On Drinking Tea

In my Thankful Thursday post yesterday I mentioned my lack of ability to taste.  Dawn Treader commented that given that it was rather odd that I liked my tea weak.  That made me wonder.  Why do I like my tea weak?  So today I set about finding out and the conclusions so far have been rather startling.  I would always have said that I drank it weak because I don't like the bitter taste of tea when it's strong.  I can now confirm that I can taste the bitterness in strong tea and that I don't like it.

I have also discovered that I cannot tell that the Green Tea with Lemon and Ginger that I drink in the morning has ginger and lemon in it although I can tell that it's not 'ordinary' tea and not plain Green Tea.  I can tell that the Earl Grey is what it is and that it's different from 'ordinary' tea but I can't tell the Lady Grey apart from it.

I can tell the Lapsang Souchong apart from the others.

The Red Bush tea is quite different from everything else and I can actually drink that stronger.

So I have come to the conclusion that my tea drinking habits are exactly that - habits.  I've been drinking the tea that I do in the way that I do for so many decades that I hadn't even realised  that I couldn't taste them properly.  Monica what have you done?!  Life will never be the same again!

A Year's Supply

What sort of drinking habits do you have?  I'm referring not to alcohol because I have a feeling that  that would be courting disaster.  Just your ordinary daily beverages.  For example I usually drink green tea with lemon when I get up in the morning.  Sometimes I get a bit rash and have Lady Grey (black tea scented with oil of bergamot, lemon peel and orange).  At lunchtime I drink Red Bush Tea.  At other times I drink Earl Grey or Lapsang Souchong (Lapsang is distinct from all other types of tea because lapsang leaves are traditionally smoke-dried over pinewood fires, taking on a distinctive smoky flavour).  Sometimes I mix Lapsang with mixed with ordinary tea.  Why am I telling you this?  Well I like my tea weak and am frequently made fun of for that preference.  My dear friend Anna's New Zealand son yesterday decided to give me a present of a year's supply of tea.    I thought he was being a tad cheeky.

PS I never take milk or sugar in tea or coffee and when I'm not drinking tea I drink coffee.