Ordering from all these amazing companies….how can you afford to do it?

I don’t. Luckily, I have a reservoir of tea, so I don’t really need to worry about it but what I have always done is to limit myself. Not a $ amount or anything specific, I just don’t let myself impulse buy very often. I grew up in a house with serious money issues and fortunately hat taught me to be very responsible/frugal. Unfortunately, this means that I have a hard time spending money, always worrying about what might pop up that needs it.

So, with tea, I kept my orders smallish, but usually big enough to reach free shipping (I live in Canada). I didn’t buy from every fab company out there…in fact, in the 5 years I have drank tea I have only ordered online from Harney & Sons, 52Teas, Butiki, Davids, Teavivre, Mandala and Verdant. I only stock teas regularly from 2 of those companies, and I haven’t ordered from three of them in years/only did one order. I have received free samples from several others, but I’ve always gone with what I knew I liked, or what seemed very likely to appeal.

I tend to not be willing to pay much for than $10/50 grams (so maybe $6/oz). A lot of the currently popular companies charge much more than that, so in general I don’t shop there. I will pay more for unflavoured tea than flavoured, and I’ve definitely spent lots on single teas before, but it’s not that common.

Once I find teas I know I like, I order them on sale. Usually in 100 g quantities because that is the amount I like to have of my favourites. All of this is totally not the way that most Steepsterites shop, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone new to tea, but it’s what I do. I also really don’t like ordering online because I like to shop locally and I also have security/fraud concerns. The number of people on here that have had their credit cards ‘hacked’ worries me. It doesn’t seem to be so common amongst people I know in the real world, but maybe that is luck. Or Canadian vs US banking? Not sure.

My suggestions if you’re just starting out and staring down all these amazing options is to limit yourself, somewhat. Like others have said, go for samples and swaps. Try a bit of everything and really pay attention to what you like. Don’t buy things just because they’re cheap, and don’t buy massive quantities unless you really love it. Even then, it’s not a good idea to get a pound, usually. I have 1/2 pound of vanilla comoro that is going on four years old to remind me of that.

Your tastes will change, most likely. I think all ours do. That is why I encourage a bit of everything. If you don’t like it now, you may in six months. If you love it now, you may not want to see it in a year. Pay attention to what you like, what you can afford, and act accordingly.

Happy tea!

IMO you can skip David’s Tea, Adagio and Golden Moon ;)