Remembering My Roots

My first post on The Everyday Tea Blog was published in 2011. This will be my 486th post. Man, have I experienced some amazing teas from around the world since those humble beginnings. Before launching this blog I had a website dedicated mainly to bagged teas that I had found in local shops and grocery stores. For posterity I incorporated my early thoughts on those teas into this blog.

Before the blog and the website my experience with tea was limited to Bigelow, Twinings, and later Ahmad tea. Most of it was Earl Grey. Much of it was bagged. What loose leaf I could buy I prepared in a tea ball. I had several of them of various sizes and styles. I eventually settled into using a 2" mesh tea ball as it seemed to provide the best room for leaf expansion.

So what prompted me to bring this up today? I ran into a friend and former co-worker. Over the years we had shared a lot of tea together. Knowing me well he almost immediately started bragging how he had just opened a tin of both Twinings Earl Grey and Lady Grey. They were always his favorite teas. That's when it occurred to me that in all my vast collection of teas I did not have a single plain black Earl Grey. If you have been following my blog awhile you may be aware Earl Grey is my number one addiction.

I have Earl Grey teas made with green tea and white. I have Earl Grey with mint, and several with vanilla. I hadn't even noticed the omission. My friend chided me, wanting to know how could I stray so far from our roots? I had no answer. So today I repented. I got in my car and drove 30 miles to the nearest store that carries Ahmad Teas and purchased a 200 g tin of Earl Grey. Arriving back home, I immediately brewed a cup and sat back to remember my roots.

So what favorite tea and old friend from your early days have you neglected lately? Isn't it time you did something about it?