Tea culture is diverse, and there are many different largely non-overlapping traditions of tea, associated with different countries, production methods, and styles of tea preparation.
The main divides are between English and British tea culture, and the closely related European cultures, which favor strong black teas and blends like Earl Grey, and the Asian cultures which tend to focus more on green teas. Asian tea culture is further divided into Japanese green teas vs. Chinese green teas and other Chinese teas like oolong and Pu-erh. Pu-erh is really a culture of its own, appreciated mostly by a small group of connoisseurs. Different tea companies focus on teas from different countries and cultures.
There are also numerous companies that specialize in herbal teas: some of these brands specialize in medicinal teas, whereas others focus on herbal teas more as beverages. Also common are blends of tea with herbs and other flavorings, common among mainstream brands like Tazo and Bigelow. Even among brands that focus on flavored teas, there are certain flavor aesthetics that each company favors or leans towards. Learning these can help you buy what you most enjoy drinking.
If you want to buy Japanese tea, buy from a Japanese company or one with Japanese roots or expertise, not one that focuses on English teas, and vice versa if you want a British-style tea. Think of what teas you enjoy the most, and buy from a brand with a focus on those styles of tea.
Questions? Comments? Feedback?
Your article reminded me that I used to love a tea called 'Constant Comment.' I haven't enjoyed it in quite a while, but seem to remember it was by Bigelow. Thanks for the reminder!
I'm a big tea drinker. I like your advice about buying from a company's strengths. Just in what's offered in black tea, there is a wide range of quality from brand to brand.
Oh, thanks for pointing out about the photo...I am not able to fix that right now but when I get back to work during my regular workday, I will fix that. This is one of the many pages I moved over from Squidoo, and in the process, I've had to upload pictures separately and the pictures aren't up yet from this article...I have been wanting to add even more pictures too, as they're easier to work with on this site.
Oh, I wish you had included that thumbnail photo in the article as well. It would have been interesting to see, and it would also allow for pinning.
I've bought from Adagio in the past, for friends. Their offer looked appealing, and the prices were ok. I see you have a page about Adagio and Teavana. I'll go read it :)
I've never tried that one, but I do tend to like Yogi's herbal blends...I have had real, brewed kombucha, which I tried once in Austin, TX, and it was weird--very sour and I wasn't a huge fan. But yeah, I think Stash is pretty solid. I remember starting to really like Stash teas when I first tried them in college, I think I first tried their jasmine, but I since became a fan of their lemon ginger, ginger peach, chai, and fusion green & white teas.
I always recommend people to keep trying other brands though, and especially to try loose tea. Although I do like Stash a lot, when I started trying a broader range of teas, I discovered a lot of stuff I liked even more. Stash as a company, actually also sells loose tea online! I've never tried any of theirs though, but just from looking at their descriptions on the website, and the picture of the leaf, it looks pretty legit.
I've recently found the Stash line of tea and like it very much, but the tea I buy most is Yogi's Green Tea Kombucha.