Special Teas

[ann_leckie]

I am cleaning and organizing my tea cupboard because SHUT UP I DON’T HAVE A NOVEL TO WRITE YOU HAVE A NOVEL TO WRITE that’s why. Also, it had gotten to be quite a disorganized mess and I wasn’t sure what I still had. (Yes, the cats are up next, just gotta remember where I stowed the dust buster.)

Anyway. I came across a sad reminder of Specialteas.com. They were an online tea seller, and they had an East Frisian Broken Blend that was my go-to super nice and chewy for putting milk in tea, and they had a lovely, very grapefruity earl grey.

And they had something called Thé Blanc de Cassis. The ingredients label says “Organic white tea, flavoring, cranberries, mallow flowers.” It was the best. Very subtle–slightly flowery, slightly fruity. So one day, when my supply was low, I went to the website to order more.

And discovered that Teavana had bought them. And shut them down. And, of course, not picked up any of the stuff they’d sold. I did look into Teavana’s offerings, and the folks at the nearest one did try to help me, but with very few exceptions Teavana’s flavored teas are all so freaking sweet and fruity that I wonder sometimes if anyone who buys their stuff actually likes, you know, tea. Maybe they’d be happier with some juice or flavored bottled water? I don’t know, whatever makes them happy I guess, and perhaps the answer lies in the way, when they ring up your Teavana purchase, instead of saying, “That will be [outrageous sum],” they say, “Your investment in your health and wellness comes to…” Um, no. Please, just don’t.

Of course, I might be more tolerant of such foolishness if they would sell me some more Thé Blanc de Cassis. I just came across the last little bit of it, that’s been in a cannister since I discovered I couldn’t get more. Maybe three or four cups worth. It’s been ages since Specialteas closed, and every time I would look at it I would think “but I can’t get more so if I drink it it’ll be gone for good.” I suspect it’s completely flavorless by now, and not drinking it isn’t changing the fact that I can’t get more. So I guess I’ll have a cup now and drink the rest up soonish and free that space on the shelf. And nurse my continuing resentment against Teavana.

Any folks who blend and sell tea, though–if you’ve got a white tea/cranberries/mallow flower blend that’s not super sweet and fruity, or might offer one in the future, well, I might just be your target customer.

*And yes, if Adagio offered mallow flowers as a possible custom blend ingredient I’d have done that and bought the hell out of it.

Mirrored from Ann Leckie.

Comments

[tavella.livejournal.com]

I remember specialteas! Got some nice stuff from them.

I have also had tea-grief recently; I went into Peets to see if they had their winter holiday teas, and discovered they have dropped all their own teas and now stock some random other tea company. Fortunately, I like Stash English Breakfast as well as I liked Peet's version, but I really loved the Winter Solstice blend, and even last year's supply is well-faded in flavor.

[genarti]

I was coming in to say the same thing about Peets! Apparently they bought Mighty Leaf, or at least that's what the guy at the cash register told me, but I was bitterly disappointed. Mighty Leaf is fine and all, but I come to Peets for a long list of looseleaf teas I can get in a pot, not a handful of teabag options. I turned around and left.

Fortunately there's another teashop I like a few blocks away, but I liked going to both because they both had kinds the other didn't have, and Peets has way more seating. Ugh.

[tavella.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the teas were what really distinguished Peet's from Starbucks for me. I don't really have any reason to go to them now, sadly. Dammit, I will miss Winter Solstice. There's a lot of chai-like teas, but WS was both bright (there's something a little too earthy about a lot of chais for me) and complex ( a lot of spice teas are black tea with too much cinnamon and that's all.) Oh, well.

[genarti]

Right! Without that, they're just one more coffee chain which happens to have a few basic kinds of decent tea. And I'd rather that than a coffee chain which doesn't have any decent tea, but it's not an active draw; there's no reason for me to go to Peet's now unless I'm following a friend. I don't understand why the change. Surely there were plenty of others who went there for tea? And it can't be that much extra overhead relative to the profits for a company that's already shipping coffee beans around, can it?

[etumukutenyak.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Coffee Bean Direct? Their tea (loose leaf and the other kind) is now labeled Tattle Tea, but it's still their product. It used to be cheaper, but it's still mostly a decent price for tea.

[ann-leckie.livejournal.com]

I'll check them out!

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

You already know about uptontea.com, right?

[ann-leckie.livejournal.com]

Yep. Got an order on the way from them right now. :D

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain. This happens to me very often.

I don't have that blend, but Mighty Leaf do a very nice white tea with melon called "White Orchard", and somebody -- Q? -- do one with pomegranate that I didn't like but which might work for you.

[ann-leckie.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'll check those out! Thanks!