From frenkel@cucis.cis.columbia.edu Sat Sep 30 16:05:53 EDT 1995 Article: 4506 of rec.food.drink.tea Path: news.ultranet.com!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!cs.utexas.edu!not-for-mail From: frenkel@cucis.cis.columbia.edu (Tom Frenkel) Newsgroups: rec.food.drink.tea Subject: *** Tea Vendor List (long) *** Date: 29 Sep 1995 22:10:07 -0500 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway Lines: 741 Sender: nobody@cs.utexas.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: news.cs.utexas.edu There recently were a couple of requests for the Tea Vendor List. Someone mentioned that it's available through the World Wide Web. But for those who may have trouble accessing it in this fashion, here is a copy of the list (very probably not the most recent version). --Tom Tom Frenkel ******* TEA VENDOR LIST ******* --- books too! --- -------------------- Revised 13 Dec. 1994 -------------------- This is a compilation of tea info (vendors and books) based on contributions from rec.food.drink members. Credit is due to Doug Smith (smith@tandem.physics.upenn.edu) for starting the list, and supplying most of the names and addresses thereon. And also for cleaning up the book section (11/94)! CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME (info, not money) -- both new vendor names and addresses, and what you might know about the vendors already listed: quality of merchandise, dependability, etc. Book recommendations welcome too. The vendors are listed first, in alphabetical order -- with one paraphernalia-only vendor at the end of the vendor list. The notation "M.O." after a vendor name means that the vendor is KNOWN to fill mail orders (other vendors may do mail order as well, but I just don't know about it yet). The book listing follows the vendor listing. Please send all correspondence concerning this list to me, and I will periodically issue an updated list to the rec.food.drink membership. (If you don't want your name and e-mail address included, please let me know.) --Tom Tom Frenkel Annotations by Tom Frenkel ("taf"), Douglas Smith ("das"), and others who will be specified below ... *** VENDOR LISTING *** American Tea, Coffee & Spice Co. 1511 Champa St. Denver CO 80202 Barnes & Watson Fine Teas (M.O.) 1319 Dexter Avenue North, Suite 030 Seattle, WA 98109 Tel (206) 283-6948 / Fax (206) 283-0799 Joseph A. Liu writes (10/94): IMHO they sells the best and freshest teas available anywhere in the USA Benchley Tea RD#1 178-G Highway 34 & Ridgewood Rd. Wall Township, NJ 07719 R.C. Bigelow 201 Black Rock Turnpike Fairfield, CT 06430 (800)562-5934. Robert Crawford, CEO. Brooke Bond Oxo Ltd. Leon House High St. Croyton, Surrey, England Cadbury Typhoo Ltd. Franklin House P.O. Box 171 Bounville, Birmingham B30 2NA England Cambridge Coffee, Tea, and Spice House 1765 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138 Casa Moneo (South American Mate') 210 West 14th St. New York, NY 10011 Celestial Seasonings 4600 Sleepytime Drive Boulder, CO 80301/ (303)530-5300. Kathy Rouse, media relations. Good for mixed herbal tea, but not good for true tea. Visit them in Boulder, nice people and everything they sell is half off. --das 5/94 Charleston Tea Plantation, Inc. (M.O.) (American Classic Tea) 6617 Maybank Highway, Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487 (800)443-5987 (803)559-0383. Mack Fleming, co-owner. I bought a box of their tea bags (in a Los Angeles supermarket), fascinated that tea was actually grown in the USA (they claim to be the only USA tea plantation). However--unromantically-- the taste seemed no better than that of the mass-market tea bags. --taf 5/94 The only tea plantation in the western hemisphere. Tours are given on the first Saturday of each month in the growing season (May- Oct.) Good to have a local product, but although fresher, not really much better than other bagged teas. --das 5/94 Jay Godwin writes (11/94): American Classic Tea appears to want to expand their horizons. In their new catalogue they offer a new loose tea. Beginning in May, 1995, they will sell a limited quantity, first flush, large leaf tea in addition to their bagged and loose varities. They do not indicate the type of tea, I assume it will be black like their other teas. Interesting development at America's only tea plantation. The catalogue includes a short history of tea production in South Carolina. The oolong grown there won 1st prize at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Corti Brothers (M.O.) PO Box 191358 Sacramento, CA 95819 916-736-3800 Jay Godwin writes (12/94): Corti Brothers sells a variety of fine food related goods, olive oil, wine, books, bourbon, and now tea. They were involved in a trip to China to visit a tea farm that was featured in the Sept/Oct issue of Saveur magazine. It was an interesting story with excellent photographs. They offer several teas from the Zhang family tea farm; Golden Cassia Hairy Crab in three grades Tieguanyin in two grades All three are oolongs. I have tried the top grade of Hairy Crab and Tieguanyin, both are very good. Tieguanyin is a nore conventional green oolong with a sharp green taste and fruit aromas. Hairy Crab is an unusual oolong, it's green but with a very mellow flavor. It's not fish flavored but there is a hint of crab in the aftertaste. I like it. They also offer two white teas; Shoumei Fuding Silver Needle I have tried the Silver Needle, it is excellent. The tea is comprised of one inch silver colored buds covered in fine hairs. White tea has a delicate and unique taste. It's worth a try. The tea is imported from China via a Hong Kong tea merchant, Wing-chi Ip, who owns the Lock Cha tea shops. It is packaged in plastic vacuum sealed bags. Crabtree & Evelyn P.O. Box 187 Woodstock Hill, CT 02681 Daruma Foods 1290 Sixth Street Berkeley CA 94710 East India Tea and Coffee Co. 1481 Third St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Empire Coffee & Tea 486 Ninth Ave. New York, NY 10018 First Colony Coffee & Tea Co. P.O. Box 11005 Norfolk, VA 23517 Flavor Cup (M.O.) also known as: Schapira Coffee & Tea Company 117 West 10th Street New York, NY 10011 212 675-3733 Steven Bookman writes (5/94): I hope you include Flavor Cup, importing both tea and coffee directly from the sources. They have been doing business on West 10th Street for over ninety years, and sell tea which matches or exceeds the freshness and taste of brands such as Jackson's and Twinings, at maybe half the cost. They sell by mail order and in wholesale quantities, as well as directy from the above address (just west of 6th Avenue). Fortnum & Mason plc 181 Piccadilly London W1A U.K. Tel: 011 44 71 734 8040 Frontier Cooperative Herbs (M.O., perhaps only wholesale) (address?) Norway, Iowa jcooper@infinet.com (Joseph Cooper) writes (6/94): We have been pleased with gunpowder green teas from Frontier Cooperative Herbs.... Frontier's products are carried in co-ops and in some health food stores. You can get either tea bags or loose tea. The last time I looked at a catalog, Frontier had one loose green tea that wholesaled at about $10/lb and another that went for about $32/lb. Georgetown Coffee, Tea and Spice (M.O.) 1330 Wisconsin Ave, NW Washington, DC 20007 202-338-3801 Jody C. Patilla writes (6/94): Another place I have dealt with often in the past is Georgetown Coffee Tea and Spice. THey have a service whereby you can place a standing order of selected items and have them shipped to you on a regular basis (you name the time frame) and automatically charged to your credit card ... Gertrude H. Ford Tea Co. P.O. Box 3407 110 Dutchess Turnpike Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 Grace Tea Company, Ltd. (M.O.) 50 West 17 St. New York, NY 10011 Phone/FAX: 212-255-2935 I make it a point to keep three of Grace's teas on hand at all times: Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, and Winey Keemun. I think that for the quality of the tea, the prices are reasonable: about $10 for half a pound. This is a small operation, and they don't take credit cards; hence no phone orders. --taf 12/94 Harney and Sons Tea Co. 1-800-tea-time The House of Tea (M.O. soon) 720 S. 4 St. Philadelphia, PA 215-923-8327 My favorite tea store ever, the owner is such a character. They have about 150 teas, and special rare teas not always in stock. He said that he doesn't want to go mail order until he has a good supply of 160-200 teas. --das 5/94 I have just returned from a visit to this store. The owner says that he will "go mail order" in a few months ... send in your address if you'd like to be on his mailing list! He has a liberal exchange policy: if you don't like the tea you've bought from him (after 1 or 2 cups), return the balance and he will exchange it for another tea ... he claims he will do this until you are satisfied. Some of the teas in this store come from "Mariage Freres" of Paris. --taf 10/94 Jackson's of Piccadilly 66-72 St. Johns Rd. Clapham Junctions, London, SW11 1PT, England Jan's Teeversand (M.O.) (Jan & Guido CARL) Im Boschmaettle 7 D - 77656 Offenburg Germany Judith Gebauer writes (6/94): They are 2 brothers who run a little tea-business from home. Their specialty are some very good Darjeeling teas (single estate) which they get directly from a small tea-exporter in India. They also sell Assam-, Doars-, Sri-Lanka- and Chinese Teas as well as some fruit tea. For the good quality they offer their prices are quite low. One has to ask them for their tea-list - and can then order the tea by mail. Thomas J. Lipton Company, 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (800)697-7897. Peter F. Goggi, president of Royal Estates Tea Co., a division of Lipton. Lisa's Tea Treasures (M.O.) 1203 Lincoln Ave, San Jose CA 95125,(408) 947 8327 --also-- 330 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030,(408) 395-8327 --also-- 1151 Minnesota Ave., San Jose, CA 95125 I've ordered tea from them, and they were very helpful. A large selection of teas from around the world. They also serve tea in their stores, although I have yet to visit. --das 5/94 Lyons Tetley Ltd. 325 Old Field Lande Greenford, Middx UB6 0A8Z England MARIAGE Freres [grave accent over 1st "e" in "Freres"!] 30-32, Rue du Bourg-Tibourg 75004 PARIS-FRANCE Tel. (1) 42 72 28 11 vicki jean merriman writes (9/94): I do not know if Mariage Freres [her favorite tea supplier] does mail order ... Their fruit teas I think are particular good. Some of the Mariage Freres teas are available through The House of Tea (see its entry above) --taf 10/94 McNulty's Tea & Coffee Co. 109 Christopher St. New York, NY 10014 Murchie's Tea & Coffee Ltd. (M.O.) 1200 Homer Street Vancouver, BC Canada V6B 2Y5 Linda Cunningham writes (7/94): ... my favourite mail order shop. They stock a wide selection of both loose and bagged teas that are lower in caffeine than most teas. Myers of Keswick 634 Hudson St. (just south of 14 St.) New York, NY Patricia (penfold@mercury.interpath.net) writes (6/94): I found a place in the city that stocks PG Tips! It's reasonably priced (relatively speaking, of course). 40 bags for $3.75. They've got a "large" selection of British teas and British foods. Highly recommended! Native Produce Co. 622 Broadway San Francisco CA 94133 Le Palais de Thes (Paris, Tokyo) L.S. Grob writes (12/94): There are a number of great tea places in Paris. Mariage Freres is one and my current favorite is le Palais de Thes which has a shop in the 14th, the 16th, the 6th Strasbourg and 2 in Tokyo. I don't know if they have quite as many teas as Mariage Freres although they may. But they have very friendly and knowledgable staff and the nest collection of Chinese and Japanese teas that I have ever seen. They also have an enormous collection of Earl Greys and Djareeling. Paprika Weiss 1546 Second Ave. New York, NY 10028 Peet's -- see Starbucks Porto Rico Importing Co. 201 Bleecker St. New York, NY 10012 James Norwood Pratt Tea Luxuries (M.O.) 1411 Powell St. San Francisco, CA 94133 (800)JNP-LUXT (voice mail) All I know of this vendor is the brochure I received from them. They sell mostly very expensive specialty teas -- I think that the priciest is the "Monkey-picked Ti Kuan Yin" at $50 for 4 ounces. They also sell tea paraphernalia, including Yi-xing teapots. --taf 12/94 The Republic of Tea 2165 East San Francisco Blvd., Suite E San Rafael, CA 94901 (800)345-5530 (415)721-2170 Bill Rosenzweig, minister of progress. They have published a book on tea and herbs, look for it in book stores. Although simplistic, and sometimes wrong, it is a good start to tea. I've seen 30 or so different teas in nice small metal containers from them in stores, but I have yet to see a catalog of everything they sell. --das 5/94 Jay Godwin writes (8/94): I just received issue number one of 'Tea Mind Times', published by The Republic of Tea. It advertises their teas but contains some helpful tea information as well. It describes how to prepare tea, the importance of presentation and has some comments on tea appreciation. I imagine you could get a copy by calling them ... H. Roth & Son. 1577 First Ave. New York, NY 10023 Schapira Coffee & Tea Co. see: Flavor Cup Shaman Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 213 E. Grand Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080 (415)952-7070. Trish Flaster, botanical sourcing manager. Simpson & Vail, Inc. (M.O.) P.O. Box 309 Pleasantville, NY 10570 914-747-1336 800-282-TEAS Fax 914-741-6942 An anonymous correspondent writes (11/94): I have been using [Simpson & Vail] for years. They have a good selection of High Quality tea (a lot better than some of the tea houses on your list). They do send a free catalogue upon request. Starbucks Coffee & Tea c/o Peet's Coffee & Tea PO box 8247 Emeryville, CA 94662 Phone (800) 999 2132, Fax (510) 704 0311 Stash Tea By Mail (M.O.) 9040 S.W. Burnham Tigard, OR 97223-6199 800-826-4218 (USA & Canada) I always keep their (loose) English Breakfast & Orange Pekoe on hand. Good mail order dept.; if they make an error, they'll rush you a replacement. Their tea bags can be ordered foil-sealed. --taf 5/94 Teahouse Kuan Yin 1911 N. 45th Seattle WA 98103 206-632-2055 I don't know if these guys do mail order, but they have good tea for the price. Not your really high end stuff but fine tea for $10- $30 a pound. They have about 30 different teas from India, China, Taiwan, and Japan, packaged in apr. 1/4 lb bags for sale. --das 5/94 Ten Ren Tea & Ginseng Co. (M.O.) (800)292-2049 949 Grant Ave., San Francisco CA 94108 --also-- 75 Mott St. (Chinatown), New York, NY 10013; 212-349-2286 --also-- 135-18 Roosevelt Ave., Flushing, NY 11354; 718-461-9305 Try their "Ten Wu" tea, expensive but delicious. The "Pu Erh" tea I tried was almost undrinkable to me; too non-Western! --taf 5/94 I love their Pu-Erh! A great source of Chinese tea and American ginseng, but over priced. They sell probably the best oolong tea in America, warning it is nothing like Indian tea. They are good about mail order and take most credit cards. --das 5/94 Traditional Medicinals, Inc. 4515 Ross Road Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707)823-8911. Linda Sadler, herbalist Good source for herbal teas. I never received a catalog from them, but their teas are in many stores. --das 5/94 R Twinings & Co., Ltd. South Way Andover, Hampshire SP10 5AQ England Upton Tea Imports (M.O.) P.O. Box 159 Upton, MA 01568 800-234-8327 Tom Eck, owner I have heard nothing but good things about Upton. They sell many "specialty" teas such as single-estate Darjeelings. They sell tea books and paraphernalia also. Their catalog, called "Upton Tea Quarterly", includes interesting articles. --taf 12/94 Steve Cummings writes(6/94): Thanks again for the lead on Upton Tea Company. I ordered some Royal Yunan that was absolutely exquisite. I was so happy that I drove out to Upton to meet Tom Eck, the owner. He is a very nice guy who loves to talk tea. His company is only a few years old, but tea is a life-long passion for him. I am certainly NOT a master tea taster! But I believe this guy has very excellent tea. Mark T. Wendell (M.O.) 50 Beharrell St. P.O. Box 1312 West Concord, MA 01742 Phone: 508-369-3709 FAX: 508-369-7972 A while back, I was given a gift of their "Boston Harbour" tea bags; quite tasty (I was not into loose tea yet at that time). They sell loose tea too. --taf 12/94 Williams Sonoma 576 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Zabars 2245 Broadway New York, NY 10024 ______________________ TEA PARAPHERNALIA ONLY: The Collector's Teapot 1-800-724-3306 (M.O.) Jay Godwin writes (11/94): Speaking of teapots, I recently received a catalogue from The Collector's Teapot. They offer a variety of fancy, and fanciful, pots in traditional and unusual shapes. They have a Vampire pot, a Guitar/Amp pot and a Statue of Liberty teapot if you are looking for one. They have three interesting Yixing pots in different shapes. The catalogue is 24 pages, with color photographs. ----------------------- And finally now that you know where to get the tea, here is list of books to tell you everything you would every want to know about what to do with the tea. These have been recommended by people on the net, they are listed here in no particular order: *** TEA BOOKS *** 1. All the Tea in China, by Kit Chow The book on Chinese tea for western people. Long descriptions of the 50 most popular teas in China, plus history, maps, charts, tables, lists of names in different languages. --das Somewhat like a non biographical updating of "The Chinese Art of Tea." The availability of quality tea in America has changed over the last 10 years and this is reflected in this book. It has updated mail order lists. --vicki jean merriman 2. A Time For Tea, By Jason Scott Goodwin The history of tea told as a travelogue. He travels from Hong Kong into China, then onto India to visit Darjeeling, and then back to London. Lots of inf. on the history and movement of tea. -- das Informative, but to my mind, written in an unpleasant style. --taf 3. The Book of Tea, by Okakura Kakuzo. 1906. The first book to try and explain Japanese tea to Americans. A short book but has lots of inf. on history and Japanese culture and tea. --das A classic on the ancient tea traditions of Japan. --vicki jean merriman 4. The Book of Tea, Preface by Anthony Burgess, Artistic Direction: Marc Walter, Translated by Deke Dusinberry, Published by Flammarion [available from Upton Tea Imports ... taf]. For those interested in learning about tea and its history, this is a nice comprehensive hard cover guide available. In the back, there is a Connoisseur's Guide. It lists recipes, tea rooms, tea shops, and tea statistics. It truly is a great book. It makes wonderful back yard reading. --Jo Wise A gorgeously photographed and printed coffee table book [tea table book? :-)]. It was very expensive ($45) but worth it as an indulgence. Not only is it gorgeous, but it has a lot of really useful and up to date information. Has mail order addresses and tea houses for all over Europe. I truly recommend this book for anyone who can afford it. --vicki jean merriman 5. The Tea Lover's Treasury, by James Norwood Pratt (Berkeley, CA: 101 Productions, 1982). [Doubtless available from J.N. Pratt Tea Luxuries ... see vendor list] The book has a huge section of "tea tales," fantastic historical anecdotes about tea and the tea trade; an extensive guide to the types of teas, with discussions of taste, production, and so on; and smaller sections on tea equipage, tea manners, the tea trade, and the technical aspects on tea production. The writing is brilliant. --Jesse Sheidlower One of my two favorite and most useful tea books. It discusses tea tales, history and tea things generally and has a good description of teas of the world. --vicki jean merriman 6. The Afternoon Tea Book, by Michael Smith (NY: Atheneum, 1986; rpt. NY: Collier, 1989). Though primarily a cookbook, it does have 80 pages of excellent discussion about tea (history, types, tastes, making thereof, equipage, and so on). The recipes are also the best I've come across. Author is English but writing for an American audience, with wit and charm. --Jesse Sheidlower 7. The Chinese Art Tea, by John Blofeld. 1985 An excellent, somewhat biographical account of tea traditions in China. He spent a lot of time in China and relates many stories. There is a good descriptive list of common and rare Chinese teas. --vicki jean merriman 8. Talking of Tea, by Gervas Huxley. 1956. An early book for collectors. Interesting, although outdated. --vicki jean merriman 9. Taking Tea, The Essential guide to Brewing, Serving, and Entertaining with Teas from Around the World. 1987. Somewhat less grandiose than its title (especially for someone who has other tea books), but it contains interesting recipes for the meal Tea. Almost more of a cookbook than a guide to tea. --vicki jean merriman 10. A Decent Cup of Tea, by Malachi McCormick. 1991. A cute little book for completists (sp). --vicki jean merriman 11. The Book of Coffee & Tea, by Joel, David & Karl Schapira. 2nd edition. 1982. It has a nice section on coffees and herbal tisanes as well as tea. -- vicki jean merriman Written by the owners of Schapira Coffee & Tea Co. (see vendor listing). "Still the most thorough and compact reference on the subject" --N.Y. Times 6/94 --taf 12. The Tea Book, by Sara Perry, Photographs by Edward Gowans (chronicle books, 1993). Soft cover with dust jacket. $12.95. A "pretty" book, designed more for looks than for depth or breadth. Decent price, though. Nice Photography and print job. the information is OK but not of much depth. No mail order info. Over half the book is recipes (some for sweet and savory items to serve at Tea and some interesting recipes using tea as an ingredient. --vicki jean merriman 13. The Book of Tea and Herbs, from the Republic of Tea. (the Cole Group, 1993). $12.00. No apparent author, "A Practical Guide from the Ministry of Information." An interesting little book of history, tea sayings and other miscellaneous info. It has a pronunciation guide to the Chinese teas, which I appreciated. Also has a decent section on herbs, their history, lore and uses. NOTE: this book is available by mail order from the Company, The Republic of Tea. However, I ordered it from my friendly neighborhood bookstore. They got it in with no problem and I didn't have to pay any shipping costs. :-) :-). Always a good idea. --vicki jean merriman 14. The Republic of Tea, Letters to a Young Zentrepreneur For a look at the creation of the Republic read 'The Republic of Tea, Letters to a Young Zentrepreneur'. It documents the creation of this interesting company through faxes between Mel and Patricia Ziegler, and Bill Rosenzweig about tea and the formation of a successful tea company. The motivations for forming a business vary, and change. I got my copy at the library. --Jay And various other sources of info: ---------------------------------------------------------- vicki jean merriman writes (9/94): The following I do not have but have seen them listed in other books: Scott, J. M. The Great Tea Venture (new York: E.P. Dutton & Co. 1964) Shalleck, Jamie. Tea (NY The Viking Press, 1972). Said to be excellent on the history of tea. Ukers, William. All about Tea (Whitestone, NY: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal co., 1935) Ukers, William. The Romance of Tea (NY: Knopf, 1936) Woodward, Nancy Hyden. Teas of the World (NY: collier Books, Macmillan, 1980). (Supposed to be an excellent accounting of American and English tea history, but its probably outdated as to what is available in the world.) Maitland, Derek. 5000 years of Tea, a Pictorial Companion (Honkkong: CFW Publications, Ltd., 1983). "Delightful coffee table book" (not my words, I've not seen the book). ----------------------------------------------------------- And finally, a magazine recommendation ... Jay Godwin writes (9/94): For an illuminating tour of a Chinese tea farm see the Sept./Oct. issue of Saveur, a new food magazine published in a venture with, among others, America Online. 'Making Tea' by Amanda Stinchecum tours Zhang Shui-lai's tea farm in the Fujian province of China and includes beautiful photographs of the farm and tea processing by Hong Kong photographer George Chan. Stinchecum documents the process of making oolong tea from picking to packing at this small farm where much of the labor is still done by hand. One photograph shows a man sweeping a green carpet of newly picked tea leaves, a terraced mountain slope looming in the background mist. The article ends with tea advice, like how to make a pot of Chinese tea, and tea sources, including sources for tea from the Zhang farm.