The best tea company?

Over the past month, I have bought a ton of tea from Adagio. It's easy and I love the ingenuitea(s), which are genius.

I found them because of the ingenuitea. I had been looking for the perfect glass tea pot. I have a LOT of teapots (clay, china, cast iron), but I thought glass would be perfect for me -- doesn't hold flavor, easy to clean, obvious when to make a new pot. Turns out, the perfect glass tea pot is plastic, which I dump into my 2 cup assam bodum.

Anyway . . .

I have been noticing that the quality is just not as good as the Rishi or Republic of Tea.

It's disappointing because I really like the company. They have great customer service, the shipping is ridiculously fast and cheap, and it's family-owned and operated.

The prices are comparable, I think. Rishi may be $0.50 more or so. Republic is a little more expensive, but that's marketing and shelf space costs, I am sure.

I have been checking other sites and tea blogs for ingredient guidance, but I have not yet found anyone who has said "Rishi is the best!" or "Republic of Tea Rules!"

I have been drinking Republic teas for years -- in bags and loose. They make excellent tea blends and I loved the Hojicha. Plus, their super-premium jasmine pearl is the best tasting tea ever. It's also the most expensive tea I can imagine purchasing. The cute factor of their brand had been a bit of a turnoff, since it makes them seem (to me) a little less serious about tea, but I realize that's silly of me.

Rishi is the brand I have been drinking the most over this year, although I didn't realize it until I did my original inventory in June. I like the fact that a lot of it is organic. (I try to consume organic whenever possible, in addition to "wild," "hormone free," etc. It's not just about sustainability. I am nervous about the chemicals I put into my body.)

From my reading, there are people who are extremely, extremely serious about their tea purchasing. I am not sure that I can get into the different estate or vintage, etc. I don't have that kind of time. As with everything in life, I prefer to have pro who sorts through everything for me.