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Step 1
Locate tea purveyors. Tea purveyors are online and offer the chance to buy teas through websites or catalogues. Tea houses, gourmet stores, restaurants and other tea drinkers offer local sources for gourmet teas.
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Step 2
Research the tea purveyor's reputation. Look for companies that have won awards for their gourmet teas. Positive ratings from gourmet magazines and other tea experts are beneficial.
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Step 3
Obtain tea origins. Tea like coffee varies in taste and quality depending on where it's grown. The tea purveyor should be able to explain how the region the tea is grown in impacts the quality.
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Step 4
Examine the product. Gourmet tea leaves should appear unbroken and uniform in color and shape. The tea should have a fresh, fairly strong scent.
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Step 5
Look for a gourmet tea supplier that offers a guarantee on the product and issues refunds if you're dissatisfied with the product.
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Step 6
Check the packaging. To retain freshness, loose leaf teas should be sold in metal containers or other containers that block out light and prevent air from entering.
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Step 7
Try a sample. Before spending money on a product that might not suit your taste buy a tea sampler. Tea samplers allow you to try out small amounts of several different tea varieties and flavors.
