Chinese Tea

I was never much of a tea drinker before I went to China.  I tried the usual teas that you buy in the grocery stores, but I always went back to drinking coffee.  Then, in 2006 we went to China to meet our daughter.  Before being introduced to Eva, I was introduced to Chinese tea in Beijing.  We were having lunch in the Hutong District.  It was there that I fell in love with Jasmine tea.  I was the only one, though.  Mike did not like it.  I had tea in the morning, tea at lunch, and tea at dinner.  We bought lots of tea on that trip.  When we went back in 2007, our guide Judy took us to a tea shop that looked like a cinder-blocked gas station.  It was kind of scary, but they had great teas!  We spent a small fortune on tea.  I was pretty much stocked with tea for the next 2 years.  I think I still have some from that trip in 2007.  When I traveled alone in 2010 for Ivy, I drank the tea daily, but never thought about buying any.  Mike was the shopper on our China trips, so I felt lost without him.

My friend, Wendy, went to China to get her sweet daughter last year.  She made a wonderful tea purchase for me that I'm still enjoying to this day.  I take the flowered tea with me when I head out to classes or church, and I never fail to receive comments on it.  I've even been asked if I was doing a science experiment or had crawdads in my tea mug.

Another friend went to China recently to bring their daughter home.  Fortunately for me, we live in the same area, and our boys play soccer together.  S started her adoption paperwork when we were waiting on our referral of Eva.  Yes, that was in 2006, and they just traveled last month.  A long wait, I know.  Since I let them borrow my luggage, I felt somewhat inclined to ask if they could make a tea purchase for me.  Since only S's husband and son traveled, I didn't expect them to think about buying tea for me.  But, they did!

I felt like I hit the jackpot!  They bought me Oolong, Chrysanthemum, Ginseng, and, of course, my favorite....Jasmine!  I'm set for a while, but I'm running out of friends who are heading to China.  I either need to make new friends or go to China myself...