Tea Zone is closing

[stargazer.livejournal.com]

I know this is stretching Davis Square a bit, but for those of us who live here it's definitely the best place to get tea: Tea Zone, just outside Porter, is closing at the end of March. The lease is ending and the proprietor has no plans to find a new place. He says he expects to have tea in stock the whole time, so if you want to get your last fix, make sure you do it soon.

Comments

[enhf94.livejournal.com]

And does anyone know a reputable, high-volume, SFTGFOP tea shop closer to Davis than Upton Tea Imports?

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

Well, what kind of Tea varietal do you want? I assume you're looking for Assams since you're using the grading convention common to the Subcontinent. Saying your want Special Flowery Tippy Golden Full Orange Pekoe describes the way the leaves appear, but not what varietal, which Estate, nor how the tea tastes.

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm as big as they get.

[ultra-lilac.livejournal.com]

Hope this doesn't count as advertising, because I work there, but we (http://www.yelp.com/biz/virtuous-teas-newton) have over 300 types of loose leaf and lots of SFTGFOP from different regions and estates. Free samples always available too!
It depends how high-volume you're looking for, but we can sometimes figure out deals for bulk buyers.
We're in Newton.

Sad to hear they're closing, even though they're technically competition.
There need to be more indie tea shops, not fewer! :-)

[annalauwa.livejournal.com]

oh how sad! i always get my teas from there. i guess i'll have to go stock up

[ron_newman]

For those of us not that familiar with tea ... how does this place compare to Tealuxe in Harvard Square?

comparison

[allli.livejournal.com]

teazone is cheaper and i think the teas are higher quality. they're certainly packaged better. the teazone shop is not a cafe, so it's much quieter (often you're the only customer), and the shopkeeper knows about the tea.

[enhf94.livejournal.com]

I'd agree with allli, and add that high volume tends to help, since tea can degrade over time. As a tea shop, Tealuxe will generally sell a lot, but depending on your pickiness, you might turn up your nose at some of their qualities. If you're interested in learning, consider seeking out Cynthia Gold, who lives around here and is one of, I think, six tea sommeliers in the world (and, I think, the only one who is also a chef).

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

one of, I think, six tea sommeliers in the world

There are more than six trained tea sommeliers in New York to my certain knowledge, and there may be more than six trained tea sommeliers in Boston. Both the Tea Academy in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the Tea Association of the United States of America have been offering sommelier certifications for three years.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Which is not to take away from Ms. Gold's achievement or training, both of which I am sure are excellent, just to point out that she is far from alone in having reached that level of professionalism.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear this news. He does a lot of online business so I hope that part of the business still flourishes.

MEM Tea Imports could be a local alternative if you buy/drink a lot of tea. Only recently did I realize that MEM's office/outlet at 316 Highland Ave. (between Hancock and Cherry Sts) sells their tea to walk-in customers in 1 lb. minimum increments. MEM supplies teas to nearly every establishment in the area that serves loose-leaf tea. Example: http://truegrounds.com/images/MEM_tea_menu.JPG) Packages of their tea in amounts smaller than 1 lb. are carried at Christina's in Inman Sq., Cardullo's in Harvard Sq., and probably at some places nearby I have not noticed. (Taza's factory outlet carries a few varieties of MEM tea blended with Taza organic cacao shells.)

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Only recently did I realize that MEM's office/outlet at 316 Highland Ave. (between Hancock and Cherry Sts) sells their tea to walk-in customers in 1 lb. minimum increments

Thank you for this information!

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

Verified! We also went to MEM yesterday and bought one pound of decorated rooibos for $30 which is cheaper than paying $10 for a 4-ounce package at Cardullo's. Plus, the people working there were super nice.

[eredien]

This is great! I drink a *lot* of tea and am tired of paying mail-order shipping. Do you know if they have lapsang souchong?

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Sadness! *sigh* I'll have to go stock up on the white chocolate chai, which is wonderful.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

After seeing everyone's positive remarks, I went to Tea Zone yesterday. It's a really great shop. I liked that there were samples out for smelling and getting a close look. They are not cheap but they were very reasonable for a premium product, more reasonable than other places I've shopped.

I had avoided this shop because ... the font on the sign and in the windows looks amateurish to me. I know, I know that's so petty ... I'm regretting that that is what initially put me off because other than the terrible font choice, I really like this shop.

[copperpoint.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Do we know if he'll still be doing a mail order business?