We are visiting my son for parents weekend at his university and he said that he'd like to try some loose leaf tea. So we do a quick google search and find a couple of places in town that sell tea and head out to check one out. As we walk through the door and see all the canisters on the shelves, 4-5 brewed teas on candle warmers for tasting and two rooms full of brewing paraphenalia we suddenly felt WAY out of place and overwhelmed. So a young fella behind the counter asks if he can help and we tell him we're completely clueless and can he help us. He proceeded to spend the next hour with us explaining about the different teas they have, how to brew them, etc....without a hint of snobbery. He had us try the teas they had brewed already to get an idea of where to start with his suggestions. My son and wife preferred the Jade oolong and green tea that they had and I preferred the Dragon Pearl black, while my young daughter liked the holiday blend that was an oolong with mint and bergamot (she likes sweet mint drinks). We then proceeded to smell a good many of them as he scooped samples for us to see how much difference just in smell their was. Then he told us his favorites at this point in time and why. He suggested the Jade oolong and Dragon Well green for my son. I chose the Dragon Pearl black and the Grand English black blend from China. We then moved onto some brewing equipment. Since my son is in a dorm and on the move a lot he chose a Timolino Majestica teapot that is essentially a thermos with a built in infuser so he can make it and keep it warm for a longer while without a warmer of some kind while I picked up a little 24oz ForLife Curve teapot.
My son was worried about the cost of everything as we don't typically have a lot of extra funds, but I reminded him that he doesn't have any vices really as he doesn't smoke or drink, doesn't use a vehicle while at college, or do a lot of the normal stupid things college kids do (he finds more creative ways to entertain himself thank God), so I didn't mind helping him get started. Besides, this just gives us a few more options come Christmas and birthday gift time as well as one more thing in common we can enjoy.
The bad thing is that I will have to mail order anything I want to try whereas he can just walk down the street!
My son was worried about the cost of everything as we don't typically have a lot of extra funds, but I reminded him that he doesn't have any vices really as he doesn't smoke or drink, doesn't use a vehicle while at college, or do a lot of the normal stupid things college kids do (he finds more creative ways to entertain himself thank God), so I didn't mind helping him get started. Besides, this just gives us a few more options come Christmas and birthday gift time as well as one more thing in common we can enjoy.
The bad thing is that I will have to mail order anything I want to try whereas he can just walk down the street!
