It’s a well known fact about me that I love tea to the point of fantastic obsession. It’s a lesser known fact, though reasonably considering Fact No.1, that I collect tea with frenzied passion and expense. I pay about as much on tea as some people do on booze.
I mentioned on Facebook that Adaigo Tea UK had finally made their famous ‘Fandom Teas’ by Cara McGee available in the UK, and I was looking forward to trying the Sherlock and Doctor Who samplers next payday. But I will be doing so guiltily, knowing that my existing tea shelf is a little out of hand…
This is the tea shelf, a bookshelf in my study neatly arranged by partner Dave and regularly unarranged by me.
Some highlights from the shelf…
Yorkshire Tea: My current go-to black tea. I drink a ton of British black tea, at least five cups a day, so I buy whatever is good and available in bulk for a decent price.
Scottish Blend: (Hiding behind the Teapigs) My other go-to black tea. Pyramid bags and a black tea blend designed for Scottish softwater.
DrinkMe Chai: I have a few jars of this hiding under the Yorkshire tea. It makes a really nice, frothy Chai latte to rival any coffee or tea shop. It’s not very healthy though, so it’s one to enjoy in moderation.
Twinings: I usually have the Chai teabags as my go-to Chai, and the English Breakfast bags if I can afford them as a classier alternative to my usual black teas. I’ve also got a lot of loose leaf English Breakfast, but it’s very fine and doesn’t line to stay in the infuser.
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea: This isn’t actually my go-to sleepy tea, Clipper Sleep Easy is, but I missed that one out of the shot. Sleepytime smells and tastes nicer, but Clipper has Valerian root and is more effective.
Kent & Sussex Tea Co: The Tetley box is absolutely full of their loose leaf teas, too many to name, so I’ll just give a nod to my favourites: Smiling Monkey banana & caramel black tea and Gingerbread Rooibos.
Teapigs Teas: Creme Caramel Rooibos is my favourite, as is Winter Spiced. Both are currently missing from the shot because I really really like them. This is a nice speciality tea company, though I’ll note that despite their ‘tiny tea company’ style they’re owned by the Tata group, which also owns Tetley. They’re also very pricey, around £4-8 for 15 teabags.
Various Others: Asian Market teas, mysterious brown-bag teas from eBay that seem to just be dried flowers, there’s loads more hiding on that shelf…
And there you have it. My Tea Addiction, in pictorial form, with accompanying ramblings.
I’m in the middle of revamping this shelf with clear jars for my loose-leaf teas, so I’m sure you’ll see more of the tea shelf over the coming months.