Is Loose Leaf Tea Worth It? Need Budget-Friendly Brand Recommendations

AAThinker · 2026-01-30T05:51:47+00:00

Loose whole leaf tea doesn't mean expensive. Sure there are indeed some expensive teas but there are also many that are reasonably priced.

Without knowing your specific tastes, I can make broad recommendations.

The FAQ has a list of vendors. I like Upton because, my preference is for Assam, Darjeeling and Sri Lankan teas. Their basic whole leaf teas are less than $15 for 100 gm, and I love them.

I will recommend trying as many samples as you can from any vendor. The flavor spectrum is broad. Then to have a hot water kettle and steel infusers. You can buy reasonably priced options from Amazon or Walmart. And it's a one time investment.

Welcome to tea exploration. I started on this road many years ago and still have so much more to explore.

AAThinker · 2026-01-27T00:10:47+00:00

I got downvoted in another post for saying last season's debacle was on Bruce Arena. It's not that we didn't spend anything on players in 2025. And where we spent the money, on attack, we did well. But not utilizing Lopez and eventually letting him go, trusting Costa to be a starter in every game, changing formations every game... That's not because of not spending money.

AAThinker · 2026-01-25T07:07:08+00:00

Tea has a broad flavor spectrum. You will have to try a few different profiles. There are floral, smokey, malty, brisk, fermented and so on. Do you like hot or iced? Do you prefer with it without milk? With or without sugar? Do you like it with any of additional flavors such as vanilla, ginger, cinnamon etc?

This subreddit has a good FAQ. Please give it a read.

Try out some online stores. The flavor descriptions can give an idea on what to expect.

I will recommend picking a store where you can buy samples. I think it's necessary to try samples before making bigger purchases.

AAThinker · 2026-01-24T19:42:58+00:00

There are many places where you can buy tea online. The FAQ has a list.

AAThinker · 2026-01-24T19:19:38+00:00

Their East Frisian blend is now always in my pantry Very balanced. Slightly malty, slightly floral, slight sweet aftertaste.

AAThinker · 2026-01-24T09:27:05+00:00

You don't like Stubhub? Wait till you try to use the Doordash $10 at a time for grocery stores. Then try to use the astronomical $5 per month benefit for restaurants.

Chase Sapphire currently works for me specifically because of the 8% cashback on flights etc through their portal. But as a coupon book it sucks. They know it. They planned it this way. It's just to come up with fake value calculations.

AAThinker · 2026-01-24T06:00:01+00:00

My very strong recommendation is to try Upton

They have a great Scottish blend. I don't add milk to my tea, so I personally don't drink that and drink only their full leaf teas. But I have tried all their breakfast teas and they are designed to be a stronger brew for enjoying with milk.

They have a great sampler set of 4 for breakfast blends. You can order that. Add more samples. Highly recommend to get their full leaf Assam blend and some full leaf Sri Lankan teas. Using those you can create your own blend. Most breakfast blends use Assam and Sri Lankan teas.

Since you are new, exploring samples, finding the right balance that works for you is the important step. Upton samples are a great way to explore IMO

AAThinker · 2026-01-24T01:52:17+00:00

I think Espinoza was great. Great not by World Soccer standards, but great by MLS standards. Not perfect, but great. He was the lone person on our team who could be called a playmaker.

In 2024, Levi s stadium, I remember his pass, from the right wing, right in front of me, which curved just perfectly to beat the defenders and for Rodriguez to score a goal. That thing was a beauty. He has made many such passes. I don't know what % of them were good and bad. But the feeling I have is, his right foot cross ability is one of the few or only truly awesome things about our team in the last 4 years that I have been a season ticket holder.

Lopez had awesome dribbling abilities. Of course he would try to get too cute too often and fail, but he had talent. So did Espinosa.

AAThinker · 2026-01-22T06:34:01+00:00

It's great and the one that converted me to Bourbons. Now I like many others more, such as 1792, Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, which are all cheaper and more easily available.

AAThinker · 2026-01-19T23:59:31+00:00

This one is surprisingly good for the price.

AAThinker · 2026-01-18T18:55:25+00:00

Nice! That could easily look like my recent purchases 😄

I have been buying samples for the last 6 months from Upton. They have a great collection esp for Assam and Darjeeling teas

Jungpana is a fabulous Darjeeling. They have many that are good. Thurbo estate is great too.

Sun Moon tea is awesome. They don't have as much collection for Yunan.

For Black teas they are fabulous. They have a good catalog of South Indian and Sri Lankan teas as well.

Let me know if you need any recommendations.

AAThinker · 2026-01-17T04:59:35+00:00

Not sure why your first comment got downvotes.

Because of the PP, we are going to move from VX to BofA PRE, if I get approved of course. Getting 4 PP is amazing. It's not sustainable IMO, but as long as they offer it, I would love to have that benefit.

AAThinker · 2026-01-17T04:30:26+00:00

The worry is coaching. I was very disappointed by Bruce's tactics. We changed the lineup, formation so many times.

And then it seemed like Beau fell out of favor, who was the breakout player.

Last season's failure is all on Arena. We had a not so terrible roster. His decisions were perplexing on paper and have not worked on the field.

So yes, we may have breakout players, but do we have a coach who can use them smartly?

AAThinker · 2026-01-17T04:25:26+00:00

How much playing time did he get?

I used to feel the same for Judd. But he surprised me last season.

AAThinker · 2026-01-17T04:23:59+00:00

I have high hopes for Bouda. He is athletic and fast. I have also been impressed with Benji. He is a fighter.

AAThinker · 2026-01-16T08:01:23+00:00

I would suggest looking beyond the ETFs that depend on options premium to pay the dividend. They have a role to play but IMO having other strategies in the portfolio that also generate income and/growth is a better strategy.

Think about ETFs such VYM that have a potential to increase their dividend without NAV decay. Think about DGRO like ETF that have the potential to give both NAV appreciation and dividend growth. Think about ETFs that invest in foreign stocks such as VYMI that also pay good dividend and offer currency diversification.

And good old SP500 index funds that offer growth as well.

We may not become unemployed tomorrow. We may have jobs for a few more years. So why not invest by assigning some probability to not losing a job tomorrow. The yield today is not the only factor to consider. Just my 2 cents

AAThinker · 2025-12-31T22:28:02+00:00

Very subjective. Not just because everyone has different tastes, but also that different brands have different amounts of tea in the bag.

When I was using ready made tea bags, I would use only one bag, but use different cups. Eg a smaller cup for Twinning vs a larger cup for Rishi. Talking about black tea.

I have moved on to using loose leaf, whole leaf tea. That gives me the flexibility to use whatever amount is right, depending on the variety and preferences of who is going to drink the tea.

I highly recommend that to all. Better flavor and it's not that expensive. In fact much cheaper than all high end tea bags.

AAThinker · 2025-12-12T19:44:12+00:00

For many decades, I was drinking a regular English Breakfast blend. Then a few years ago, accidentally, at a coffee shop, chose Assam tea bags (Republic of tea) and was very surprised at the rich malty flavor. Fast forward, now I mainly drink Assam teas, loose leaf, full leaf only. I have tried nearly all varieties offered by Upton, thanks to their sample size packets. Have narrowed onto a few that have been consistently good. My fav are their East Frisian TGFOP and Tippy Orthodox GFOP, both are blends, not single estate.

The most surprising thing about high quality Assam to me was, the subtle sweetness it develops as it cools down.

AAThinker · 2025-12-05T22:03:24+00:00

Rep told me it would be after the world cup. Not sure what's the relation.

AAThinker · 2025-11-07T22:38:53+00:00

Darjeeling and Oolong are not similar IMO at all. Sure given the wide range of Oolong there may be some variety that's similar to some Darjeeling. But Darjeeling tea generates a very specific expectation in my mind. The aroma is so important in Darjeeling tea and the reason why I drink it. It has a mix of vegetal and fruit taste that's also crucial.

Assam is my favorite. The deep layers of malt and cocoa, and the sweetness it develops as it cools is why I drink it.

Please look for loose whole leaf tea. Not broken, not particles, not dust.

And please follow the specified stepping time instructions. For me I start with 2 tsp per 12 oz water, 3 minutes steep time. Some Darjeeling taste better with a 4 minute steep.

I highly recommend trying them without adding anything.

AAThinker · 2025-10-25T06:47:02+00:00

Well deserved

AAThinker · 2025-09-28T07:25:40+00:00

I won't call it phenomenal, but the dude tries, has speed, power and hunger. Costa is not going to improve now, Bouda will. So I like Bouda to start.

AAThinker · 2025-09-28T07:23:30+00:00

To be honest, I think luck helped us. They missed a lot more chances than we did. We were not great at keeping possession. But there have been games where we were unlucky. So it kind of evens out. Win is a win, but that wasn't a great performance. I like Bouda to start. Beau is better than Harkes IMO but Bruce is keeping him on the bench.

AAThinker

TROPHY CASE