My Tea Story

When it comes to beverages, I have always been a "tea person."  Throughout my life I drank tea made from tea bags, mostly black, herbal and chai teas.  I have always enjoyed the different flavors that each one had to offer, but over time I realized how much sugar or honey I was adding to my mug in order to cover the bitterness that seemed to come with every cup I made. 

Over the past few years I have made almost a complete switch from tea bags to brewing with loose leaves. What a difference!  It takes a little more preparation effort but the end result has been much more rewarding.

A small business in Connecticut called the Sundial Gardens specializes in selling several kinds of imported teas.  After having visited the store a couple times I was completely astounded by the knowledge of the owner, Ragna Tischler-Goddard, and the vast array of teas and tea-related products she had to sell.  The rows of tea tins are a sight that was almost breath-taking for me, very much different than seeing boxes of tea bags at a general foods store.

My mother and I have been enjoying brewing with loose leaf teas since, trying out several types of green teas, white teas and a cake black tea of "pu-erh."  Although I am nothing close to a tea connoisseur, my eyes have been opened by my experiences with loose leaf teas and now I am always curious to keep testing out new varieties and different forms.  

I know that for the rest of my life, a tea bag will never do justice for a good cup of tea: it will never compare to the freshness of tea brewed with loose leaves.

 Places to buy loose leaf teas: