Appreciating good tea

There was a time I wondered what people saw in tea (except tea leaves). The only tea I was aware of was sold in the grocery store or served in a restaurant with a teabag and an aluminum pitcher of hot water. It tasted like...mud (or what I thought mud would taste like).

Then I started hearing about new teas in the store. I tried Twinings Earl Grey and Lady Grey teas. Delicious! I also started hearing the health benefits of green tea. I'd tried an old familiar brand of green tea at the store (you would think I'd have learned my lesson) but they tasted worse than mud. We were living in Michigan at the time and I happened upon an article in the Detroit Free Press where they had tested green teas among a sample population. The winner (by a large percent) was Bigelow's Earl Grey Green tea. I decided to try it the next time I went to the grocery store. It would seem a lot of people had read that article for it was weeks before the store had it in stock on the same day I was doing my shopping. By this time, I was anxious to try this brand. It was amazing, delicious...finally a green tea I liked. It had the same taste as regular Earl Grey but lighter. My husband likes the Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon.

These days I like to try new teas. Some are a frugal luxury (frugal luxuries being something that is expensive for what the item is--as in tea--but still not too expensive for my budget). I think the most expensive tea I've purchased so far is the Rose Petal Tea by The Republic of Tea. I don't have it often but it very good. I like many of The Republic of Tea teas. I also like the HT (Harney & Son Fine Teas) that are sold at Borders in their Starbucks section. (They are also sold online, do a Google search...) My favorite is their Earl Grey White but I'm also very fond of their Holiday Blend. It's perfect for a cold Winter night. This year I need to stock up on it before they stop selling after Christmas.

I haven't even mentioned how the new interest in tea time has me collecting china, silver, etc. at garage sales, flea markets, Goodwill, etc. That will have to be saved for another time.