That means that people tend toward the cheap side, and will often settle for low quality even when they can easily afford better. I say that too as an American, because I definitely see this in our culture. Even though we are living in the “first world,” in some ways our mindset is very different. People have become so accustomed to low quality tea bags, that they don’t even know that high quality tea exists, or why anyone would want to spend some extra money for better quality.
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