I've also bought from Upton's, I like their tea and their catalog and web site have good info about they different types of teas. You can also get small quantities for samples.

I also like PG Tips tea (I pick it up at Albertson's), it is a black tea in bags not loose but it is great when you are on the go and don't have time for loose leaf tea.

Tea is so refreshing and I love everything about it....scalding the teapot, the entire prep time, to me is soothing.

for those who have a problem with green tea, try white tea it has more antioxidents and much better taste.

Gevalia has a nice selection of teas as well.

I drink lots of herbal teas. If I can't harvest and dry my own, I swear by Mountain Rose Herbals. Their stock is fresh, sustainably harvested, they are a very green company with a low carbon footprint and every staff person knows what he or she is talking about. Their website is informative too. They stock regular teas and other herbs and spices too.

Born and brought up in Scotland I have drank tea all my life and of course still do.
I buy my tea from a shop in KY that specializes in Scottish products of all kinds.
They sell my favorite ....Typhoo brand tea. It is grown in Ceylon and it is the best tea there is....hmmmm think I'll make a pot ::):):

If you buy at a store, really check those sell by dates. Since most Americans don't like loose tea leaves, it doesn't have a high turnover in many stores.

I really like Ten Ren teas http://www.tenrenusa.com/ . Even though good tea is expensive, it goes along way.

Have you tried a local Asian market? They tend to have a lot more tea varieties-look for the tea in a canister. Again, really check those sell by dates.

If you like to garden, lemon balm & chamomile are very easy to grow & taste delicious. Luckily there's a shop close by, "The Herb Cottage," that has a great selection of loose tea as well as tea bags. Just tried some lemon ginger that's wonderful!

[QUOTE=b.zang;5107448]There are sure to be avid tea drinkers here. I also prefer loose tea and am trying to drink more green tea but since it isn't my favourite taste, I'm using the green teas that are blended with various other things.

Green tea from China is a lot better tasting than Lipton green tea.

Any other green tea is better tasting than Lipton green tea. It took me a while to find one I could have that did not taste as though I had pulled grass up from front yard & boiled it. >.<

That's my preferred brand as well - though not by any stretch of the imagination is it considered a "gourmet" tea - it's actually a "cheap super market brand" in the UK. I don't care though, I love it. It has a lovely "woody" flavor. britishdelights.com carries in bags and loose.

When I'm in the UK the family feeds me another "cheap super market brand" from Tesco's (Tesco's own blend actually) and that is also quite good but I've not seen it sold here in the US.

I have to admit though that I cannot drink black tea on an empty stomach else I get nauseaus. I think it's the tannens. I could eat as little as a single chocolate chip cookie and be fine, but I need at least that. Of course I drink my tea black.

One last word about tea ... it's only as good as the water you use to make it. I can drink the same brand at my house and in the UK and they taste COMPLETELY different. So even when you try tea's in a store then bring it home - unless you are using water from the same source it will probably taste slightly different.