TIL: Loose Tea Quick Swap – Anonymous #1

There are a lot of swaps for bagged tea out there, but not many for loose tea. The few I've seen often want several different kinds, or are specific in some way that doesn't appeal.

Let's have a loose tea trade that's easy, fun, and doesn't require you to agonize over what to send. You'll have 2 partners for this swap, and each partner is going to get 2 samples.

1. Go find your loose tea stash. Grab 2 flavors, or 3, or 4. You're going to be making 4 sample baggies.

2. Measure out enough loose tea to brew an 8 ounce cup, and place into a small baggie. That's usually 1 to 1.5 teaspoons. You can include more if you wish. A smidge extra is good, in case all the tea leaves don't come out. Label the baggie so you know what kind of tea it is. Make 4 of these baggies.

3. Using a notecard, card, or small bit of paper, write down: a) The swap name and your Swap Bot ID b) What kind of tea each sample is c) the brewing instructions (how much loose tea, what temperature) d) the ingredients (if you can find them)

4. Put 2 samples and your information in an envelope and seal it up.

5. Wait until partners are assigned, and then address and mail off your tea.

That's all there is to it.

Keep in mind, like any sender's choice swap, there's a chance you're going to get a tea that you're allergic to. That's why I've asked for swappers to include a list of the ingredients, if they can find them. If you need trouble locating an ingredient list, I recommend [ Steepster] (http://steepster.com/ ). They seem to have a pretty good database of teas. If you do end up with a tea that you can't drink, you can always pass it along in the next swap.

Since this is a Group, I am hoping that the chance of flakers will be reduced. Please have a 4.85 rating, and if you have an recent 1's or 3's, like in the last 3-4 months, please contact me and discuss them. I will angel the swap if there are flakers.

To rate: if your partner sends you 2 loose tea samples that will make an 8 ounce cup or larger, with the brewing instructions and the name and brand of tea, they should receive a 5. Since the samples are prepared before names are drawn, rating on whether you like the tea or not is silly.

If this swap seems familiar, it is. I messaged @Toupti before I created it to see if she'd mind me modifying her anonymous tea swap to work for loose teas.