Starting on a Path

[Corona]

I'm new to quality tea-drinking here, and thinking of starting out with Oolong. From what I have read, this sounds like a good place to start. Previously, I have drank whatever I can pick up at the supermarket, and I'm ready to move away from loose-leaf Twinnings. At the moment I have a rather...large, ornamental teapot. I've been drinking my tea out of a mug for a long time as well, and it really doesn't lend well to seeing the tea.

Thus, I begin my search for quality tea. I'm looking into a Gaiwan and proper teacups as well, so as to get away from my teapot. So, if any are able to reccomend where to look for these tools, as well as a place to find a sample of an Oolong that one new to quality tea could enjoy, I would be most grateful.

EDIT: I realize that wasn't really a proper introduction, I do apologize; I'm a bit new to the whole online forum thing. Just an average student here, not quite decided what I'd like to do with my life yet. I do like writing however, so I hope to follow something in that direction. My hobbies include music, antiques, and typewriter collecting.

[kymidwife]

I had really good luck in experimenting with the sampler sets from Adagio when I started my tea journey. While I think there are better (and more expensive) examples of oolongs out there, it was a great introduction for me to help my palate decide where my preferences lie, so I could make more wise future explorations with other vendors. I also discovered some teas I continue to enjoy 2 years later as economical daily-use options. I also got some very nice samplers from TeasfromTaiwan, TeaHome, and Floating Leaves... but based my purchases on what I already knew to be my basic preferences from my initial Adagio samples.

Welcome to TeaChat.

Sarah

[Victoria]

Welcome! Which school are you attending?

[bsteele]

Howdy.

[Dresden]

Welcome aboard!!!

[olivierco]

Welcome!

[Chip]

Corona, glad you joined us for a spot o' tea! I hope to see you around the forum!

Go samplers!!!