Space 11/10/04


My local tea shoppe has tastings where everybody describes the tea
taste. I've never attended because I would sound like a complete
idiot. I drink tea for the immediacy of the moment. So at any moment
in time all I could say is not good, not bad, ok, good, great, yum. I
more than anything appreciate infusion clues like freshness, smell,
color, purity, grade, and a great swansong. If it looks sexy in the
pot then the taste is a bonus and not a requirement. I've drank
enough tea of any variety to know what I like but I couldn't tell you
why in so many words. I've said this before the last time I tasted
Ceylon Lover's Leaf was twenty years ago and I remember how much I
like it. I just tasted it again at my local tea shoppe and memory
serves me right.

Jim


Jim,

My guess is, if you did decide to attend one of these events, you would find
yourself surrounded by idiots of the pretentious and the simple orders. Why
not have a go, sit back, and enjoy us both? Another fun thing to do is to
invent words and then use them to describe a tea. If somebody calls you on
this, just look knowingly, slightly disappointed, and whistful, but don't
speak more. Works for me. As you know from long experience, it's not about
words, it's about tea.

Michael