Prior to moving to Taiwan in 2009, the idea of drinking tea with a meal didn’t excite me very much. I’d enjoy the occasional cup at the local Chinese or dim sum joint in the States, but that was as far as it went. And it wasn’t that I didn’t like tea per se, I just didn’t like hot beverages with meals, other than coffee with breakfast.
Ironically, I quickly grew out of that mindset in Taipei as many restaurants, especially hole-in-the-wall spots, only offered tea or plain water. I immediately realized that traditional Chinese teas were nothing like the horrible Lipton yellow tea bags mom used to make iced tea from (sorry Mom).
Since that point, I couldn’t get enough tea. I’d order wholesale tea everywhere, I’d buy it anywhere, and I’d drink it all day. I think my love affair with tea was superseding my obsession with wine. And with that, I took the time to start learning more about the different types and qualities of tea, justifying why it was ok to spend $50 or more on a high-end award-winning option. From that point forward, anywhere I travel, I look not only for local wines and coffee, but now tea as well.
Although I am no longer living in Asia and focusing on Chinese teas, I am continuing to learn more about all teas’ properties, benefits, and the important cultural aspects that often come into play.
We’d like to introduce a new series on Our Tasty Travels called Tea Tuesday. I want to start sharing some of these awesome finds we’ve encountered in our travels and hopefully ignite some passion for tea in others.
And to kick Tea Tuesday off, here’ s our first post on a very unique find: Grapefruit Chili Pepper Green and White Tea — found in a Netherlands grocery store of all places!
