Friday TeaDay 7/31/09 Best tea of July?

[Victoria]

TIM - lovely pic, very inviting!

Koucha was the start of my TeaDay, then an early lunch with included a pit stop for Boba, then Boazhong this afternoon.

[leiche2]

My favorites are oolongs from China's Fujian province, as ever. It keeps me happy.

Currently relaxing with some bagged Twining's Irish Breakfast, because I'm just too lazy and tired after a long day to fumble with my teaware.

[depravitea]

End of the day for me, it's about 10pm. I just bought a Moroccan Mint tisane, by Numi, it's bagged, but it's good for work, and when, like leiche2, I'm being lazy. I've had other positive experiences with Numi, such as their Chinese Breakfast & Gunpowder teas.

The mint tastes pretty good btw, even if it is missing some sinensis-ness.

[Chester Copperpot]

I'm gonna have to go with "other," since my best teas from July are actually tisanes, specifically rooibos. Is this all in my head or is there real tea snobbery at work

As our Mod says ... "Drink what you like and like what you drink!"
As you have had to notice, most of the TeaChatters here prefer loose leaf, and some premium teas, and a lot have a favorite type i.e. Japanese Greens. And then again, a lot of the members have been imbibing for years and their taste by their own admissions have changed over time!!!

It is fun to read about all the different tastes and preferences in tea. We do not all like the same teas and that's ok! Glad you are here with us, and BTW I love your avi.

Thanks! Glad to know that it is mostly in my head and that I am welcome in TeaChat!

[tea fish]

Never heard of Seven Cups before, so I just checked them out. They have a HUGE selection.
Do you typically like what you get from them?

Sorry about the late-ish reply. Yes I've been happy with SC. Their quality is reliably good, I think. I first heard about them through the Authoritea blog, which has given their teas consistently positive reviews. Lately, though, I've been wondering if there are even more amazing teas elsewhere. I'm thinking I should try Hou De or Jing's. (Any thoughts on this, anyone?)

If you're feeling ready for darker, more intense oolongs (i.e. wuyi's), I'd recommend SC's rock oolong sampler. The Rou Gui, the Mei Zhan and the Iron Buddha were really good. The Bai Ji Guan (White Rooster Crest) was a bit out there for me--it tasted like a malty vegetable broth. But then, where else do I get to try a tea that tastes like a malty vegetable broth?

[depravitea]

Never heard of Seven Cups before, so I just checked them out. They have a HUGE selection.
Do you typically like what you get from them?

Sorry about the late-ish reply. Yes I've been happy with SC. Their quality is reliably good, I think. I first heard about them through the Authoritea blog, which has given their teas consistently positive reviews. Lately, though, I've been wondering if there are even more amazing teas elsewhere. I'm thinking I should try Hou De or Jing's. (Any thoughts on this, anyone?)

If you're feeling ready for darker, more intense oolongs (i.e. wuyi's), I'd recommend SC's rock oolong sampler. The Rou Gui, the Mei Zhan and the Iron Buddha were really good. The Bai Ji Guan (White Rooster Crest) was a bit out there for me--it tasted like a malty vegetable broth. But then, where else do I get to try a tea that tastes like a malty vegetable broth?

Cool, thanks for the info/tips. I have also heard about Hou De and Jing's, and was probably going to give them a shot fairly soon here as well. I've also heard Den's talked about on here, but not always in a positive way. So I may hold off on that one.
The Rock Oolong Sampler sounds like it's right up my alley, a little spendy at 20 bucks for 6 10g samples, but what the heck, you only live once.