Tea Time

I am a coffee drinker.  Make no mistake about that.  I sometimes wake up and the thought of a steaming cup, with a splash of cream or milk, is all I can think about. With trying to keep the budget in check, I use my wonderful Keurig, and most of the time a reusable  basket filter.  A coffee house coffee is a real treat, but more so because it means I am out for coffee with someone, it doesn't necessarily taste better.   The Keurig is also great for just getting a hot cup of water as well without the hassle of heating up the tea kettle.   Nine time out of 10, I am reaching for coffee.  For the 10th cup though, a tasty tea is what I need.

My tea of choice is Good Earth Spicy and Sweet.  You can get it both in a caffeine free, but also in a black tea base, which I prefer.  It is my beverage of choice for late afternoon meetings like todays 3:00 version.  The rich scent is soothing, and the smooth, but kicky taste wakes up my taste buds, which then wake up my mind. Spicy and Sweet is my beverage equivalent to comfort food.  It feels like the tough love hug from your best "tell it like it is" pal,  soothing to the soul but with a jolt of reality.  The tea bags have pithy little quotes as well.  At Kate's bookshelf, she wrote a whole post about the quotes. Kate's bookshelf

I like other teas as well.  A hearty Earl Gray or a chai tea with sugar and milk have their moments.  I have some loose tea leaves of chai and orange concoction that I like brewed, then over ice. I've not been able to tolerate chamomile, no matter how much someone tells me it will be  good for helping me relax.  A coworker brews a strong pungent tea, native to her Argentina.  I probably come across as ungrateful when I  politely decline her offers of a cup. If the smell is pungent, I can't imagine the taste being better. 

I sent my daughter boxes of Spicy and Sweet when she was a student in England.  I carried more on the plane to her when we visited. She found many of her English and Indian friends developed a liking for the Good Earth brand. My son would raid my GE tea supply when he came home from college for his take back care package, and even his last visit in May, I stocked up.  I guess he can't find the brand in Florida.  I'll be travelling myself for the next three days for my job.  I'll pack along, as I always do, a few tea bags, ready to brew before retiring for the night.  

So I put this question out there.  What am I missing in the world of true tea perfection?   Are those of you from tea centric countries  silently shaking your heads at my preferences?  And a final question, why is supper called "tea", even if no one is actually drinking tea?