High-Quality Tea Subscriptions?

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pantry
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Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:06 pm

faj wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:22 pm

Their subscription may be the one I have thought about the most. However, I am not experienced with the kind of teas they are focused on. I actually have my first order from EoT on the way (shipped long, long ago...). I think after getting through the teas I ordered I will be better equipped to say if a subscription might make sense.
That's fair. I made my first order before subscribing as well, but the two are certainly different experiences! When I leave the club, I would most definitely miss the club letters and the shared discussions with other members!
faj wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:22 pm
If I may ask, are you leaving that subscription because you are moving to other types of teas than those offered by EoT? Or to try different sources? Higher-end teas?
A mix of reasons. When I receive new tea samples these days, I classify them into three categories:

A) tea I rarely reach for even if I have a full can/cake.
B) tea I am not interested in buying more, but still like to drink if I already own some / were given more of.
C) tea I am going to stock up.

Even a high quality / expensive tea could fall into either one of these categories. For example, category B could just be that the cost/performance doesn't work for me, or that I simply could not afford it!

Given my criteria, my next phase is less about casting a wide net, but more an in-depth study of those I have found to enjoy!
Leaving the clubs would allow me to focus my attention and budget to do that. It's all part of the journey! :lol:

As of now, I'm still very much a fan of sheng puerh. I order from EoT's catalogue from time to time. While I don't stock up a lot of tea from them, they're one of the few vendors from which I trust enough to make a blind purchase!
faj wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 4:22 pm

I have this idea (futile hope?) that as time passes, I will be able to have a increasing proportion of my tea drinking dedicated to teas I really like, and subscriptions kind of go against that thinking if most of the time you cannot get more of the stuff you like. Obviously, there is always value in lessons learned, either positive or negative...
Your hope is not futile! There's enough great tea to go around. There was a tea from the club that I didn't like at all when I first tasted it, and have grown to appreciate it enough that I will be purchasing a cake of the same tea from this year's harvest. Find what works best for you ;)
faj
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Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:01 pm

pantry wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:06 pm
A mix of reasons. When I receive new tea samples these days, I classify them into three categories:

A) tea I rarely reach for even if I have a full can/cake.
B) tea I am not interested in buying more, but still like to drink if I already own some / were given more of.
C) tea I am going to stock up.
Thanks for the feedback!

Your categories allows me to summarize my thinking succinctly. A and B I can tolerate if we are talking small amounts of tea, and there is enough of C to make the whole thing worthwhile. Though price is not perfectly correlated with quality or my preferences, C is likely to be more frequent if the subscription is for teas that tend to be a bit more expensive.

I might be wrong, but although I have not experienced them, I feel many subscriptions are not curated with that kind of mindset, targeting drinkers that want to bring variety to their drinking rather than depth, concentrating on teas that would be closer to the "daily drinker" category. Then again, in EoT's case, I am so inexperienced with those kind of teas that even in if this were the case, a subscription may get me exposed to things I would not have otherwise sought on my own. I guess the more experienced you become, the least likely a subscription is to be a good fit for your needs.
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pantry
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Sun Jun 14, 2020 8:06 pm

faj wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 7:01 pm
pantry wrote:
Sun Jun 14, 2020 6:06 pm
A mix of reasons. When I receive new tea samples these days, I classify them into three categories:

A) tea I rarely reach for even if I have a full can/cake.
B) tea I am not interested in buying more, but still like to drink if I already own some / were given more of.
C) tea I am going to stock up.
Thanks for the feedback!

Your categories allows me to summarize my thinking succinctly. A and B I can tolerate if we are talking small amounts of tea, and there is enough of C to make the whole thing worthwhile. Though price is not perfectly correlated with quality or my preferences, C is likely to be more frequent if the subscription is for teas that tend to be a bit more expensive.

I might be wrong, but although I have not experienced them, I feel many subscriptions are not curated with that kind of mindset, targeting drinkers that want to bring variety to their drinking rather than depth, concentrating on teas that would be closer to the "daily drinker" category. Then again, in EoT's case, I am so inexperienced with those kind of teas that even in if this were the case, a subscription may get me exposed to things I would not have otherwise sought on my own. I guess the more experienced you become, the least likely a subscription is to be a good fit for your needs.
Just to be clear, my clustering method applies to all tea samples not just from tea club. As for EoT tea club, I feel like they give you a good mix of breadth and depth. I’m only leaving so that I can focus more on Yiwu and it’s surrounding areas 🤓 (and also not get any more ripe and liubao)
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TeaTotaling
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Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am

@faj I have heard that EoT does curate their subscription. For instance, it was noted that this months offering was specifically selected for the Tea Club, instead of being pressed for sale. Their emphasis is on Puerh, Liu Bao, and Yancha. What did you order from them?

@pantry I see you have a sweet tooth for some Yiwu! Do you tend to gravitate toward young or aged Sheng?

My reason for joining the club, seems to be opposite from both of your considerations...it’s okay to be different, haha 😆 I was looking for a thoughtful vendor who sourced clean tea that I could use for daily drinking. My current stock includes several teas for special occasions, so I wanted a way to supplement a daily cup. Their tea focus does match mine, although I find myself liking all styles of tea.

@pantry do you have any experience with thetea.pl?

Also, @faj regarding a top shelf, highly curated subscription. Song Tea has a yearly subscription called The Founders Collection. They send out tea every other month, so 6 times a year. It’s on it’s second year, and is only available to a limited number of people each year.
faj
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Mon Jun 15, 2020 11:14 am

TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
Their emphasis is on Puerh, Liu Bao, and Yancha. What did you order from them?
Puer, Liu Bao, and Yancha. :D
TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
Also, faj regarding a top shelf, highly curated subscription. Song Tea has a yearly subscription called The Founders Collection.
I cannot say that I know about this vendor. Are you subscribed, and if so, what is your experience?
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pantry
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Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:40 pm

@TeaTotaling
It's funny to think of myself of having a sweet tooth, as I don't like sweets very much. But perhaps within the pure tea world, I do! :lol:
I like tea of different ages for different reasons. Younger ones for their diverse tastes. Aged ones for the calming qi. Since I stopped drinking coffee I've noticed that my body has become way more sensitive to tea compounds, so I really have to be careful about what I drink :lol:
Like I said, I will still order from EoT occasionally because I trust and appreciate the vendor's ethics!

I don't have experience with thetea.pl. I understand that they're based in Europe, so it doesn't make sense for me to purchase from them. I imagine most of the cost I pay would end up covering multiple shippings and customs. I heard good things about them though!

Song Tea is local to me, but I don't plan on supporting him.
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klepto
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Mon Jun 15, 2020 2:10 pm

pantry wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:40 pm
TeaTotaling
It's funny to think of myself of having a sweet tooth, as I don't like sweets very much. But perhaps within the pure tea world, I do! :lol:
I like tea of different ages for different reasons. Younger ones for their diverse tastes. Aged ones for the calming qi. Since I stopped drinking coffee I've noticed that my body has become way more sensitive to tea compounds, so I really have to be careful about what I drink :lol:
Like I said, I will still order from EoT occasionally because I trust and appreciate the vendor's ethics!

I don't have experience with thetea.pl. I understand that they're based in Europe, so it doesn't make sense for me to purchase from them. I imagine most of the cost I pay would end up covering multiple shippings and customs. I heard good things about them though!

Song Tea is local to me, but I don't plan on supporting him.
@pantry My first tea love was taiwan oolongs like gui fei :D. The funny thing is that now I love when the sweetness and bitterness oscillate. I found out first hand what that hui gan was all about via sheng puerh.
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Balthazar
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:18 pm

TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
do you have any experience with thetea.pl?
@TeaTotaling, do you? They have a pretty interesting selection for a European vendor imo, so I'm tempted to give them a try.
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Victoria
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:26 pm

Balthazar wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:18 pm
TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
do you have any experience with thetea.pl?
TeaTotaling, do you? They have a pretty interesting selection for a European vendor imo, so I'm tempted to give them a try.
I had an excellent yancha from TheTea, a ‘17 Zhengyan Lian Hua Feng Shui Xian. If I was in Europe I would order from them.
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TeaTotaling
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:36 pm

faj wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 11:14 am
TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
Their emphasis is on Puerh, Liu Bao, and Yancha. What did you order from them?
Puer, Liu Bao, and Yancha. :D
TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
Also, faj regarding a top shelf, highly curated subscription. Song Tea has a yearly subscription called The Founders Collection.
I cannot say that I know about this vendor. Are you subscribed, and if so, what is your experience?
Excellent! I suppose there wouldn't be much else to choose from, haha :lol: Did you opt for Young or Aged Puerh, or a little of both?

Regarding Song Tea, I have tried quite a few teas from their current selection, and I have been very pleased. I did join the Founders Collection for the first time, so I'll be receiving the first shipment in July. I'll keep you posted!
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Balthazar
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:48 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:26 pm
I had an excellent yancha from TheTea, a ‘17 Zhengyan Lian Hua Feng Shui Xian. If I was in Europe I would order from them.
Thanks, I'll definitely consider it then. Seems to be slightly better (~10-15%) prices if ordering in Polish Zlotys instead of USD btw, if anyone else is considering buying. :)
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TeaTotaling
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:58 pm

pantry wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 12:40 pm
TeaTotaling
It's funny to think of myself of having a sweet tooth, as I don't like sweets very much. But perhaps within the pure tea world, I do! :lol:
I like tea of different ages for different reasons. Younger ones for their diverse tastes. Aged ones for the calming qi. Since I stopped drinking coffee I've noticed that my body has become way more sensitive to tea compounds, so I really have to be careful about what I drink :lol:
Like I said, I will still order from EoT occasionally because I trust and appreciate the vendor's ethics!

I don't have experience with thetea.pl. I understand that they're based in Europe, so it doesn't make sense for me to purchase from them. I imagine most of the cost I pay would end up covering multiple shippings and customs. I heard good things about them though!

Song Tea is local to me, but I don't plan on supporting him.
Great points!

I too no longer drink coffee, ever since discovering fine tea. There was really no reason for stopping, I just find now that I reach for tea instead of coffee. I'm hoping David rolls out some Yiwu samples this summer, I am a fan as well! Beautiful, rich, wild flower honey sweetness 😋 I have not tried an aged Yiwu yet, I am waiting to crack the sample I do have for a special session.

I agree with your stance on EoT, they seem to have higher standards, and I appreciate this mindset in a vendor/curator.
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TeaTotaling
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 1:22 pm

Balthazar wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:18 pm
TeaTotaling wrote:
Mon Jun 15, 2020 9:46 am
do you have any experience with thetea.pl?
TeaTotaling, do you? They have a pretty interesting selection for a European vendor imo, so I'm tempted to give them a try.
Not currently, but I have been curious for sure. I might keep an eye on the month to month offerings, and try a month when the time is right. I'm currently invested in EoT, and The Founder's Collection with Song Tea. Have you ever dabbled with Either EoT or Song Tea?
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TeaTotaling
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Tue Jun 16, 2020 1:24 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 12:26 pm

I had an excellent yancha from TheTea, a ‘17 Zhengyan Lian Hua Feng Shui Xian. If I was in Europe I would order from them.
Great to know @Victoria! Excellent Yancha definitely speaks to me! 🤗
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Balthazar
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Wed Jun 17, 2020 11:31 am

TeaTotaling wrote:
Tue Jun 16, 2020 1:22 pm
I'm currently invested in EoT, and The Founder's Collection with Song Tea. Have you ever dabbled with Either EoT or Song Tea?
Song Tea I haden't even heard of before this thread. So nope. EoT I like a lot, most of what I've had from them has been good stuff. No experience with their subscription (or any other tea subscription) though.
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