Tuesday TeaDay 3/2/10 Price check on TEA?

[Chip]

Special Pre-Announcement!

You heard it here first.

TeaChat has "hired" a new celeb spokesperson to promote TeaChat. I am not at liberTea to divulge who, but trust me, you will know this well traveled international celeb/spokesman who has had books written about him. He is quite animated, and I am sure he will be embraced by all TCers. Keep your eyes peeled here for updates!!! BTW, do not tell Adagio since I hired him w/o telling them.

Yesterday TeaChatters were asked, "What is the one positively BEST tea you have ever had?" You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic!

Welcome everyone to another TeaDay. Brew some brew and come share what is in your cup today, all day. Come back often to see what everyone else is sipping as well.

Today's TeaPoll is all about PRICE. How much emphasis do you place upon price when you select a TeaVendor? Share with us your thoughts on this costly topic. I suspect this will be an interesting discussion. Have fun!

I am looking forward to hearing what is in everyone's cup today. Bottoms up...refill!!!

[RachelC]

I said that it was a "high" consideration. If money was no object for me then price would not have any consideration at all since I am sure many great teas are pricey but the nice thing is there are wonderful teas out there that are not expensive. Tea for me is one of those things that the rich and poor can enjoy. So few things work out that way so for now I do take price into consideration. When I hit the lottery the sky is the limit.

In my cup: Adagio Vanilla Honeybush as per requested by my 3yr old daughter which is also drinking the same.

[JBaymore]

Middle of the road. Sometimes i splurge for good tea. Sometimes I decide not to spend a lot at a given time. Depends on cash flow and mood and the qulaiTea.

I wish money were no object..... but that is not the case.

best,

...............john

[Ironica]

It's starting to look like I like good pu'erhs and many of them are expensive. I am not motivated to drink tea that doesn't taste good so I guess I'd rather drink less tea and enjoy it more when I do.

[Victoria]

Price is not a consideration when selecting a vendor. It is all about the quality and the taste of tea.

In my cup this morning ToT Neela.

[spittingoutteeth]

While within limits of course, I typically don't have much concern about price when it comes to vendors. Considering the time, labor and craftsmanship of quality tea, I often feel guilty that I'm not paying enough for the teas that I buy. Whenever I find a vendor who has a personal relationship with a farmer who values quality production and sustainable farming methods and is willing to pay that farmer more for their teas, I am more than happy to take on the extra cost. Life is too short to drink bad tea!

This morning, I'm drinking Tai Ping Hou Kui from the Cha Guan teahouse in Montreal, QC.

[JBaymore]

One thing to keep in mind in this thread is the "vagueness factor" on what each person responding would thing of as "expensive" when it comes to tea (and teawares).

For example, I own teawares that I would imagine most on this list would find absolutely absurdly expensive, but I consider them worthy of such prices. Others would think I am totally nuts.

"Expensive" is in the eye of the beholder. (or maybe more accurately, in the wallet )

So Chip, maybe a question some time about an exact price bracket that one considers as being "too expensive" for buying tea might be interesting. Set some price brackets up for say 100 grams of tea (no type specified...... just the price per unit.

best,

.................john

[Mrs. Chip]

Price is never a consideration for me, Chip is in charge of our TeaAqusitions!

I am not at liberTea to divulge who, but trust me, you will know this well traveled international celeb/spokesman

Nice blend this morning of the remainder of Houroku and an unnamed sencha, possibly Fuga LE. Hit the spot, was delish. The CatBrigade agreed in priciple ... the TeaTable Rox!

At work I am enjoying oolong #18 from Adagio, maybe I can get the owner to try it! The aroma is somewhat enticing and the taste is smooth and mild, with hints of floral.

Hope everyone has a TEAriffic TeaDay and is afforded the opportunity to enjoy many refills today.

Good idea john.
.

[geeber1]

I voted that it's of minor consideration. I've had lousy teas that were expensive and great teas that were cheap. Like Victoria said, it's the quality and the taste of the tea that matters. Thanks to TeaChat, it's pretty easy to make good choices based on the recommendations given by the knowledgeable folks here!

Keemun Rhapsody in my home cup this morning. Mmmm, good stuff.

[Schrammy]

Price is pretty much the only consideration. I'm on a really cheap budget, and can't afford very much. So, I take what I can get. Adagio samples are amazing for that.




Also --- If TeaChat resurrected Billy Mays, I will forever be loyal to you.

[debunix]

Price check: one of my most expensive teas is Po Tou Ginger Flower Fragrance Dan Cong Oolong from Tea Habitat: $48/oz. This is obviously not an everyday tea, but still, from about one gram in a 50mL teapot, I have gotten 30 infusions of about 1.5 oz apiece. So 45 oz of very fine tea, enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, when the session goes too late and I need sleep before the leaves are done.

45 oz from one gram at $1.7 for that one gram--that's a lot cheaper than Starbucks coffee.

On the other hand, my favorite puerh was $16 at norbu, for 250 grams. That's 6 cents a gram, and again, a couple of grams gives me a quart of fine tea, brewed gong fu or in bulk to fill my thermos.

Even quite pricey tea is not that expensive compared to most other beverages. I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to play with some of the more expensive ones, to see how they compare to cheaper versions of the same tea, and to figure out when it's worth the extra cost to me and when it's not.

[olivierco]

Price is of minor consideration when selecting a vendor

If the tea is good I don't care about its price unless it costs a very high price (i.e. more than 5€ per session for a daily tea).

Musashi sencha after work.

[depravitea]

I wish I could say that price was not a factor.
Alas, price is most definitely a factor.

[msurads06]

Right now price is a major consideration when choosing a tea vendor. I am still trying alot of diffrent teas, so i dont want to spend too much on them. So i tend to choose vendors who offer/sell small amounts/sample sizes of their teas, i would be more likely to buy a more expensie tea if i had bought a small sample and decided i liked it than having to pay lets say $100 for 4 ozs then not like it and have wasted $100 AND have 1/4 lb of tea that i wont drink. that said, a $100/1/4 lb tea will never be a regular in my house. (i probably wouldnt even buy a sample of something this expensive).

Started the day tasting the yunnan silver needle i ordered from norbu, ery different taste than the SN i have been drinking from special teas. right now drinking bai yun oolong, also from norbu. This is my first experience with oolongs, its ok, it doesnt wow me, but at the same time, its not awful. I have three other oolongs but have to wait until i have an empty tin to put them in; i have too many samples open right now .

[Victoria]

Drinking up some of my old 2006 oolong stash, I decided to toss the rest.
Life's too short. Let's see what 2007 holds in store.