Tea Drinkers Unite
Growing up I remember adults drinking coffee and children drinking hot chocolate. This was the general lay of the land until my preteen years. In the late 1970s my entire family went on an exchange program and moved to Australia for a year. Australia is a former British colony so they tend to be tea drinkers (at least at that time). In fact, my middle school had a tea break every afternoon. Until moving to Australia I do not believe I had ever had a cup of tea before in my life. You know what they say about when in Rome... I began to drink a daily cuppa during tea time each afternoon. I drank white tea. This simply meant that I drank my tea with milk.
After a year of almost daily tea drinking I was hooked on my warm beverage of choice - tea. I have never been a coffee drinker. I like the smell of coffee but not the taste. My parents both drank coffee and I believe of all of my siblings my older sister is the only one of their children that even drinks any coffee at all.
Over the years I have become what some might call a tea snob. I purchased my own little Brown Betty teapot in my early 20s and haven't looked back since. When I say tea I do not mean the stuff they sell in a yellow box that really should not even be allowed to call itself tea. Our current favorite everyday tea is from England called Lifeboat. My in-laws bought us our first taste of this delightful tea many years ago. They now send us a case of it at least once a year. Did I mention that my family drinks quite a bit of tea.
I also purchase tea from Adagio. This company has excellent tea selections and service. They have widened my tea palette quite a bit. I love the holiday teas they sell. Who knew you could get a tea that tastes like chocolate. They have a lovely selection of Christmas teas. Every year I purchase a tea advent calendar from them for my own household and also send another to my in-laws. It is nice to share a cuppa across the distance.
A few years ago when visiting family in New York State my daughter and I stopped at a lovely little tea shop and restaurant in Troy, The Whistling Kettle. My daughter loves herself a good cup of Earl Grey. We shared a pot during our lunch. Luckily, they sell tea right in the restaurant so we picked up some of their Earl Grey to take home. They sell online and now I have a third place to buy tea. It is the only tea my daughter will drink. This year for Christmas she made it into the big time when I bought a first teapot for her.
My husband and I tend to share a cup of tea after dinner most evenings. It is such a nice relaxing way to end a day.