Thank you so much for reviewing our tea! A big thanks for simply putting the word out about American tea. We know tea growing in the US is relatively small compared to other areas of the world but it is growing. Each tea grower is creating their own distinct flavor and delivering new and exciting American teas. If you are ever in the Mississippi area we would be happy to welcome you for a farm tour. We would love to share with you some more details on just how our teas are harvested and processed. Oolong and Yellow tea are rarely made in the US and we make both. Thank you again, may your cup always be full.
I will also vouch for The Great Mississippi Tea Company. I've had tea from other companies that are produced in the states but these guys put in the work.
As a tea enthusiast from China, I have heard about your company. Although many traditional tea connoisseurs believe that teas with different processing methods should be distinctly separate, the fact is that there are some teas that fall into blurry classifications but still possess excellent qualities. For example, Darjeeling and Oriental Beauty are teas that blur the line between black tea and oolong tea. You have understood this aspect correctly. Another issue you need to pay attention to is the presence of acidity in tea, which is a discordant note that displeases tea drinkers. Acidity is introduced through incorrect fermentation and it hinders the tea's expression of being "clean." These are my suggestions, and may your cup always be full.
Actually really thankful that he shouted yall out too! Never wouldve known that theres a tea farm less than 2 hours from me! Definitely want to come check it out!
I have been BIGNE watching Mei leaf for a while now as i am coming off heavy alcohol use and prescription pills. Just wanting to say thankyou so much for great content and keeping my mind busy on good things. Tea is life! Mei leaf is life.
Living in Hawaii I have many opportunities to experience and taste U.S. grown teas. I in fact live a few miles from several tea producers and often have the chance to pick and see production first hand. There are many world class teas being produced here, mostly hand picked, hand produced small batch teas. Some Forest grown teas at higher altitude in volcanic soil surrounded by fern and Hawaiian native trees have a terroir that’s amazing. These teas can be truly excellent and have a character that makes them stand apart. Considering that these teas are grown on some of the most expensive real estate, paying North American wages for labor, it’s difficult to separate, but price at some level just doesn’t factor into my thinking. If I spend $20-$30 for 25grams of tea, then I get a unique tea from a terroir that’s high quality and special. Will I buy 100 grams? Probably not, but for the price of lunch I get several sessions of something that can’t be found any place else. Like in all tea producing regions there are not so nice teas, lots of middle of the road and a few select teas that are truly special. If you ever decide on a holiday in Hawaii let me know and I’ll get you a tour and tasting. Thanks for the content and for sharing great tea with your audience.
Have you had Cloud Water from Kauai? They had a really amazing white tea and a wok roasted green that I adored but I heard they went under because of a divorce 😭
Don, really appreciate you tasting these teas and giving your honest opinion. It was fun selecting teas for you, as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about American tea. It’s interesting you compared 2 and 4 before knowing they were both from Hawaii. Maybe there is something in the soil there that leads to that pleasant, rounded qualities you found. PS I swear we don’t water our plants with pancake syrup over here.
I am an American born in 1963 and raised here. A colleague entered the break room with a lovely gaiwan and proceeded to drop a stale Lipton tea bag into it. I complimented his gaiwan and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. He dipped the tea bag 4 times and tossed it, then adding far too much sugar and leaving with a sideways glance at the fool who just insulted his teacup. Welcome to America. I am happy to see my countrymen trying to produce quality teas and wish them all the success they desire in that endeavor.
I cringed so hard at the teabag dunk- dunk- dunk. One of my coworkers makes tea by putting the bag in a cup of cold water and microwaving it. I died inside the first time i saw her do that.
i must admit, i had 'great' gong fu sessions ripping open (lipton) tea bags and using the leaf then. when nothing else is available, the tea bags do help me out :)
Great video for sure ! I greatly appreciate Don's honesty and expertise ! It's almost like one of the masterclass videos since it gives some insights into tea tasting and tea selection care that goes into the Mei Leaf catalogue.
I've had some truly phenomenal teas from Hawaii. They were also very expensive, in large part because of the cost of everything is higher there than on the mainland. Great Mississippi Tea Company is definitely leading the way when i comes to innovation in American grown tea.
Shout out to Gus for finding the time and sending out those teas! Mr. Fring is a well-respected person in Albuquerque, most known for the beloved Los Pollos Hermanos family restaurant chain. Didn't peg him as a tea person though!
Tuning in with some Simple Dreams in my Nixing bell! Favorite tea of 2022? Possibly. Really surprised by the scores. Usually these reviews never get scored this high. Congrats to the producers.
If you ever get the chance, you need to try the teas from Longleaf Tea Co. It's quality stuff. They gave a green tea called Meadow which is fantastic. It reminds me of the green tea that I have had from white2tea.
Hello, I'm from the USA. Every time we buy tea in America here where I live, I am always disappointed. We just ordered on March 27, 2024 for the first time from you the Alishan Cream, Zhenghe White Peony, Purple Rose and Candy Tree Black. We are waiting for the arrival and we probably won't get it until sometime in April. Can't wait! So excited! The way you express how good these teas are that you have, you might be the only ones we are going to stick to😅
Fascinating video. Just the other day, my wife asked if it's possible to grow coffee in the US, and I said not really, but I know they grow tea here. However, I had no idea what it was like. This was an eye opener. Btw, watching your videos makes me feel like it would be so much fun to do a tea session with you. Your knowledge base and expansive palate would be a real education to experience side by side.
Finding out how expensive non-Mei Leaf-worthy (score under 10) teas go for in the world, makes you understand and value teas which Don chose to represent in his shop even more: they're less expensive and more rewarding taste-wise.
Don, I have had the pleasure of visiting your tea store in Camden twice, in late February and earlier this March. I even saw Celine speaking with a possible client while I sat and had a pot of GABA oolong which was a delightful experience. I have tried a few American teas but honestly, they've fallen short because they're often cut up too much. The last one I can remember was from a tea store in Beacon, NY. It was a Jasmine green tea. It was nice but again a little messy being that it was a little too fine. I had to be very careful not to over brew which resulted in too much astringency. Hopefully, I will come across an American tea which has a similar quality as a good Chinese or Japanese sourced tea.
South carolina (#1) some of the plants possibly 100+ years old (they grew wild for a period of time in the US for 45 years if it is the same company i think it is). mississippi tea company (#3) is ~10 years 5 months old i don't know how old their plants were before they started production.
one day i have to buy some us-tea. they have some good educational videos too. so always love to see when a tea company is transparent and tries to show us how/why/what they produce. learned some years ago that there were dozens of tea farms in the 1800s and early 20th century. but labor cost was too high.
I’ve been eyeing the Mississippi tea for a while here. I live relatively close that that region. Haven’t tried it because it is expensive and was worried it would fall flat. Want to try it now given your impressions. Thought it may not be pinnacle tea, would be cool to try out some tea grown close to me
i didn't know we grew tea in the US besides just Lipton (in the mainland anyway-i thought Hawai'i would be the only US state with the climate necessary to produce tea). glad to know we're doing decently!
For the first tea I definitely would’ve considered it if it wasn’t grounded into near dust. I just like things in my tea sessions to be clean. It would be a better deal if they made that one into a tea resin instead.
the Hawai'i price is reflective of the cost of living being so high in Hawai'i versus South Carolina. And. its actually pronounced Hu-vie-ee by the locals
Love these videos Don. I have hope for American teas. As a Spaniard with Italian friends and family you can imagine how conflicted I feel about American wines.
Please make that video on the cultural differences between traditional tea regions revealed through their tea. The kind of meta topics I love diving into. And working on similar material here too with regards to the resurgence of a lot of traditional and ancient practises, particularly in the culinary world. The only people who would be offended imo would be a small (overly vocal) subset of the Anglosphere, on behalf the would-be offendees ;)
My suspicion on US vs Chinese tea is the US, especially in the east is more developed and urban. As opposed to the mountains of china. If you want me to try US tea i need to know the specific area it was grown.
USPS charges for mail to/from Hawaii which will leave the US, travel through international waters, and back into the US. Mail to/from Alaska is treated the same way.
Interesting video! When I drink green,I usually go with Lu’an Gua Pian,it’s pretty much the only one that hits the mark for me. That sad excuse for silver needle white,what a pity. And Oolong,well don’t bother with American attempts at that. Find your Oolong. The Oolong will find YOU!😊
The short brew time you use is shocking! I find I like my cheap bagged teas more pleasant at a 5 min brew time. I suppose that is because I use the crappy stuff.
Hey, a spoiler alert would be nice! But you have got to value in the labor costs and the general spending power of an average North American tea person.
@@henseleric when watching from a larger screen, you can see the first 5-6 comments under the video rectangle, before you go to full screen. That's how/why :)
@@GutekZ Yeah, but it seems to be mostly sold abroad. I don’t know anyone in the UK who drinks it (even amongst those who drink tea bag tea). I mainly recall seeing it in supermarkets in France and Spain rather than here.
tea drinkers get robbed in ohio. there is nothing around the north eastern half. all ya get is the basic grocery stores and mcdonalds, chicfila,dunkin donuts. or sit inside a restaurant and get the same ol basic, lipton with no life. coffee drinkers have it made, you can get coffee literally anywhere anytime.
Feel you on this. Misophonia sucks, and people who don't understand can be dbags about it. Anyway, I've become pretty skilled at muting/unmuting when the slurp is in sight. That may work for you too. Cheers.
@@OWR_Mission Misophonia has nothing to do with disrespect. It'd be nice if more people could grasp that. Anyway, yes Don's content is stellar, and I hope you can keep enjoying it. Cheers.
As an American that grew up in Hicksville USA I can promise you that my pallet totally lacks finesse. Simply put, I did not have access to the quality of food that someone in a more sophisticated area has. Even now with an explosion of people and wealth in my area, the available food is simple, cheap, and very much heartland. The tea available from local stores is mostly bagged and the small amount of loose leaf available is little better quality than bagged tea.
Thank you so much for reviewing our tea! A big thanks for simply putting the word out about American tea. We know tea growing in the US is relatively small compared to other areas of the world but it is growing. Each tea grower is creating their own distinct flavor and delivering new and exciting American teas. If you are ever in the Mississippi area we would be happy to welcome you for a farm tour. We would love to share with you some more details on just how our teas are harvested and processed. Oolong and Yellow tea are rarely made in the US and we make both. Thank you again, may your cup always be full.
I will also vouch for The Great Mississippi Tea Company. I've had tea from other companies that are produced in the states but these guys put in the work.
cool to see you guys! And yeah would love to try some more American made teas and see what kind of experiments you guys make with teas
As a tea enthusiast from China, I have heard about your company. Although many traditional tea connoisseurs believe that teas with different processing methods should be distinctly separate, the fact is that there are some teas that fall into blurry classifications but still possess excellent qualities. For example, Darjeeling and Oriental Beauty are teas that blur the line between black tea and oolong tea. You have understood this aspect correctly. Another issue you need to pay attention to is the presence of acidity in tea, which is a discordant note that displeases tea drinkers. Acidity is introduced through incorrect fermentation and it hinders the tea's expression of being "clean." These are my suggestions, and may your cup always be full.
High praise for a "Limited Edition" tea that isn't available. Bait and switch?
Actually really thankful that he shouted yall out too! Never wouldve known that theres a tea farm less than 2 hours from me! Definitely want to come check it out!
I have been BIGNE watching Mei leaf for a while now as i am coming off heavy alcohol use and prescription pills. Just wanting to say thankyou so much for great content and keeping my mind busy on good things.
Tea is life! Mei leaf is life.
Proud of you. Kombucha is also a good drink to have instead.
Living in Hawaii I have many opportunities to experience and taste U.S. grown teas. I in fact live a few miles from several tea producers and often have the chance to pick and see production first hand. There are many world class teas being produced here, mostly hand picked, hand produced small batch teas. Some Forest grown teas at higher altitude in volcanic soil surrounded by fern and Hawaiian native trees have a terroir that’s amazing. These teas can be truly excellent and have a character that makes them stand apart. Considering that these teas are grown on some of the most expensive real estate, paying North American wages for labor, it’s difficult to separate, but price at some level just doesn’t factor into my thinking. If I spend $20-$30 for 25grams of tea, then I get a unique tea from a terroir that’s high quality and special. Will I buy 100 grams? Probably not, but for the price of lunch I get several sessions of something that can’t be found any place else. Like in all tea producing regions there are not so nice teas, lots of middle of the road and a few select teas that are truly special. If you ever decide on a holiday in Hawaii let me know and I’ll get you a tour and tasting. Thanks for the content and for sharing great tea with your audience.
Have you had Cloud Water from Kauai? They had a really amazing white tea and a wok roasted green that I adored but I heard they went under because of a divorce 😭
Don, really appreciate you tasting these teas and giving your honest opinion. It was fun selecting teas for you, as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about American tea. It’s interesting you compared 2 and 4 before knowing they were both from Hawaii. Maybe there is something in the soil there that leads to that pleasant, rounded qualities you found.
PS I swear we don’t water our plants with pancake syrup over here.
Thanks so much and apologies for the epic delay.
I wonder if Hawaii having volcanic soil has anything to do with it.
I am an American born in 1963 and raised here. A colleague entered the break room with a lovely gaiwan and proceeded to drop a stale Lipton tea bag into it. I complimented his gaiwan and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. He dipped the tea bag 4 times and tossed it, then adding far too much sugar and leaving with a sideways glance at the fool who just insulted his teacup. Welcome to America. I am happy to see my countrymen trying to produce quality teas and wish them all the success they desire in that endeavor.
I cringed so hard at the teabag dunk- dunk- dunk.
One of my coworkers makes tea by putting the bag in a cup of cold water and microwaving it.
I died inside the first time i saw her do that.
buy it from them for a lunch or something :P
lol
i must admit, i had 'great' gong fu sessions ripping open (lipton) tea bags and using the leaf then. when nothing else is available, the tea bags do help me out :)
Great video for sure ! I greatly appreciate Don's honesty and expertise ! It's almost like one of the masterclass videos since it gives some insights into tea tasting and tea selection care that goes into the Mei Leaf catalogue.
I've had some truly phenomenal teas from Hawaii. They were also very expensive, in large part because of the cost of everything is higher there than on the mainland. Great Mississippi Tea Company is definitely leading the way when i comes to innovation in American grown tea.
25:00 Sounds like a "palet de dame" or "Gateau nantais" to me, white crumbly(ish) cake with a nice glossy pearly glaze on top
I never knew that we grew tea here in the USA. Thanks for sharing this.
Wow, I didn’t know we had decent tea producers over here. 🇺🇸
Shout out to Gus for finding the time and sending out those teas! Mr. Fring is a well-respected person in Albuquerque, most known for the beloved Los Pollos Hermanos family restaurant chain. Didn't peg him as a tea person though!
I actually heard he was blown up in a tea deal gone wrong :(
Tuning in with some Simple Dreams in my Nixing bell! Favorite tea of 2022? Possibly.
Really surprised by the scores. Usually these reviews never get scored this high. Congrats to the producers.
LOVE these uploads
If you ever get the chance, you need to try the teas from Longleaf Tea Co. It's quality stuff. They gave a green tea called Meadow which is fantastic. It reminds me of the green tea that I have had from white2tea.
Hello, I'm from the USA. Every time we buy tea in America here where I live, I am always disappointed. We just ordered on March 27, 2024 for the first time from you the Alishan Cream, Zhenghe White Peony, Purple Rose and Candy Tree Black. We are waiting for the arrival and we probably won't get it until sometime in April. Can't wait! So excited! The way you express how good these teas are that you have, you might be the only ones we are going to stick to😅
Fascinating video. Just the other day, my wife asked if it's possible to grow coffee in the US, and I said not really, but I know they grow tea here. However, I had no idea what it was like. This was an eye opener.
Btw, watching your videos makes me feel like it would be so much fun to do a tea session with you. Your knowledge base and expansive palate would be a real education to experience side by side.
Finding out how expensive non-Mei Leaf-worthy (score under 10) teas go for in the world, makes you understand and value teas which Don chose to represent in his shop even more: they're less expensive and more rewarding taste-wise.
Excellent assessment, for what it’s worth. 🧐 Thank you.
Don, I have had the pleasure of visiting your tea store in Camden twice, in late February and earlier this March. I even saw Celine speaking with a possible client while I sat and had a pot of GABA oolong which was a delightful experience.
I have tried a few American teas but honestly, they've fallen short because they're often cut up too much. The last one I can remember was from a tea store in Beacon, NY. It was a Jasmine green tea. It was nice but again a little messy being that it was a little too fine. I had to be very careful not to over brew which resulted in too much astringency. Hopefully, I will come across an American tea which has a similar quality as a good Chinese or Japanese sourced tea.
There is a fam in galicia that is producing green tea :) wanna try
Would be interested to know the age of the plants these teas came from. Wondering if young plants were a factor in taste?
South carolina (#1) some of the plants possibly 100+ years old (they grew wild for a period of time in the US for 45 years if it is the same company i think it is). mississippi tea company (#3) is ~10 years 5 months old i don't know how old their plants were before they started production.
@@mrmoose6765 it has to be the same one you're thinking of, Charleston is the only one in SC
one day i have to buy some us-tea. they have some good educational videos too. so always love to see when a tea company is transparent and tries to show us how/why/what they produce. learned some years ago that there were dozens of tea farms in the 1800s and early 20th century. but labor cost was too high.
I hope you'll do more supermarket tastings.
I’ve been eyeing the Mississippi tea for a while here. I live relatively close that that region. Haven’t tried it because it is expensive and was worried it would fall flat. Want to try it now given your impressions. Thought it may not be pinnacle tea, would be cool to try out some tea grown close to me
i didn't know we grew tea in the US besides just Lipton (in the mainland anyway-i thought Hawai'i would be the only US state with the climate necessary to produce tea). glad to know we're doing decently!
For the first tea I definitely would’ve considered it if it wasn’t grounded into near dust. I just like things in my tea sessions to be clean. It would be a better deal if they made that one into a tea resin instead.
the Hawai'i price is reflective of the cost of living being so high in Hawai'i versus South Carolina. And. its actually pronounced Hu-vie-ee by the locals
were they better than you expected?
37:55 don't cater to the PC crowd - you're a good dude with a good heart. Make whatever vids u want
Love these videos Don. I have hope for American teas. As a Spaniard with Italian friends and family you can imagine how conflicted I feel about American wines.
I mean it's not like California won the Judgement of Paris or anything...
Would be interesting to see south American tea comparison 🤔
😮 I associate Coffee from there so much I never thought to look for tea.
TO GOOGLE!!
South Carolina was the first area on the main land to grow tea farm
Please make that video on the cultural differences between traditional tea regions revealed through their tea. The kind of meta topics I love diving into. And working on similar material here too with regards to the resurgence of a lot of traditional and ancient practises, particularly in the culinary world.
The only people who would be offended imo would be a small (overly vocal) subset of the Anglosphere, on behalf the would-be offendees ;)
I have sipped #3 tea and you are right on for your description, I did buy. I may have tasted #1 too and again you are right on, I didn't buy.
My suspicion on US vs Chinese tea is the US, especially in the east is more developed and urban. As opposed to the mountains of china. If you want me to try US tea i need to know the specific area it was grown.
I really wish America produced more teas unfortunately it just isn’t part of our agricultural system
That should be changing soon
hey, at least you're pioneering the cultivation of cannabis in some of your states. mush love from bavaria, land of the brews (not tea ;)
OK, USA tea, I first heard about the UAS produce tea.
Poison and bong water as the last two on the scale 😭
Any product from Hawaii is expensive due to the expense of mailing to the American continent. It's pronounced hah-vi-ee.
USPS charges for mail to/from Hawaii which will leave the US, travel through international waters, and back into the US. Mail to/from Alaska is treated the same way.
Interesting video!
When I drink green,I usually go with Lu’an Gua Pian,it’s pretty much the only one that hits the mark for me.
That sad excuse for silver needle white,what a pity.
And Oolong,well don’t bother with American attempts at that.
Find your Oolong.
The Oolong will find YOU!😊
I wonder how many Americans know that 'biscuit' is the English word for 'cookie.' That is, when they aren't calling them 'cakes.'
Well, ‘cookies are a type of biscuit in the British sense’ would be a more accurate statement.
. . . . . . 26:20 . . . Did he say duck sh**? Think I'll be avoiding that one.
A great tea with an unfortunate name
@MeiLeaf Ha😉 I was trying to be witty.
I absolutely love your channel 😄👍
Before we even dive in, I doubt we’ll get a nine, probably not an 8 either
Well done, thanks for sharing!!!
Have some faith !
The short brew time you use is shocking! I find I like my cheap bagged teas more pleasant at a 5 min brew time. I suppose that is because I use the crappy stuff.
As a fat American ill admit we love our biscuits and pancakes lol
I just drink Twinings, Ito En, Mariage Freres, Tra Viet, and Republic of Tea.
Don called us Americans biscuity 🤭
If you want to get proper on the pronunciation of Hawaii. The W is pronounced as a V. Ha vai'ie
Wish they wernt always sold out....
1.43$/g wow 💀
Hey, a spoiler alert would be nice! But you have got to value in the labor costs and the general spending power of an average North American tea person.
@@Apollo440 Spoiler? Why are you reading the comments before watching the clip?
@@henseleric when watching from a larger screen, you can see the first 5-6 comments under the video rectangle, before you go to full screen. That's how/why :)
bongwater :D
I didn't know there was an American tea other than Lipton, which is awful.
Lipton is a British brand.
@@GutekZ Yeah, but it seems to be mostly sold abroad. I don’t know anyone in the UK who drinks it (even amongst those who drink tea bag tea). I mainly recall seeing it in supermarkets in France and Spain rather than here.
tea drinkers get robbed in ohio. there is nothing around the north eastern half. all ya get is the basic grocery stores and mcdonalds, chicfila,dunkin donuts. or sit inside a restaurant and get the same ol basic, lipton with no life. coffee drinkers have it made, you can get coffee literally anywhere anytime.
the flavor is more important than the scent.... booooo tea is disappointing, I'm going back to my $1.99 grocery store tea bags.
I love your videos but the slurping sounds can get a bit overwhelming because they're right on the mic
I love the slurrps- makes me feel like I’m drinking
Ok.
Feel you on this. Misophonia sucks, and people who don't understand can be dbags about it. Anyway, I've become pretty skilled at muting/unmuting when the slurp is in sight. That may work for you too. Cheers.
@@MrSulfurMustard yeah, i mean it with the ytmost respect to don because his channel is amazing, but yeah, it's a weird thing 😪
@@OWR_Mission Misophonia has nothing to do with disrespect. It'd be nice if more people could grasp that. Anyway, yes Don's content is stellar, and I hope you can keep enjoying it. Cheers.
What are you drinkinking ? Stop ! This ist Poison ! Stop it !🤮
😂 lol
Based on my personal annual experience with food and wine, we need to talk about the finesse of the palate of the average US consumer.
As an American that grew up in Hicksville USA I can promise you that my pallet totally lacks finesse. Simply put, I did not have access to the quality of food that someone in a more sophisticated area has. Even now with an explosion of people and wealth in my area, the available food is simple, cheap, and very much heartland. The tea available from local stores is mostly bagged and the small amount of loose leaf available is little better quality than bagged tea.
"Pancake syrup" notes? Ugh. Lol. So fitting. 🥲🇺🇸
Don, you might not get told this, but I enjoy and appreciate your efforts. 💪🫡✌️