With a nod to Jim...

When people ask me where to get "normal" tea (by which they usually mean
EBT or Early Grey) in bags, I generally recommend an Indian grocery
store. They seem to have English-quality black tea at a fraction of
American prices. (Not that I'd ever buy black tea in bags myself; just
trying to be helpful and slightly mysterious.)

Finding myself down to my last 250g of Yorkshire Gold, and facing a
predicted couple of feet of wet snow to be plowed, I wondered if they
might also carry loose tea. I scoured all five of the Indian shops on
one street in a nearby town. Mostly bags, I was sorry to see, and not
much in the way of loose "workingman's tea" (as my Yorkshire uncle
called it). Instead of trying Lipton or Brooke Bond, I asked if they had
anything with more kick. Out of a half-dozen "native" selections, I was
steered toward Mamri "Tea of Assam" at $2.49/400g, and Wagh Bakri
"Strong CTC Leaf Tea" at $3.49/500g. Risky investment, I know, but one
must take chances to learn.

The Assam, in several tastings, just didn't cut it: no real off-notes,
but flat and lacking in top-notes or fragrance. I'll save it for
seasoning pots, staining didgeridoos, etc. The Wagh Bakri is pretty
drinkable, better than anything common here in bags and certainly
adequate for bull-drinking or iced tea when comes the season.

Don't think I'd buy either again, when Yorkshire Gold is £1.69 at
Sainsbury's (and the dollar's up). But a worthwhile experiment. And fun
to buy two pounds of any kind of tea for the price of a gram of decent
sheng Pu-erh or ten of oolong.

-DM