A trip to the Queens pantry...

Well I gave up coffee, so if anyone has use for 2.5 lbs of excellent Colombian beans please let me know. They are just asking for a good home.

The coffee was screwing with my CNS and the meds I am on so I have switched to tea. I know I covered this briefly but I have nothing else on my mind this morning as my meds have kicked in and I am somewhat numb.

Right now I am enjoying a fresh cup of Scottish breakfast tea, and I just got back from the shop where I have been buying my tea. The girl who is there has been more then helpful in helping me select my teas, especially since I unlike beer I know very little about tea's. She has been able to help me make a selection based on me describing the flavors I am looking for and she has been on the money.

So far I have been staying within the comfort zone of English & Scottish breakfast varieties and my beloved Earl Grey. Something about the citrus and spicy flavor the bergamot orange lends to the flavor.

Since they sell the tea by the ounce it is very cheap to buy an ounce for a few bucks to try before you decide. I mean, you need more then one cup on one occasion to really decide if you like the tea and it would be a shame to spend $30 on a pound to find out you really do not like that flavor.

I know Whole Foods has a great selection and I looked at it the other day but because Whole Foods is the "in thing" they over charge on many items. Most of their tea's were well about $45 a pound for the same exact brand I can get elsewhere. I don't mind paying a premium for items that are hard to get, like their excellent cheese selection and some of their meats but not for items like bread and tea.

Today I grabbed some more of the Scottish Tea that I had the other day and then some "Chinese Gunpowder" green tea for my wife as well as some new strainers since I only have one and it is fairly beat up.

I need to read some more on tea, I would like to know as much about the tea's and where and how they are grown. I was able to learn everything about brewing, including the various barleys and growing seasons and how they are malted to affect the final beer. It makes enjoying the final product that much more enjoyable.

So if you have any comments on tea's you enjoy I would certainly like to hear about them.