Gourmet tea is becoming very popular! Just a few years ago, if you ordered tea, you just got what ever tea bag a shop or restaurant had, and that was it.
Today, many coffee bars, restaurants and specialty tea shops have an array of teas classed as gourmet to choose from.
So what makes a tea fall into the class of gourmet? We have named the top 3 things that make tea gourmet. They are part of our Tea Guide for Gourmet's.
Top Tea Tip #1 - Loose Tea is Gourmet!
In order for a tea to be considered gourmet, it should be loose tea - not a tea bag. Tea bags do not qualify as a gourmet type of tea.
Top Tea Tip #2 - First Flush Tea is Gourmet!
The quality of the tea must be excellent. Tea is graded and a poor quality tea will never make gourmet status. Some teas are of such high quality that they demand $100's of dollars a pound.
Top Tea Tip#3 - It's All in the Blend!
The blend..... ah the blend... do you have mango infused green tea? If you did you would have a sweet mango flavored green tea and in the dried tea you would see bits of dried mango amongst top quality green tea leaves.... just decadent!
Or how about an orange blossom oolong? One of my favorites with dried orange rind and dried blossoms in amongst high quality oolong tea.
Now I think your getting it! These are the top 3 things to look for when considering a gourmet tea. It wil not be inexpensive, but you will get your monies worth. Often high quality teas, such as first flush teas of the season, can be resteeped several times over. Giving you more tea for your dollar.
Just today I steeped a high quality gourmet oolong (which I paid $40/lb for) and steeped 4 pots from the original brew!
The tea was just as delicious on the 4th steep as the first.
So if you are looking for a gourmet cup of tea, follow the Gourmet's Guide to Tea and the top 3 things to look for and be prepared to pay a premium price for good quality tea.
Tracey is a tea enthusiast and the owner of Crazy For Tea Tea is her passion and she prides herself on teaching others about all the amazing teas out there to try. Lots more information about Gourmet Tea can be found in the Gourmet Tea Guide Keep up to date and join the Crazy for Tea newsletter.
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