Looking for a good loose tea brand

Laughing with Me

I prefer loose tea, and I've been having McCabe's Irish Breakfast tea. Nothing at all wrong with it, I'd just like to know what else is out there as regards loose tea. But I'd ideally like to find a brand that has only big leaves, and least minimum dust. Is there any way that you can know if it's been hand picked?

Heard something on the radio the other day about how to make the best cup of tea. There wasn't even a mention of loose tea. All the talk was on the assumption that everyone uses a tea bag. It's funny because apparently supermarket tea blends have about 4 times as much fluoride as pure blends. It's most likely because they use older tea leaves.

I suppose I'd ideally also want to know that the area that they're grown in is from soil that's not high in fluoride. On the McCabe's packet it just reads "McCabe's teas are selected from the best tea gardens in the best areas around the world", but that doesn't tell you much. I've heard Indian tea is the best somewhere.

Jellybaby_1

Recently decided to go back to loose tea myself since discovering there is a plastic ingredient in the bags. I like McCabe's and like yourself fancy trying other leaves. I found nothing but specks of tea both in packets of loose and also in bags, nothing like the leaves of yore. I await your responses with interest.

Laughing with Me

Jellybaby_1 wrote: »

Recently decided to go back to loose tea myself since discovering there is a plastic ingredient in the bags. I like McCabe's and like yourself fancy trying other leaves. I found nothing but specks of tea both in packets of loose and also in bags, nothing like the leaves of yore. I await your responses with interest.

yore?

s1ippy

I like the Lyons tea leaves.

Jellybaby_1

Laughing with Me wrote: »

yore?

yore = 'years ago'


Pulling my leg?

Mena Mitty

It may not be everybody's cup of tea but we are using Tesco own brand loose tea at the moment. It's in a red box and it's divine. Don't let the cheap price of it put you off.

VG31

I get most of my tea from a shop in Hamburg. They have a huge range and they're all very high quality. Their delivery charges are reasonable.

https://www.comcol.de/

There's plenty of good tea shops here as well. JJ Darboven (Eilles tea) in Dun Laoghaire is very good if you live anywhere near there.

Hodors Appletart

We've been using Campbell's tea for years - the first one you buy comes in a nice tin, and then refills (or just buy the refills)

It's a very nice tea for something from a supermarket imo

pconn062

Recommend McEntee's Tea. Bought some recently and it is very tasty, nice selection too. We bought a small tin then a large box and just keep refilling the tin.

silver2020

Laughing with Me wrote: »

It's funny because apparently supermarket tea blends have about 4 times as much fluoride as pure blends.

Beware of alarmist tabloid stories that are purely interested in the eheadline and rarely if ever give the truth.

Remeber ground beef (burgers) can cause cancer - but the alarmist media wonlt tell you that you need to eat a kilo a day for 50 years for an elevated cancer risk - cancer would be the least of your worries at that level of fatty meat consumption

Here's the teabag/ fluoride real story
https://www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/do-fluoride-levels-in-cheap-tea-pose-a-health-risk/


as for tea, if from supermarkets and for eveyday drinking, Campbells.

Hannibal_Smith

I don't know whether it meets all your criteria, but on flavour alone I love Campbells Perfect Tea. You can get it in Dunnes or Tesco. Loose leaf, comes in a large tin or a smaller refill bag. Absolutely delicious tea.

Marcusm

Laughing with Me wrote: »

I prefer loose tea, and I've been having McCabe's Irish Breakfast tea. Nothing at all wrong with it, I'd just like to know what else is out there as regards loose tea. But I'd ideally like to find a brand that has only big leaves, and least minimum dust. Is there any way that you can know if it's been hand picked?

Heard something on the radio the other day about how to make the best cup of tea. There wasn't even a mention of loose tea. All the talk was on the assumption that everyone uses a tea bag. It's funny because apparently supermarket tea blends have about 4 times as much fluoride as pure blends. It's most likely because they use older tea leaves.

I suppose I'd ideally also want to know that the area that they're grown in is from soil that's not high in fluoride. On the McCabe's packet it just reads "McCabe's teas are selected from the best tea gardens in the best areas around the world", but that doesn't tell you much. I've heard Indian tea is the best somewhere.

If you want to go for the higher quality of loose leaf tea then you need to start with one described as Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Those are basically the choice buds handled in a manner which is less likely to have them broken up in picking and processing, it is a grade of tea whether the tea itself is of, eg, Assam, Ceylon or Darjeeling style. Brown Thomas (in Dublin at least) has a mini Fortnum & Mason concession in the shop which will have a selection of these to choose from. Whatever you do, avoid their Irish breakfast. In London they’ll make you up bags of loose teas, both single origin and blends, in the shop. I like the Household Blend as an everyday tea.

I assume that some of the Irish independents, like Clement & Pekoe etc, would have a similar offering.

bobbyy gee

Tesco has lyons loose tea maybe Barry's and some other brands on top shelf

Enrico Palazzo

VG31 wrote: »

I get most of my tea from a shop in Hamburg. They have a huge range and they're all very high quality. Their delivery charges are reasonable.

https://www.comcol.de/
(...)

It's €10 shipping to ROI for orders under €35, €5 for orders under €75 and free shipping for orders worth €75 and more, in case anyone else is wondering.

Garlinge

Well it was Barry's for many years but lately Tesco seems to be choice of chief tea maker in house. For years, teabag users were a minority but suddenly one year it flipped to being the most popular and now only a small percentage are real leaf tea makers.

august12

Do tea leaves lose their flavour if not used within a certain timeframe, I bought some in London about two years ago and haven't used, would they still be ok, are still wrapped, never opened. I've no idea what I bought.

The Wordress

I have started ordering my loose tea from Niks Tea, an ,Irish brand. I got a Bodum glass tea strainer and I put my loose tea into the strainer and just take out when the tea has brewed.

Honestly, it is one of the nicest teas I have ever had.

The After Dinner Mint Choc and the Orange Chocolate are particular favourites of mine.

When I'm feeling lazy I just buy the teabags instead of the loose tea.

I don't know if I'll ever go back to a normal cup of tea again.

Jellybaby_1

A couple of posters mentioned Campbell's and I bought some last week. We are not impressed unfortunately. It is stronger than our usual tea so I'm making it a bit weaker but it still has a strong 'twang'.

flipflophead22

The Wordress wrote: »

I have started ordering my loose tea from Niks Tea, an ,Irish brand. I got a Bodum glass tea strainer and I put my loose tea into the strainer and just take out when the tea has brewed.

Honestly, it is one of the nicest teas I have ever had.

The After Dinner Mint Choc and the Orange Chocolate are particular favourites of mine.

When I'm feeling lazy I just buy the teabags instead of the loose tea.

I don't know if I'll ever go back to a normal cup of tea again.

Sounds nice i must try but dont see The After Dinner Mint Choc one.

The Wordress

flipflophead22 wrote: »

Sounds nice i must try but dont see The After Dinner Mint Choc one.

The website is hard enough to navigate.

Try looking for the Mint Choc teabags under Rooibos.

Blush_01

They often have them in bigger Tesco or SuperValu shops.

Bigbooty

https://intelligenttea.ie/


Found their herbal teas to be lovely.

flipflophead22

The Wordress wrote: »

The website is hard enough to navigate.

Try looking for the Mint Choc teabags under Rooibos.

The After Dinner Mint Choc and the Orange Chocolate arrived this morning along with a chai black. Damn they are so good! I ordered direct from them. If you try any others and recommend them let me know:)

The Wordress

flipflophead22 wrote: »

The After Dinner Mint Choc and the Orange Chocolate arrived this morning along with a chai black. Damn they are so good! I ordered direct from them. If you try any others and recommend them let me know:)

Aren't they just divine!! Blended to perfection. Great to support Irish too.

What's more, the Mint Choc Tea is actually really good for you

I also tried the whiskey liqueur tea which I really enjoyed.

I tries some of the other flavours but they weren't for me.

They gave me a sample of their new flavour Salted Carmel with my last order. A tad on the oily side but I still really enjoyed it. I don't think they released it online yet.

I'm glad I got you addicted anyway

flipflophead22

Addicted i am haha thanks :-)

stuchyg

House of tea for me big selection and have a shop in tullow. The Irish cream tea, breakfast tea and assam are all top notch

lostcat

Barry's Classic, on the expensive side but for me has the best taste

benji79

The Wordress wrote: »

I have started ordering my loose tea from Niks Tea, an ,Irish brand. I got a Bodum glass tea strainer and I put my loose tea into the strainer and just take out when the tea has brewed.

Honestly, it is one of the nicest teas I have ever had.

The After Dinner Mint Choc and the Orange Chocolate are particular favourites of mine.

When I'm feeling lazy I just buy the teabags instead of the loose tea.

I don't know if I'll ever go back to a normal cup of tea again.

May be a stupid question but do you add milk in these type of teas?

VG31

benji79 wrote: »

May be a stupid question but do you add milk in these type of teas?

No, you never add milk to non-black teas. I wouldn't recommend adding milk to all but the strongest loose black teas either, and definitely not flavoured black teas.

maninasia

benji79 wrote: »

May be a stupid question but do you add milk in these type of teas?

It's a very good question. In general adding milk to tea will cover the natural flavour and sweetness of leaf teas . In the same way that adding coke to a whiskey for a whiskey connoisseur would bea no no.


However very strong crushed Assam tea, as you get in Irish breakfast tea, goes well with milk . Irish people are missing out on the universe of tea out there.

rock22

I have tried Campbells Lyons, Barrys and they are all mainly dust, no real tea leaves.
Is there any better in the supermarkets as I don't live anywhere near a specialist tea shop?