A New Experience

The altar from the old church.

Today I had a new tea experience. Sadly, not a pleasant one. My tea tasted like chlorine! Since I had just had a cup of perfectly fine tea, I can only say it is the tea. It is Highland Blend from the Edinburgh Tea and Coffee Company. The dry leaves are clearly CTC or fannings bits and smell very ordinary, with a rough edge. The directions say to brew for 4 minutes and add milk. So I did. The resulting brew was dark as midnight and smelt harsh and strong, which is just what the taste was, although softened by the addition of some half 'n half. It took me back to the summer spent in Great Britiain and all the tea I drank there. However, as the tea cooled it tasted more and more like chlorine. Not a pleasant aftertaste. I guess the mulch pile wins this one.

Have you seen the new Finum Control Pots? Mark T. Wendell at http://www.marktwendell.com/ has them, complete with visual directions. I would like to try one, but I don't think I need another tea pot. And if I do, I have my eye on one from a potter at the farmers market.

One of my cousins is a geology professor at a university and her newest course is "As the World Turns: society and sustainability in a time of great change" She and I occasionally talk about this in regards to tea, where it is becoming and issue. I feel it should have been for far longer, as we need to keep in mind that the world is a small place and we need to learn to really care for it and each other quickly, before it is too late. Tea workers produce something we enjoy, we should see to it they are cared for and support them in their struggles.

In line with that, did you know that Teatulia Teas http://www.teatulia.com/ is a single garden organic tea selling directly to markets? It comes from Northern Bangladesh, north of Assam and close to the Himalayas. They offer about 9 different teas, from herbals through blacks. I am going to try some, so watch for reviews.