Rec. Request: US/American Tea Vendors

[JournalerMarie]

Hi everyone! May I have tea vendor recommendations? I'm looking for quality tea vendors that are based in the US or ship to the US within 2 weeks. So far, I know of:

-Floating Leaves Tea (US/Seattle Inventory): very excited about this one. They seem like they put thought into sourcing particular teas.
-Crimson Lotus (US/Seattle Inventory): it seems a nice, solid option for pu-erh
-Tea Habitat (US): highly recommended for dancongs, but they do not offer samples and they are expensive

Others I've seen recommended:
-Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas (US): expensive, and they stock dodgy-looking Yixing tea pots (e.g. "natural" black Yixing), which makes me worry about their quality control
-Yunnan Sourcing US: their teas have been hit and miss (mostly miss) for me but they have a good reputation for pu-erh
-Song Tea (US/San Francisco): expensive and iffy quality
-Tea Trekker: retired. Congratulations to the shop owners, but alas for their customers.

Others I've tried:
-Red Blossom Tea Company: expensive, and tea quality does not match price. I do like their porcelain though (much thinner than the pieces I bought from Mud&Leaves).
-Verdant Tea: hit and miss. I like their Silver Needle but I had a very bad experience with their Jin Jun Mei.
-Kong Mountain Tea: I've only tried Silver Needle and Wild Silver Needle. The wild Silver Needle was good, but Verdant Tea's was better and also cheaper.
-assorted smaller vendors with less buzz and/or no websites

I am particularly interested in dancongs and Jin Xuan. However, I also want to try more Taiwanese oolongs, raw pu-erh, whole leaf green teas, and whole leaf black teas. I am not interested in Japanese steamed greens, teas processed through CTC, or (unless the quality control is really top-notch) aged/ripe/fermented teas.

ETA: I also went through the Tea subreddit's vendor list (it's how I found most of the vendors I've tried).

[Bok]

they stock dodgy-looking Yixing tea pots (e.g. "natural" black Yixing), which makes me worry about their quality control

I would not make the teaware the judgement of the tea. Some high regarded vendors on your list have very good tea, but very bad and also dodgy teaware... (before you ask, I won't say who).

I also want to try more Taiwanese oolongs,

Try Tillerman Tea.

[teanik]

@JournalerMarie
You're probably aware that @Bok lives in Taiwan and knows his way around a cup of tea. @Tillerman is a Taiwan tea specialist. I don't have Bok's credentials, but I enthusiastically recommend Tillerman as well. If you search this Forum, I think you'll find it's unanimous. I've had teas from the Tillerman that were the best of their type I've come across.
He won't start shipping again until Dec 31. Free postage throughout North America. Fabulous customer service.

https://tillermantea.net/product/bai-ha ... mmer-2020/
https://tillermantea.net/product/lishan ... ring-2021/
https://tillermantea.net/product/wensha ... ring-2021/

....and some great Dong Dings.

[Ethan Kurland]

When reading the first paragraph of your post, I was tempted to reply w/o reading further. I thought of advising you to go the vendor section then make a list of potential buys to search for in the various......

Fortunately I went there myself & saw that there was no quick & easy way for you to get enough information to make choices confidently. Not even an easy way to read which vendors are based in the USAl

I suggest you look at my thread to see that I sell some of the teas you take are considering. (After looking at the teas listed on page 5, June 5, 2021 post,might agree me, assuming that my self-promotion does not deter you from looking ).

First class or priority mail takes several days to get to California from the East Coast. Cheers

[Tillerman]

@teanik, Wow, thank you so much for your very flattering comments! I will do my best to live up to them. As to having very fine teas in the selection, all credit must go to the growers and producers with whom I work; they are a fabulous bunch who, over the years, have moved from being suppliers to being very dear friends. I am a very fortunate man. Happy holidays to all "from the road".

[Bok]

When reading the first paragraph of your post, I was tempted to reply w/o reading further. I thought of advising you to go the vendor section then make a list of potential buys to search for in the various......

Fortunately I went there myself & saw that there was no quick & easy way for you to get enough information to make choices confidently. Not even an easy way to read which vendors are based in the USAl

I suggest you look at my thread to see that I sell some of the teas you take are considering. (After looking at the teas listed on page 5, June 5, 2021 post,might agree me, assuming that my self-promotion does not deter you from looking ).

First class or priority mail takes several days to get to California from the East Coast. Cheers

I shamefully omitted to mention you, Ethan... hereby recommended! Apologies

[Baisao]

I am glad people have mentioned Tillerman and Ethan. Tillerman has delicious oolongs and I’ve heard very nice things about Ethan’s teas from some of the individuals above.

I’ll also add my local tea house called The Steeping Room: https://www.thesteepingroom.com/

Some of their teas are very good, especially their greens and reds.

Right now I am enjoying their Jun Chiyabari ‘Shiba’, various Korean teas, Wild Da Xue Shan, and their organic sencha offerings.

The Shiba has a fragrance that’s identical to magnolia blossoms. If out of stock, I know more is on the way. This is my favorite tea find for 2021. It’s best brewed with sencha parameters like 4gr/100ml @ 165°. It’s a stunning tea.

The Wild Da Xue Shan is a jammy red with a sumac tartness and cherry flavor.

I drink their organic senchas as my every day work tea because they are forgiving of work distractions, keep me alert but relaxed, and I don’t have to worry about pesticides with something I drink multiple times a day.

Like most of the people here, they are responsive to questions and can help you find something that fits you.

They are also a very nice and healthy place to eat if you’re ever in Austin. Their seasonal pear cake is amazing!

[Ethan Kurland]

I’ll also add my local tea house called The Steeping Room: https://www.thesteepingroom.com/

Some of their teas are very good, especially their greens and reds.

Right now I am enjoying their Jun Chiyabari ‘Shiba’, various Korean teas, Wild Da Xue Shan, and their organic sencha offerings.

The Shiba has a fragrance that’s identical to magnolia blossoms. If out of stock, I know more is on the way. This is my favorite tea find for 2021. It’s best brewed with sencha parameters like 4gr/100ml @ 165°. It’s a stunning tea.

They are also a very nice and healthy place to eat if you’re ever in Austin. Their seasonal pear cake is amazing!

Greater Boston has millions of people (the actual city is 600,00 residents); yet, it does not have a place like The Steeping Room. The owners must have really committed themselves. Dealing w/ Jun Chiyabari is not easy for a vendor. It cares very much for tea farmers, laborers, & the environment but has business policies that make purchasing from them difficult. (One must buy very large quantities or just get tiny odd amounts, sort of leftovers; pay by wire transfer; ...). Nonetheless, a shop in Austin sells tea from Jun Chiyabari & an impressive variety of teas. Kudos to The Steeping Room.

[GaoShan]

Shipping from the U.S. to Canada is typically higher than shipping here from Europe or Asia, so my knowledge of American vendors isn't that great. I've had good experiences with Floating Leaves, Tillerman, and Ethan. For what it's worth, I had a nice Dong Ding from Totem Tea that was sent to me in a swap.

Old Ways Tea might be a good source for Fujian black tea, and many people like the puerh and other offerings from Liquid Proust. I've also heard good things about Tea Drunk in New York, but again, I haven't tried any of their products. Based on having tried a couple of their teas, Whispering Pines has a variety of expensive but tasty standards from China and Taiwan.

Still, at least for this Canadian, shops based in Asia tend to give better value for money if you can wait a little longer for your tea.

[JournalerMarie]

Thank you all! I will check out all of your recommendations (self-promotion included).

With regard to other options: Unfortunately, the shipping speed really is important to me. I know a more patient, wise person would not care, but I must be honest with myself. At the end of the day, tea is a treat and an indulgence for me. It doesn't make sense to pursue it if it adds stress to my life. Waiting a week or two is fine. Waiting a month or more (with processing time and potential delays) is not worth it to me unless it is REALLY something special.

[m2193]

To add on to what others have already noted: +1 for Steeping Room and LiquidProust. Three Bears Tea (WA-based, huge environmental focus with basically entirely compostable packaging and offset shipping) has good options if you're ever looking to get into Liu Bao. Jason also includes cute handwritten post cards with orders, which I know isn't a big deal but I found it cute. I haven't tried their other oolongs, but thought the Zhang Ping Shui Xians were pretty boring. Not bad, just boring. Tea Drunk seems overpriced, even considering NYC pricing lol. The cheaper, $17 packet old(er) Longjing I got to try from them was good, but I wouldn't pay for it myself. The Da Hong Pao was ridiculously boring and shortlived for the price. I've heard many good things about TShop in NYC as well for their selection of Korean teas especially, and the puers as well though can get pricey quickly.