Getting Loose with Loose Tea

I wasn't a tea drinker until this year. Yes, every now and then I had an occasional cup of nothing special. Most often, the concoction came in powdered form wrapped in a teabag and plopped in hot water. There were two significant exceptions: the harsh, brown-colored teas served in cheap Chinese restaurants I like and a mint tea that complete Sephardic Jewish meals my wife and I are fortunate enough to be invited to.

Recently, my diet changed and tea became a desirable addition to it. That meant dropping the training wheels of teabags and striding into the nuances of leaf teas.

I didn't know a thing about leaf teas. A friend recommended a very reputable importer that accepts orders from retail clients and has a useful website. I explored the site and found three teas I wanted to sample. The site's useful product information dovetailed with information I independently researched on each item of interest.

I'm just starting to explore the trio of teas I purchased. I now pay attention to the boiling point of water, the thermal and chemical relationships between hot water and porcelain, and steeping time. As for flavor profiles, well, those will take time to understand. But I'm having fun getting loose with my loose teas now, and enjoying some of life's simplest, yet most delightful pleasures.

The Chinese character for tea (as a beverage, not the tea plant) is shown at the top of the post.