Tuesday TeaDay 6/1/10 One vendor, one TeaBuck, one tea ...

[Chip]

Welcome back to TeaDay. You are always welcome! Please share what is in your cup throughout the TD. Check out what others are sipping as well.

Yesterday we discussed fave tea of the month of May. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Would you say you spend the vast majority of your TeaBucks at very few vendors, or would you say you spread out your TeaBuck spending at many vendors? Please share, of course.

I am looking forward to sharing this TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up!

[entropyembrace]

my teabucks are pretty spread out...there´s a handful of local vendors plus different vendors for each country of origin....And I´m planning on trying a couple of new online vendors for future orders this year so the number is growing.

but I don´t have a lot of teabucks to go around so sometimes it´s a long time between orders from the same vendor.

[debunix]

I spend a lot of tea bucks at a few tea places, and have spread smaller amounts to quite a few places when I wanted something specific. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful tea shop in Chinatown, and have spent lots at Wing Hop Fung for tea, tea wares, and tea gifts. And I've spent a lot online with Norbu, who sponsored the first tea tastings I participated in, and has introduced me to a wonderful variety of oolongs, puerhs, green teas, and white teas. And though I have only bought from Tea Habitat a few times, it was very wonderful tea that was not cheap.

But no one tea source has the best of everything, and I've gotten ideas from here and elsewhere specific teas, so I've tried a variety of other online sources--Yunnan Sourcing, Den's Teas, HouDe, Jing Tea Shop, the Cultured Cup, and now Yuuki-Cha. I've rarely been able to stop at just one tea, and have gotten good teas from all of them. And there have been various stops at other shops locally, like Chado, TenRen, and Hankook, and I've even ordered online from Chado, despite their having several shops nearby, because the parking is a hassle and the stock is more reliable online.

But there's only so much tea that I can drink, share and give away, so I'm trying to cut down. Really.

[nickE]

Oh jeez, Yunnan Sourcing, Puerh Shop, Hou De, Jing, SpecialTeas, Upton, The Tea Gallery, Rishi Teas, the list goes on...

Ending the TeaDay today with some Iced Wuyi (which is surprisingly good) while I study my life away.

[Trey Winston]

I use just a few vendors.

Enjoying some wonderful oolong today.

[chittychat]

I had been bying from 4 vendors, however, the bulk just from one Teaspring. Funalliance was quite good but failed me on my last order which I never got. May be they are bust. Due to idiosyncracies of the local post office I have to stick to vendors which understand my shipping needs.

Forgot, my breakfast tea was Yin Jun Mei Souchong. So wonderful and so expensive that I drink it only on the first day of the month.

[artmom]

So far, since December, I've used 6 or 7 vendors. I expect to try more after I drink more of the tea I have on hand!

No tea yet this morning; up much earlier than usual.

[Victoria]

I guess more then a few right now.
But I keep trying to whittle that down.

In my cup this morning Fuchow Hong Cha from Imperial Teas.

Have a nice day everyone!

[dooble]

A few vendors mostly... Now I've started to browse the vast world of internet vendors though .

Some wulong, green and pu today hopefully.

[Skippyandjif]

I use fairly many vendors because I like many different types of tea, and no two vendors seem to have exactly the same teas of exactly the same qualities! Also, I split my time between Albany (for school), my mother's house in Maine (for some vacations), and my father's apartment in NYC (for really short vacations), so any tea-buying that I don't do online is spread out anyway.

Keemun in my cup at the moment-- it really is growing on me! I think I just had to play around a couple of times with brewing/steeping parameters.

[leiche2]

I use a few vendors regularly; which ones seems to rotate every so often. Also, when I make tea orders, I tend to order from 2-3 vendors at the same time. Receiving the orders becomes like a mini holiday celebration.

Recovering from yesterday's thrift store madness with a cup of Yi Congou in a lovely, new-to-me handmade mug I picked up for 50 cents. It's got a darkish clay body, white interior with a spiral to it, and earthy bluish greens and browns on the exterior. Nevermind the two sets of initials on either side. It's even signed on the bottom, though I can't make out the name.

[putibungsu]

I use a few vendors; two for Japanese green, one for oolong and one for pu-erh.

Started the TD with organic matcha from Marukyu KoyamaEn bought from a local Japanese grocery store.

[Victoria]

I have 5 main vendors but then I buy occasionally from others too.
I really do try to keep it in check.

This morning '10 Spring Jinxuan from Tea Masters, one of my
top Oolong vendors.

[olivierco]

O-cha, Ippodo and Mariage frères for 90% of my teabucks last year.

Kuradashi gyokuro this evening.

[brad4419]

A few vendors.

In an effort to save a buck I cut back on vendors to save on shipping. I buy the bulk of my tea from jingteashop and teaspring. Usually I will throw in some tea from places I buy teaware from as well just to give em a try. I made my first order from o-cha yesterday and threw in some fukamushi supreme and Im so excited to try it

shou mei and genmaicha today