getting really into tea lately...

i've always been a tea person but i've never really been brave enough to experiment with lots of different types of teas and find which weird ones i like...it can be hard when lots of "good" tea (well, good according to r/tea, so maybe they're just snobs) is like. imported from china or japan and bought online and you have no idea what it smells or tastes like until it gets here.

lucky me, i found out about a tea shop at ECCC that's local and has things set up in a way that feels more approachable to me! they sell nerd teas, which is like, SOME of the appeal, but mostly they just list out each thing in each of their looseleaf teas and they sell a lot of sampler packs so i can try a ton of different things and learn what i like!

i'm having a lot of fun playing around with it. i made a database in my notion to track how i like each tea, which i'm going to try with and without sweeteners so i get the full scope and don't just drink honey water over and over. it almost feels like a fun game to play with myself.

i only wish i had started this process in the fall--can't believe i'm going into spring and summer with the intention of drinking tons of hot tea! oh well. it's still nice, and plenty of people drink tea in warm weather.

i write this while drinking a cup of the black tea i currently am working through, which is the bard's blend from friday afternoon tea. it's black tea, ginger, sugar crystals in rainbow colors, and natural vanilla flavoring. it's become my favorite way to start my morning :)