Why a Tea Shop?

Sitting outside on the deck at the tea store, the sun warm and bright, the air cool and crisp, and reading a book, "New Tea Lover's Treasury," and I am thinking about tea. Why a tea shop? Why open such a place? When did tea become such an important part of my life that I would dedicate hours and hours to its making, packaging, selling and promoting? This would probably be the year spent living in England. The kettle was always on, and you needed to know how your family, friends and co-workers took their tea, it was a fact of life and very useful knowledge. One sugar or two? Sweetener? Was the milk fat-free or farm fresh? You knew you were becoming close to a group of people when they let you put the kettle on and make tea for everyone. You were part of the family then. Tea was made when someone was sad, bored, excited, lonely, happy, basically for any and all occasions. It wasn't until recently that I became more adventurous in trying different teas, beyond the Yorkshire, the PG Tips, Tetley's and so on. I have enjoyed trying Darjeeling, tea from Kenya, smokey tea, full and half leaf teas. My love of tea cups and saucers is a different topic I will address on another day. For now, I will share this quote from the "New Tea Lover's Treasury" by Dr. Samuel Johnson who avowed himself an avid tea lover, "who has for many years diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant; whose kettle scarcely has time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight, and with tea welcomes the morning." Come join us for a cuppa sometime. Cheers!