How do others in your life view/experience your “relationship” with tea?

My “relationship” with tea is still budding. I am new to loose leaf tea and therefore discount all prior experience with bagged teas one can purchase at most grocery stores.
I am in the process of learning if I like my tea with sugar, or honey. Milk or no milk, which teas I prefer with either or both. Types of teas, origins, brew temps, its all still new to me. Tea and I are in the honeymoon stages right now. My family knows when I get into anything new I study it, I obsess about it, I sample all I can of it. So it is no surprise or shock to my family that I am doing so with tea. I have recently also developed an affinity for collecting tea cups, saucers, and bread plates. I have resorted to only two tea pots, one from China and one from England. I did purchase a tea kettle, not top of the line but good starter kettle – electric with preset brew temps etc. Everyone has been very supportive of my new addiction and appreciates the learning about teas that I am undertaking. My hubby is always interested in hearing what I have learned – a lot which has been off this site so far. Daughter is very happy that I have something I am into and my mother was sweet to buy me quite a bit of tea during the holidays. Hubby is even going to make me a way in which to store my china collection!
I have a wonderful family and while hubby is not into tea – nor has ever been into my coffees either, he will drink fruit teas with me – which really have no tea at all lol.
Since my exploration into quality teas I have cut down to one cup of coffee per day although now I am drinking tea non stop. :)

One day my fiance came home and told me about Teavana. His boss likes going to the store and recommended that we try it. I said, “Sure, lets do it! I like tea.” Little did I know it was the beginning of an addiction for both of us.

So far I’ve only had one negative experience with another. It was pretty tame. My tea cupboard was open and the person said, “oh god.”

For the most part I keep finding people who already love tea or love it after trying it. My daughter spent the night at her friend’s house this past weekend. When she returned home she told me she really missed drinking tea. She said she was sitting on the couch and getting warmed up. She thought to a cup of tea would have just made every thing perfect.

My mother likes to drink lipton’s iced tea. I have sent her some tea which should be close to the flavor of iced tea she currently keeps around. I think she’ll keep the loose leaf tea around for some time to come.

My younger brother just loves it. I sent tea to my mother but he is drinking more of it than she is. She is a pretty busy lady though. I should have him make it for her!

I feel pretty fortunate with my experiences so far. People around me accept it and are open to trying it. My fiance shares my love, so it’s some thing nice we can do together. This may change in the future. Only time will tell.

I’d say that my interest in tea has enriched the lives of other around me! Friends and family are all very accepting of it. While I was working at a bath products store, I even got all my co-workers into it. Makes sense, I guess. Essential oils and tea go hand-in-hand, in my opinion.

I really got my brother into tea. It’s great because what we sometimes do is buy different teas and swap samples with each other. He hasn’t bought any in a while though.

My mom always liked tea, but never as much as she does now because of me. Before she got a nasty throat infection which scarred up her throat and got so bad that she needed biopsies and surgery for it, she used to drink a pot of tea almost every evening. After two years of immense pain, things are starting to get better and now she can drink it again, but it depends on the type and flavour, as some still agitate it.

I don’t really see why an interest in or love/passion for tea should be considered weird since I know so many people who are in love with coffee and drop like $10 a day on Starbucks. Beer connoisseurs are always left alone too. Luckily, I think this new “trend” in the establishment of tea shoppes in malls and what not is breaking people in and making the general public appreciate tea more. I’ve spent many years working in retail, and I’ve always been pleased to see people walk into our store with a cup of tea in their hands.

My roomates sat me down eariler today and told me that they knew me before tea took over my life and that there are, in fact, other interesting things about me, so when they ask me “what’s new” I am no longer supposed to answer them by making them a cup of whatever I bought that day, or enthusing about any sort of tea ware. I am instead supposed to tell them what I have been up to in the time it’s been since they’ve last seen me. I’m confused as to what the difference is…