This Week in Tea

On Friday, I went over to Red Stick Spice Company to checkout their selection of teas…  The establishment is owned and operated by Gloria and Lee Easterwood, originally from the gulf south — but recent relocated to Baton Rouge after living in San Diego, California.  Lee was previously a senior VP of national operations for Bank of America.

They carry over 40 loose leaf teas, coming from distributors from the west coast.  You will find the usual suspects from the tea menu:  White teas, a good selection of various green teas, oolongs, and some great black teas!  You’ll also find a good selection of tisanes (or herbal teas).  One of their top sellers is the Mayan Chocolate Truffle.  Looks and smells awesome.  I’ll be brewing up shortly!

Their teas are available for in-store shopping; however, all of their teas will ship from Baton Rouge if purchased from their website: http://http://redstickspice.com/teas.html

You can purchase in cool little 1oz tins — or larger bags for enjoying later…

You’ll also find a good number of teapots and brewing gear for you to enjoy your tea in…

You can check them out online at:  http://www.redstickspice.com OR  checkout their Baton Rouge store at:

Red Stick Spice Company
7970 Jefferson Hwy – behind Community Coffee
Baton Rouge, LA 70809 - 225-930-9967

Here are a few places that I buy “Good Tea” from in Baton Rouge <and why> :

Teavana – We’re lucky to have a Teavana Tea chain here at the Mall of Louisiana.  This is a great place to sample selected teas — and talk to the Teavana Tea Specialists as well as other customers interested in tea.  Most of the teas in my cabinet are from Teavana.

Vinh Phat Oriental Market – This is a great place to buy quality teas at a GREAT price.  However, I’ve found that you have to know what you are wanting, before you go.  - This is not a place where you can sample teas — just buy.  Still, you can find some GREAT deals on awesome teas.

Red Stick Spice Company – Now, I actually haven’t visited this location myself.  However, I have heard some really good things about their tea selection.  I will be heading over there later this week and update this post.  I DO think this location deserves to be on this list.

Whole Foods Market – Although I usually only recommend loose leaf teas, Whole Foods does have a pretty good selection of “packeted” teas for sale.  In fact, I tried my first Pu-Erh tea from Whole Foods.  I recommend any of the Rishi Teas there.  Still, try to find teas that are mainly loose leaf.

Please share any other locations in the comments.

Thanks,
Will

A few people have asked me about the teas I’ve been drinking lately. I will say that it’s very hard to find good loose leave tea here in Baton Rouge. The closest place to finding “decent” teas are at Whole Foods and World Market. These are good teas—but why just settle for “good” when you can have “great.” Believe me, forget about the good ol’ tea bag—-and look for some loose leave love. I recommend these online sites: http://www.teavana.com and http://samovarlife.com/.

*** UPDATE: We now have a Teavana store right here in Baton Rouge: http://www.teavana.com/shop.axd/StoreLocations#state_la

Here are the teas I’m drinking now:

Silver Needle (White Tea): VERY light, clean tasting white tea. Delicate taste—and great for infusing mixing with other teas. Also, it is very high in anti-oxidants; so great health benefits to drinking this stuff! It’s the healthiest tea I’ve had so far. These tea leaves can withstand multiple steepings.

Monkey Picked Oolong: In my opinion, this is the Ferrari of all teas. Very light, crisp taste—but complex. Great benefits also. Not as high in antioxidants as white or green tea; however, this tea is great for boosting your energy and metabolism. GREAT for dieting and keeping hydrated. These tea leaves can withstand multiple steepings — in fact, some of the flavors change after different brews.

White Avurvedic Chai: When I first tried this tea in Houston, it knocked my socks off. VERY, VERY flavorful. Great for boosting energy and hydration. It’s almost like drinking candy!

Mate Vana + Rooibos Chai: This blend KICKS BUTT too. If you are a coffee drinker; and trying to make the “switch” into teas— this one is for YOU! This blend brews very dark and reminds me of coffee on the palate.

And there you have it… These are the teas I’m enjoying right now. —- I will forewarn you: loose leave teas are ALOT more expensive than your regular “Wal-mart” tea from a tea bag. But, worth it? ABSOLUTELY. When I made my first “purchase”, I had sticker shock when told that my bill was $90 for two full tins of tea. But, ohhhh here is where the addiction begins… Just to show you how bad: the last time I was in Houston to see my “dealer”, I dropped $250 on these teas I described above. HAPPILY walking out with my “fix” — talk about “Holy Herb!?!?” BTW: It’s Camellia sinensis …

Of course, I typically buy in bulk—-and this amount of tea lasts me for like 4-6 months.

So give it a try… If you are wanting a good “starter’ experience try this Starter Kit.

Want more? Checkout the Doctor Tea videos. Also, if you are on Twitter, follow Kevin Roses’ “Good Tea” account. OH, and by the way— drink all the tea you want. Unlike coffee, tea has a chemical called L-Thiamine that counteracts the “jitters” you would get from caffeine. Read HERE for more info on the health benefits of drinking tea.

Thanks,
Will – http://twitter.com/wsellers