If you love Twinings teas, as I do*, you may want to take advantage of a good sale this week at Garden Fresh Market (I went to the GFM in Mundelein, but I think the sale is at all GFMs): $1.99 for a 20-bag box. I normally keep an eye open for Twinings on sale for $2.99 a box; $1.99 is a price you only see once a year or so. For $10, I am stocked up on tea for the next three months.

Yes, these are the tea bags, not loose tea. But at least in Twinings boxes, each tea bag is sealed in a pretty heavyweight paper packet, so they stay fresh.

Knowing the Mundelein GFM ( ), I half expected a bait-and-switch: only one or two wierd flavors I don't want on sale. I was pleasantly surprised: all were on sale, about 20 different type, including the Earl Grey and lapsang souchong mentioned by the OP and other posters above.

* This is the footnote to my post above. I mentioned that I love Twinings tea. I also love collecting the tins. Over the years I have bought several of the loose teas in metal tins, and I refill these with either loose tea or tea bags. I've also found some uncommon Twinings tins when travelling, and other travellers in the family have brought or sent them to me as gifts.

In addition to the usual suspects (English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Orange Pekoe, Darjeeling, Prince of Wales, Earl Grey),

I have some you can't find in stores anymore because they were discontinued (Ceylon Breakfast--dark blue tin, bought at Epcot Center, emailed the company and found out it was discontinued; Queen Mary (light blue tin) and Vintage Darjeeling (gold tin) -- my brother found these in some fantastic dollar store-type place called something like Crazy Bobs in Kansas City),

some that were special releases (Queen's Diamond Jubilee commemorative blend, three large tins, red, blue, and green),

and some from overseas (Gunpowder from Belgium, labelled "Thé Vert Nature," and English Breakfast, Gunpowder, and Gunpowder and Mint from Afghanistan, with all the writing on one side in English and all the writing on the other side in Arabic).

any thoughts on where in the city one could purchase a formal china tea set - flowery etc - ?

Not that it means anything at all, but since really enjoying the corn (or corn and barley) tea at Hwan Dae Gham Korean restaurant in Mundelein, I have stopped at Seoul Market in Buffalo Grove and picked up some inexpensive corn tea bags to make at home. Delicious, easy on the old stomacho, and when steeping smells a little like Kellogg's Corn Flakes!

annak wrote:any thoughts on where in the city one could purchase a formal china tea set - flowery etc - ?

Macy's

Hi, annak, I don't know where you live, but if Northbrook is at all convenient I'd check out this place:

http://villagetreasurehouse.org/

It's a consignment store; I've seen full sets of china and coffee/tea services there. In general, if you have more time than money, I would suggest exploring North Shore consignment or thrift stores. Lots of high-quality, modestly priced merchandise is available if you have a lucky shopping day.

Giovanna

annak wrote:any thoughts on where in the city one could purchase a formal china tea set - flowery etc - ?

Check Madonna sets - old German stuff. If you like what you see, check "Russian connection" - call Buffalo Grove Garden Fresh or Allegro stores, they often have those in excellent condition, likely never used. They have Russian "chachki" there like Matryoshka and stuff. Quite often they get those tea and dining sets. I hope, no one from Macy gets upsedt