This month marks the eighth anniversary of my falling head over heels in love ... with tea.
A lot has happened in those eight years. Some of it great, some of it not so great.
I vividly remember the day I decided to drink tea. I had just moved to Blackpool with my then boyfriend, and I had just started WeightWatchers. I needed to find a drink that was low in calories. Naturally hot chocolate was out, coffee I loathed. So that left tea. So on a wet, dark autumnal morning, I was stood in a Tesco's Metro. Unsure what to do, I brought a box of Twinings Rose Garden. Only because it had the prettiest packaging. And from that first sip, I was hooked.
During my amazing tea journey I have discovered a passion for Earl Grey, a respectful appreciation of green tea (which I happen to adore) and I've discovered that I dislike fruit tea with a passion. Well, at least the cheap stuff you get in supermarkets!
I have shared some of the best moments and the worse moments over a cup of tea. When I discovered my then partner had been cheating, it was over tea with a friend that I had to make some hard decisions. When I got the job I needed, it was with tea that I celebrated. When I have done overtime at work or have received my annual bonus, it's tea that I've treated myself to. In addition to the actual drinking of tea, I have made some awesome and amazing friends through my tea journey. One or two who are especially close to my heart. And for that, I can only be thankful.
For me, drinking tea is as emotionally charged as anything in my life. I love the ceremony of preparing tea. The warming of the pot, the careful and precise measuring out of the tea, the exact infusion time to create the ideal cup of tea. All of it fills me with pure joy.
The physical act of tea drinking is comforting and beautiful. There is no feeling in the world like drinking a cup of tea on a freezing cold day, and that wonderful feeling of it warming you from the inside out. As we rapidly approach autumn, I cannot wait to be warmed by a hearty cup of Earl Grey. The experience of drinking tea is like being hugged by a friend, a warm pair of arms around you, comforting. You are never really lonely if you have a cup of tea.
There is so much choice out there that it can be confusing at times. I have spoken to several new tea drinkers lately and they don't know where to start. My response was just to try what you fancy, and appreciate that some tea's you'll love, some you'll hate. But even if you try a tea and don't like it, well, at least you try. Some of my favourite tea's are tea's that I never expected I'd like. So tea, unlike other things, always keeps you on your toes!
I honestly believe that tea is an emotional thing. I'm pretty positive that the coffee drinkers don't have the same emotional experiences that tea drinkers have. We may not get the caffeine buzz that coffee drinkers love, and come to rely on. But we have something much, much better. Because once you've fallen in love with tea, no matter what trendy things come along, that love never, ever leaves you.
It doesn't matter at all if your thing is black tea, green tea, white tea or rooibos. It doesn't matter if you love Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Countess Grey or Empress Grey. It doesn't matter if you love Lapsang Soughing and loathe English Breakfast. It's the actual drinking that counts. There are enough tea blends out there to cater for almost every taste. And there will be a tea suitable for you. And if you dare to step out of the comfort zone there are many exotic treats out there.
I love high quality tea. But I am not a tea snob. If you like to drink Tetley One Cup, PG Tips or your supermarkets own brand then it's all good. As long as what you're drinking tastes good and makes you feel fabulous then that is all that really matters.
I cannot say how many blends - and brands - of tea I've tried. Literally hundreds. And each time a new tea sample drops through my letter box I am as excited about it now as I was back then. My enthusiasm for working with tea companies, especially new launchers, is as keen today as it was when I started this blog back in 2011. To be around people who are as passionate about tea and their product as I am is heartwarming and exciting. And I feel honoured to have worked with some great companies.
Alongside the actual tea, this blog has also helped me through various tricky and hard patches. I love to write and consider myself blessed that I can actually write about tea. So I can only express huge thanks to the readers I have around the world who send me lovely messages and emails about this blog and the tea they drink. I always appreciate your messages. When I came up with the idea of writing a tea blog, it was originally intended to share my love of tea. But it's now more that that. It's a form of communication with likeminded people, many of whom have become close friends of mine. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog. I have readers from America to Australia. India to China. Spain to France and from many, many more countries.
So, the love of tea has brought so much richness and joy into my life. I am lucky. I am fortunate. And I write that as I sip on a exceptional cup of Earl Grey.
Happy tea drinking, readers. Here's to 2019 and a new year of tea drinking.
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