No Brands Here - A Story of Tea

How did I learn so much about tea.

 I have always liked tea.

As a normal tea drinker I decided I would open a tearoom.

Then the real learning began!
 I drank mostly brands of tea like Stash and Republic of Tea.
Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with them,
but there was so much to learn.

Searching online for help to open a tearoom I found

Magnolia and Ivy in Georgia of all places.

Off I flew! And the learning began.

There I was introduced to loose leaf tea,

making little sandwiches, and the history of tea.

Pandora's Box opened for me and the learning began in earnest.
In fact, when if you get into tea, coffee, wine, or even cheese and
other foods it becomes a lifetime of learning.
With the search beginning I had opportunity to visit the tasting/development room
with Steven Smith, then the owner of Tazo.
After that visit I realized tea companies developed there teas according
to the one tasting and developing and if I had a different taste profile I wouldn't like their teas.
I never liked Tazo Teas, then later didn't like Smith Tea Maker for the same reason.
After Smith Tea Maker had someone else developing their teas I began liking their teas.

After a year of research I realized a tearoom was a restaurant.

My experience was in product development and I didn't want a restaurant.
The learning continued!
I joined an online tea group and started learning from others.
I kept sipping.
Then I started meeting people that really knew good tea,
they were kind enough to share their knowledge.
I became part of a new tea group here in town.
In the WuWo Tea Ceremony group I learned so much at our monthly sipping times.
From there it has been tea festivals and much drinking of tea in shops,
tearooms, and with friends.

Now you may have noticed I said in the heading "No Brands Here".
Well the more I have tasted and learned about tea the more I have learned
it is not about the brand. It is about good quality tea more closely connected to the grower.
Whole leaves of tea made into fine quality tea.
It's not chopped up pieces of mediocre teas.
It is also about the tea maker.

Now you may call me a "tea snob", yes I guess I have become that along the way.
But it is in the learning and gaining an appreciate for all that influences
what goes into my teacup. Where was it grown, who grew it, how did they process it,
and how soon it came traveling from somewhere in the world right to me and my teacup.

So for me it isn't about the brand, but all about the tea.
No brands here!

Have a terrific weekend, dear friends!
Have a cup of tea.
I am sure I have shared this picture before,
but the flower in the cup of tea is from my tea plant.