Rediscovery

I write to you from a small room in a house not my own. The A/C is buzzing and a cup of chai tea is finished. The smell of the exotic spices still linger with in the room making me say that I finished another packet of tea. No, not a box or bag of the little tea bags all gussied up for the average American consumer. People in the tea world call that dust. However, I am talking about the kind you scoop out yourself and use an infuser of your choice. As I remind myself that I need to replenish the next time I swing by Wegman's, I remember how seldom I find people looking at those teas. Is the concept really that strange. The next aisle over is the pre-packaged teas and the aisle is usually packed. If find that it's a lack of knowledge.
Sure I enjoy the occasional meandering through the world of pre-packaged teas. Besides, Stash's Mango Passionfruit is simply delicious! But there is something about seeing the whole leaves and pouring some into your infuser that makes you connect more to the finished product.
Although I am writing as if I'm a hardcore tea drinker that has always drank tea that was not pre-packaged. This is not true. Everyone has to start somewhere. My start was about five years ago when my grandfather and uncle decided to introduce me to loose leaf teas. Unfortunately, after graduating high school, loose leaf tea and I had a falling out. College came two years later and I drank coffee. I still do occasionally. But my real love is with tea. It's amazing that from a single plant a variety of complex flavors can come. Through this blog I hope to educate the public about loose leaf teas and point them to teas that, I at least, love. I hope to incorporate some entries from a few friends that enjoy this side of tea as well.
So I ask you, as I take the last sip on this exceptional chai tea prepared with a splash of milk, honey, sugar, and splenda (more on the latter later), do you truly  know tea?