Really pricey tea :( What's the most you have ever paid?
I think I am at $22.50 for 2 oz. as the most I have paid. So far, it has been worth it!
In Japan, I paid $40 for 50 g of Jasmine Green tea. I figured “I’m only going to buy it once. What’s the worst that can happen? I don’t think it’s worth it?”
And holy gazongas. Best. Tea. Ever. Should I ever return to Kyoto, I’m hunting down that tea shop and buying them clean out.
Probably about 15 dollars an OZ, plus factor in shipping around 4 or 5 bucks it comes out to more like $20. I try to aim for teas less than 9 dollars an OZ, but splurge once in awhile.
So rereading this thread, it looks like general consensus is about $15-20/oz is the high limit. Sounds about right to me.
(Tea is awesome because per serving [counting numerous resteeps, which are often feasible with high price point teas] the very best stuff is still not as ridiculous as, say, single malt scotch or mind-altering drugs or super gourmet culinary delicacies, ha.)
So £250 for a 50g of 1960s pu-erh. Wow.
I don’t mind paying a high price for a good quality tea but I have to be sure Iwill like it first.
I only ordered 10 grams at 50 pounds. I enjoyed the tea but I don’t think I will be ordering anymore of it due to the cost. It was my first experience with a truly aged sheng.
Then again when you think what you would pay for a high quality wine or champagne, I suppose there must be a top end to the tea market.
When I used to drink, I couldn’t always tell the difference between a £5 or £30 bottle of wine so in some respects it is a risk with tea, yes I could afford to pay top whack for something but would I truly appreciate its taste? It’s a gamble
I was once at a Wing Hop Fun in Los Angeles, and was totally mesmerized by all the teas on display and for sale. They were having a 20% sale, so I splurged on a Tieguanyin that was originally priced at $80 per ounce!
there was a language problem, however, and I realized at the checkout that I was given 1/4 pound instead of the 2 ounces I had asked for! thank goodness for the 20% discount!
Gene
Are mariage freres teas worth the money? I love tea but the pricing on them is ridiculous, it would have to be something truly amazing.
We went to London a few weeks ago and had a look in Harrods and they have them for sale in there but as soon as I picked up a tin and looked at the price I put it down even faster!
As Excelsior I believe already discussed upthread, if you are a serious diehard FF SFTGFOP darjeeling fan, MF has a reputation (it gets talked about all over the place on the internet at least) as the single best place to get the very best of the season each year.
As far as “the historic French touch” with perfuming blends to be layered, evocative, and powerfully emotion/memory-inducing, I like MF a lot more than Kusmi but so far markedly less than Fauchon (and I’m pretty sure given what I’ve been hearing lately I’d like Dammann Freres better too, maybe best). Haven’t tried Nina’s Paris or Palais de Thes yet, among other notable ones. That said, in my limited exposure to French teas I will say so far I definitely see how it’s a distinct thing, with its own magical qualities that seem unique to the history of French tea shops being inspired by/born from perfumeries. And I can definitely see how it’d be a divisive thing too—you either love that or you don’t see what the big deal is at best and at worst gag at all the sweet fruity floral perfume in the teas. (shrug) For some it’s awesome and worth it, for others it’s not. Of course.
It’s something I’d have to try. The tins of loose tea look better value by a mile.
Perhaps a trip to Selfridges or Harvey Nicks in the new year
don’t know what sort of possibilities you’ve got in the UK (i’m in the US) but here a few of the places that sell MF offer it in plain bags, meant to refill the loose leaf tins, and that makes it even cheaper.
I definitely consider them worth the money – they do blends I can’t find anywhere else and the quality is exceptional. The markup for the tins is a bummer but if you’re buying them in refill bags the prices aren’t bad at all, unless you go for the fancy single estate etc. types of tea (which are going to be expensive everywhere, not just from MF).
Mariage has a branch at the location you mentioned.
LONDONSELFRIDGES
400 Oxford Street
They should have their full line of teas offered there. Yes, the MF FF Darjeelings are worth every penny. Easier to justify the expense when my wife agrees with me and enjoys the cup of Darjeeling we have after dinner.
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