Yep, it is so so so so true, I love tea. I think I became interested in it because my "Auntie" Eileen (yes, she was a transplant from London) was our neighbor in Bethany, Oklahoma. I think her husband Ron was an engineer back in England and he put in an application to become one here in the states. He thought about moving to Texas, he once told me, but Oklahoma seemed smaller, more apt to welcome a newcomer, and he had enjoyed the Rogers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" just a couple of years before putting his traveling shoes on; Eileen was a dream to me. (I mean, she wasn't Scottish, which would have made her nearly perfect, but she was really adorable)
With her authentic British accent, her stories about "home" and her travels to the neighboring countries, I couldn't get enough of her. Back in the 60s a kid didn't dare come into the dining room when Mom was entertaining, but with Eileen it was different. She had three kids, Mom had 4. One of hers was a bit younger than me, so Eileen often held her. Her name is Laurie, and I remember being allowed into the dining and kitchen areas if Laurie was there. We ate "biscuits" (cookies) and we drank real lemon tea. My Auntie would bring loose leaf teas over to my house and Mom would boil water, pour it over the tea in a kettle and add freshly squeezed lemon to it. I even saw her pick a mint from outside and add it to the top of her cup a few times. That was what it took! I was HOOKED.
From mint and lemon teas I began to branch out and find the aisles at the grocery stores that offered both loose and bag teas. Mom would use bags, but Auntie would scold her for doing so. Mom would tease my Aunt to say that she was now living in America, she had to learn to be and act like an American even when it came to tea time. I can still hear the cackling and the giggling on that one. There would be no compromise with tea! I preferred the "new" English way as well, although we all know that we Americans have only been drinking tea a little over two and half centuries. We have very little experience really, and we should only and always listen to our British, Scottish, and Irish friends when it comes to both the methods of brewing and the process of serving tea. We'd do well if we did.
After many many more years of doing research and practicing on my own, I can tell you that I have only scratched the surface of knowing what it is to be a real tea connoisseur I have NO idea what I'm doing, but I do know what I like. I like loose tea, I like fresh lemons and oranges squeezed into my tea or infused with a press. I like actual thyme, actual parsley, actual sage, and actual rosemary in my tea, and I love adding ginger, ginseng, and even cinnamon now and again. You just never know what I'll come up with, but you can bet I will be coming up with something. There are teas to help you focus, teas to help your heart, teas to bring a quick wink to your spirit, and even a few teas to bring about a good old fashioned "Oklahoma Hello!" (from the musical) and you don't what that is, you haven't been alive long enough. ("I'm just a girl who can't say no, kissin's my favorite thing!")
In my cupboard (not my cabinet) you will find about 14 different boxes of loose tea. You'll see my collection of H&S (Harney & Sons) teas; blackcurrant, raspberry, Earl Grey, and Scottish Morning teas being my favourite, but I also love the occasional Yellow & Blue (a lavender blend); along with a zesty best lemongrass. Yes, I have been known to buy a strong gunpowder tea as well, and for those days I tend to need a thick quilt and a warm dog. Tea is just ... awesome. I keep a jar with packs (bags) of tea that are either given to me, purchased by my daughter, or just somehow make it up into my cupboard. I don't want the bags to feel that they have the right to rest with my loose tea. That will simply not do. I will allow the sachets to remain in close proximity of my loose, but never a BAG! God forbid. (smiles for Auntie Eileen)
Today I ventured into the curious arena of Pinterest to see what methods or blends I could create from what I had in my cupboard. For energy, anti-inflammatory, respiratory relief as well as overall good health, I decided on a Thyme based blend with a bit of ginseng, ginger root, orange, lemon, and parsley. My press is always (always) on the ready, washed and happy to serve. I think I've consumed about six cups of it so far, and expect to make a few more before I retire. I should stop adding the ginseng since I will eventually want to go to sleep -- maybe throw in that lavender blend in a few minutes to let it steep and call me to slumber. I do, and I mean, I DO love my tea. I won't let it replace my first cup of coffee when I wake up, no, that won't ever happen, but I do love me some hot tea.
Sighs that sigh she sighs when she begins to dream of the day she returns to Edinburgh to drink another cup at the Wee Cafe....it will happen. It will happen.
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