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Adagio is a great tea shop in general, and tea is particularly well suited to mail order. Their tiny sample tins (usually ~1oz for ~$2) are a great way to try s

Adagio is a great tea shop in general, and tea is particularly well suited to mail order. Their tiny sample tins (usually ~1oz for ~$2) are a great way to try several varieties out. If you've got a good local tea shop, definitely give them a try though. They should be able to steer you towards varieties you'll really like. I particularly like lapsang souchong (smoked Chinese black tea), sencha (Japanese green), and Assam (Indian black).

Alex3917 16y ago
I don't think there is any one source for the best tea of all genres. For example, my favorite lapsang souchong comes from Grace Rare Teas, my favorite dragon well and most of my favorite black teas come from specialteas.com, and my favorite favorite flavored green tea is the pineapple ginger green tea from Republic of Tea. In general though I recommend specialteas.com, I went through a major tea phase five years ago and they quickly became my favorite web shop. Their organic dragon well is really good, as well as their mount everest blend and their vanilla sunday blend. I also really like mate de coca, which you can now get from Amazon.
- silentbicycle 16y ago
  Well, I get some good teas from local Korean and Vietnamese grocery stores, but Adagio is a bit more accessible for most people here. :) Roasted barley tea* (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugi-cha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugi-cha) can be pretty good, too, both hot and iced. Korean markets often have big sacks of roasted barley for cheap. The roasted corn tea is also good. * Not really a tea, it's...roasted barley. Surprise surprise. Yerba mate is also good, but deserves a completely separate top-level post.
  - Alex3917 16y ago
    If you like mate then stop by The Mate Factor if you're ever in Ithaca. It's run by a cult whose religion somehow requires them to make the best mate in the world. You have to be part of the religion to work there, so I was seriously thinking about converting for a couple months just to learn how to make some of their drinks and food items.
    - silentbicycle 16y ago
      A friend got us a gourd, bombilla, and a big canister of yerba mate from "somewhere in Ithaca" as a wedding gift. Yes indeed.
- 5teev 16y ago
  It's worth pointing out that their website is very well done, especially the reordering process. Once you establish some favorites, it's a breeze to access previous orders and replenish the cupboard.
nathanielksmith 16y ago
I'm also a pretty consistent Adagio customer. Lapsang is my favorite by far. I wish Adagio's was just a tad bit stronger, though. Even with longer steep times (5-6 minutes) I don't quite get the smoky pungency I recall years ago when I had some loose Twinings Lapsang...

Alex3917 16y ago

I don't think there is any one source for the best tea of all genres. For example, my favorite lapsang souchong comes from Grace Rare Teas, my favorite dragon well and most of my favorite black teas come from specialteas.com, and my favorite favorite flavored green tea is the pineapple ginger green tea from Republic of Tea. In general though I recommend specialteas.com, I went through a major tea phase five years ago and they quickly became my favorite web shop. Their organic dragon well is really good, as well as their mount everest blend and their vanilla sunday blend. I also really like mate de coca, which you can now get from Amazon.

silentbicycle 16y ago
Well, I get some good teas from local Korean and Vietnamese grocery stores, but Adagio is a bit more accessible for most people here. :) Roasted barley tea* (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugi-cha http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mugi-cha) can be pretty good, too, both hot and iced. Korean markets often have big sacks of roasted barley for cheap. The roasted corn tea is also good. * Not really a tea, it's...roasted barley. Surprise surprise. Yerba mate is also good, but deserves a completely separate top-level post.
- Alex3917 16y ago
  If you like mate then stop by The Mate Factor if you're ever in Ithaca. It's run by a cult whose religion somehow requires them to make the best mate in the world. You have to be part of the religion to work there, so I was seriously thinking about converting for a couple months just to learn how to make some of their drinks and food items.
  - silentbicycle 16y ago
    A friend got us a gourd, bombilla, and a big canister of yerba mate from "somewhere in Ithaca" as a wedding gift. Yes indeed.
5teev 16y ago
It's worth pointing out that their website is very well done, especially the reordering process. Once you establish some favorites, it's a breeze to access previous orders and replenish the cupboard.

nathanielksmith 16y ago

I'm also a pretty consistent Adagio customer. Lapsang is my favorite by far. I wish Adagio's was just a tad bit stronger, though. Even with longer steep times (5-6 minutes) I don't quite get the smoky pungency I recall years ago when I had some loose Twinings Lapsang...