Bio
A monk sips morning tea
A monk sips morning tea,
it’s quiet,
the chrysanthemum’s flowering.
- Basho
(1644-1694)
Note to self—-you do not actually need any more tea.
My real tea obsession began in February 2015.
Not, sadly, when I had been living and working in China, though I very much enjoyed sampling a variety of teas during my travels there as well. No, no, that would have been far too sensible.
I am a reformed coffee drinker. I still enjoy a long double espresso with a good quantity or milk or cream from time to time, but for now, tea is my thing. All day.
*note—this is way out of date, so if we are doing a swap and you are checking to see what I like and dislike, mostly never mind what you find below. One of these days, I will update this. In the meantime, check what I’ve been drinking and use your own judgement. I like all the teas. Well, I am open to trying all the teas.
I tend to drink black, green, or oolong tea in the morning to early afternoon. Rooibos or
Honeybush or herbal in the evening. And perhaps some sort of sleepy-type tea in the wee hours.
This year, I’ve been discovering flavoured teas, so it may look like that is all I drink although that would provide a false impression.
Not a big fan of chocolate or mint in teas, but I will try them and, from time to time, have been pleasantly surprised. Also, usually I dislike a prominent cinnamon flavour, if untempered with other things, in teas. Again, I say usually, because there are exceptions.
Also, please note that haven’t quite gotten into the habit of updating my tea cupboard on Steepster, and it is unlikely that I will do this on any kind of regular basis.
I drink my tea black and unsweetened. If there comes a rare moment that I add something to it, I will mention it.
Finally, while I thank large and successful tea companies for tantalizing and beckoning me to the world of tea, I prefer to support independent ventures with real people, real enthusiasm and commitment, and real dreams.
Currently, I am researching monthly tea subscriptions. Perhaps it will keep me out of tea shops.
And here is Shae’s rating scale— which I am using with permission, of course— which more or less describes the way I have been rating teas. I am going to make more of an effort to stay very close to these parameters now.
Rating Scale
1-20: By far, one of the worst teas I’ve tasted. I most certainly will not finish my cup and will likely “gift” the rest to my sweet husband who almost always enjoys the teas I dislike (and vice versa).
21-40: This tea is not good but if I mix it with another tea or find another steeping method I might be able to finish it.
41-60: This one is just okay. I might drink it again if someone were to give it to me, but I probably won’t be buying more for myself.
61-75: This is a consistently good tea. It’s reliable but not necessarily special.
76-90: This one is a notch above the rest and I would gladly enjoy a cup of it any day of the week. I’ll likely be keeping this in my cupboard, but it isn’t one of my all-time favorites.
91-95: One small change and this tea would be perfect. I’ll definitely have a stash of this in my kitchen if you come over for tea.
96-100: No words can describe this tea. It’s an experience, an aha moment. Closed eyes, wide smile, encompassing warmth. Absolutely incredible. Perfect.
Location
Mostly, but not always, Toronto, Canada.
I didn’t see this one at the festival! boo
This one wasn’t at the festival.
Oh! haha. I’ve never ordered from them, but always meant to.
I am a bit slow making my way through my box from them. I tend to get stuck with ones I really like a lot and ignore or misplace others.
That said, through this company, I’ve discovered a lot about teas that I had decided I didn’t like previously. So it has contributed to my tea education journey.
The owner is a lovely human being with great teas for the most part, so I am quite happy to spend my money in his direction. Decent customer service makes a huge difference to me and tends to account for a lot when I make my purchasing decisions.
I couldn’t agree more! Most of the Assam’s I get (my fave) are from this company. The owner gave me a free pouch of tea last year just because (it was his display pouch and he didn’t want to sell it since it had been opened a few times). I would recommend this company to anyone!!
Your experience makes me happy. Lovely man. :)
Yes, I have some Assams from them that are currently wandering around somewhere here unopened. I’ll get there, I’ll get there.