How to buy tea? (probably black, organic, bulk, cheaply?)
July 3, 2017 8:25 AM Subscribe
After a few years of experimenting, I have begun drinking kombucha every day. I brew it myself, and I'm looking for sources for now that I know it will be an ongoing expense. It seems like black tea works best with the SCOBY cultures, so I am looking for that most of the time. I occasionally will try other things like green teas, and am open to recommendations.
I am not a tea aficionado, and the fermented tea gets a second ferment with some fruit, so taste is not that important. I do try to eat well when possible, and my partner has a compromised immune system, so organic would be nice. I am not averse to buying in bulk.
I know very little about tea in general, so any explanations would be appreciated. I am looking for online sources, although buying in person is also possible if you know of options within a few hours drive of Seattle or Portland.
tl,dr: Where can I buy the cheapest, best black tea?
I am not a tea aficionado, and the fermented tea gets a second ferment with some fruit, so taste is not that important. I do try to eat well when possible, and my partner has a compromised immune system, so organic would be nice. I am not averse to buying in bulk.
I know very little about tea in general, so any explanations would be appreciated. I am looking for online sources, although buying in person is also possible if you know of options within a few hours drive of Seattle or Portland.
tl,dr: Where can I buy the cheapest, best black tea?
Find your local Chinese or Indian grocer and get a big package of cheap black tea.
posted by bile and syntax at 9:10 AM on July 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by bile and syntax at 9:10 AM on July 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
I buy organic tea by the pound from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have two organic, fair trade black teas (assam and English breakfast) for about $18 per pound.
posted by leeloo minai at 9:27 AM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by leeloo minai at 9:27 AM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I buy bricks of Indian tea from my local Middle Eastern market. This amazon price is higher than I pay (less than $8 for about a pound of tea.)
posted by vespabelle at 9:31 AM on July 3, 2017
posted by vespabelle at 9:31 AM on July 3, 2017
I borrowed this book from my sister and learned a fair amount about kombucha brewing.
The Big Book of Kombucha
I've been brewing for about two years or so and have gotten a little bit better with some reading up on techniques.
I calculated that it costs me around $0.27 in materials for a bottle of kombucha. I use store bought black tea (Red Rose brand), plain sugar and my scobies. One important thing to keep in mind - according to the source above, the scoby may not respond well to any teas that have any ingredients other than tea leaves. So, lots of black teas that are flavored with essential oils should be avoided.
Unless you plan on doing continuous brewing or to have multiple fairly large batches going at once (say, three 2-gallon batches at once), you may not be able to drink it every day. I do one 2-gallon batch at a time, drink that in a week usually and then brew for 7-11 days and start again.
posted by Slothrop at 9:36 AM on July 3, 2017
The Big Book of Kombucha
I've been brewing for about two years or so and have gotten a little bit better with some reading up on techniques.
I calculated that it costs me around $0.27 in materials for a bottle of kombucha. I use store bought black tea (Red Rose brand), plain sugar and my scobies. One important thing to keep in mind - according to the source above, the scoby may not respond well to any teas that have any ingredients other than tea leaves. So, lots of black teas that are flavored with essential oils should be avoided.
Unless you plan on doing continuous brewing or to have multiple fairly large batches going at once (say, three 2-gallon batches at once), you may not be able to drink it every day. I do one 2-gallon batch at a time, drink that in a week usually and then brew for 7-11 days and start again.
posted by Slothrop at 9:36 AM on July 3, 2017
Thirding Indian grocery stores -- mine sells plain black tea in 5 lb sacks.
posted by ananci at 5:57 PM on July 3, 2017
posted by ananci at 5:57 PM on July 3, 2017
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Townshends has pretty good quality, fairly good prices, some organic buddies, and will mail it to you.
If you're really willing to hunker down and buy some bulk, call their office and see what their requirements are for wholesale pricing. Some places require a federal tax ID for a business, but not all places do.
Also, your local neighborhood food-coop would be a great place to start, as they'll often do special orders for minimal markups (even moreso if you're a member).
Many cafe's that serve tea will gladly special order this for you and give you a deal too.
posted by furnace.heart at 8:55 AM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]