Saturday Tea Talk: What is your favourite hot beverage?

T.S. Eliot

Good morning my lovely friends and happy Saturday.  What a glorious Saturday morning it is. Today I'll be transplanting my seedlings into the ground and some into the outdoor containers.  I can hardly wait to start.

Before I grab a shovel and get to work however, I have to have my morning tea.  Today instead of trying something new, I chose to indulge in my all time favourite green brew: the Dragonwell.

The funny thing about Dragonwell green tea is that I didn't like it the very first time I tried it.  I have just given up the tea bags and was making a switch to the loose tea.  I wanted some good loose green tea and a lot of people out there raved about Dragonwell which is one of the most popular green teas in China.  I figured it with such a popularity, there must be something good about it.

I ordered my first batch from David's Tea and anxiously waited for the shipment to arrive.  I was thrilled when it finally got here.  I opened the package, threw some leaves into the teapot, heated up the water and steeped it all for several minutes.  Then I lifted the cup to my nose and took a whiff.

What in a world is that?

I wasn't impressed.  My green tea smelled like spinach, sautéed vegetables or something of that sort. At that time I wasn't sure if my green should be smelling like that.  None of the tea bags ever did.  I didn't know what to think about it and I didn't like it.

Utter disappointment.

Couple of days later I found myself thinking about Dragonwell again.  Despite the initial disappointment I wanted to give it another try.  For some reason I was strangely drawn to this tea so I steeped another cup. This time, the aroma didn't outrage me.  It soothed me.

The rest is a history.  Within days Dragonwell got deep under my skin and I couldn't imagine starting
my day without it.  I went from hating the smell to craving it every morning.  How absolutely weird is that?

Today Dragonwell is a staple in my tea cabinet.  It's a tea I start most of my days with and can't imagine running out.  Speaking of running out, my stash is currently at dangerously low level and just few days ago I placed an order with Teavivre for a new shipment.  It should get here in about 3 weeks but I think I have enough left to sustain me until then.  This coming shipment will be very special because it will contain this spring's harvest of Dragonwell, harvest which took place April 12, 2015. Now that's some fresh green tea!

How about you my friends?  What is your favourite hot beverage?