After chatting with Julie last week, I decided it was time for me to again share my love of tea, so I'm doing a repost today. The one thing I remember most about this post was that I actually rendered Ruthy speechless. Can you imagine that? So here we go again.
Hello. My name is Mindy, and I am a tea junkie.
It all started a few years ago, on a cruise, when I sampled some passion fruit and jasmine white tea. From there, I branched out to Earl and Lady Grey, black tea, green tea.... Then my SIL started push--er, distributing the good stuff.
Now, I buy my tea by the half-kilo. Currently, I have at least four different varieties on hand.
In the beginning, I had the simple ball tea strainer. Then I moved up to what I call my tea gnome. I love it's fine mesh and the fact that I don't have any leaves drifting through my tea. But that wasn't enough. I have to have my tea even when I travel. That's what the mesh spoon is for.
Sometimes, when I feel like living on the wild side, I use my three-piece tea cup. Its holes are large, so I always have tea leaves in my drink. But it's fun to change things up once in a while.
And then, there's my tea tin. This is how I travel with my tea. So far, I haven't been stopped.
Just look at this Cream Earl Green. So beautiful. And so good for you.
Loads of antioxidants.
What's your beverage of choice? Your splurge? The one you've just gotta have? And how far will you go to make sure you have it?
Since this original post, I've increased the varieties I have on hand. I mean, sometimes a girl just needs a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in a cup or some good ol' Texas Iced Tea Blend.
But you know what they say, it's all good.
I'm a tea fan too. Only herbal. I don't like the bitter taste of black tea. And I love the variety of herbal teas available. Cranberry Apple is my thing right now. And I just discovered I like it iced. And there's nothing more soothing than a cup of peppermint tea at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteWe have novelty tea shops cropping up in my city -- is that a trend for you guys as well? Instead of a coffee shop it's a tea shop. No coffee served but there's like a bazillion choices of teas.
I've seen a couple of tea shops, Kav, but have yet to go into one. I know what you mean about going through phases, drinking one kind of tea for a stretch of time. Although I think I've kind of settled in for a while.
DeleteI don't have any black teas, per se. Darjeeling, orange pekoe, which, I suppose, is akin to black tea, oolong... Not a big fan of the herbal teas. Don't care for the fruity ones. My SIL, though, now she's got some really stout teas. One in particular has this real earthy and smoky flavor. That's a little too much for me. I guess I lean a little more toward the floral notes, as long as they're not too heavy.
I'm so glad you re-posted. There is something about tea that so special. I guess it's the ritual of high tea or making the right iced tea in the South.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is it is a good thing I like tea since coffee beans are supposed to be getting more scarce.
Oh, I love high tea, Julie. Hmm...don't suppose we could find a place in NYC where we could go for one, do you? That would be so much fun.
DeleteMy youngest son has suddenly developed a penchant for sweet tea and since I drink mine unsweetened, I've been trying to find the right balance of sugar/tea for him. One daughter said she adds 2 cups of sugar to 2 qts of tea. I thought that sounded a bit excessive. But gave it a try. Son agreed with me. One cup seems to be about right, though. Unfortunately, I can't taste it as I go because it just gags me. Weird, huh?
I love tea, too. But I've never been able to give up my coffee for it. Still, I love a cup when I'm sick. I buy small amounts at Teavana. They have several that I love. Oolong and white are my favorite teas. I love the jasmine pearls. The teas are so beautiful when they have flowers and fruit in them! They'd make beautiful potpourri if they weren't so expensive.
ReplyDeleteMissy, I just can't imagine drinking coffee. I've tried, but it's just to bitter for my tastes, no matter how much stuff is added to it. You know, I'm so sensitive to it that I can tell if they've added coffee to desserts, like chocolate cake. Bleck! Ruins it for me every time.
DeleteBut if I were a coffee drinker, I'm sure I'd feel differently.
I have yet to visit a Teavana. Probably because they're usually in malls and I avoid malls like the plague. I'm glad tea is getting some respect, though.
And you're right, the floral teas are so pretty. Wouldn't be the same in anything other than a clear glass teapot, though. :)
I like Keurig coffee and find it at several hotels when we travel so my delicious coffee is not interrupted. sm wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteKeurigs sure make things easier, don't they, Sharon. :)
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