Tea Etiquette

I think that the nice thing about tea culture today is that you can find just about anything you’re looking for- if you want to find a place with an expensive tea service you can indulge yourself, but if you’re looking for a low-key tea room you can find that too. There’s definitely always going to be snobs (when it comes to anything, really) but I’d like to think that paying attention to brewing time, water temperature, etc., isn’t necessarily snobby- it’s just one kind of enjoying tea. Snobbery, I imagine, would be more like judging how other people drink tea- whether their pinkies are up, how they’re pouring the tea, etc- and while I’m sure that there are tea drinkers like that out there, I think that tea culture today is much more inclusive of a wide variety of drinking styles and practices :)

I found this thread was funny to read through. I pulled it up because I came into work this morning and a co worker said to me I took one of your teabags (I previously told her she could come and get my tea to drink as she needed to). Then she said, I didn’t use it so you can have it back. She had already opened up the individually wrapped tea bag and had it placed in her cup (without water). It had been sitting like that for more than 4 days over the weekend. She did not drink it after all. So she grapped the tea bag, stuffed it back into the wrapper and tried to give it back to me. I told her to keep it til next time. But then she came into my office and put the opened package back into the box of tea. Hmmm. I don’t know if I’m overreacting but it is really bugging me. I am going to throw it away when she isn’t looking. I am not upset that she didnt use it, but I don’t really want a kind of used tea bag back to drink for myself.

In my mother in law’s house, she love hers served the English way… Cookies, clotted cream too sometimes. Her house even have a “morning room” dedicated for her tea set and all that.
Tea is a more “expensive” past time the old European way.

I grew up with tea in my baby bottle…
Daily drink is tea “never wasted” in that big metal tea kettle..
Remember the kungfu movies where master martial artist drink wine from gourds?
As kids playing kungfu fighting I have a fond memory of my brother lifting that heavy kettle (out weighed the wine gourd BTW) and drinking right from the spout… Lips not touching spout of course which is the feat.

Tea for me is best enjoyed with great memories…
That is my sole spiritual tea etiquette and motto.

Warms the heart and cool the thoughts with a plenty of smiles.

When I think of etiquette what comes to mind at the heart of the definition is compassion. When people have compassion for others, respect is there as well. So, we can see each other as sisters and brothers. What better way to connect than over tea, whether it is in your fanciest tea pot, or a mug, cha, chai; all the world over. Sharing a moment together.