tea time

for those of you who might not know, tea is something about which i feel quite strongly. not being a coffee drinker, but frequenting coffee shops, i have experienced both the good and the bad, tea-wise, that nashville has to offer.

last year i made a decision to condition myself to drinking green tea. i had always steered towards herbal fruity types, and green tea took a little getting used to. it was one of those things, like oatmeal, that i really wanted to like because of its uber healthy qualities. **i wonder how you make those dots above the "u" so that it is proper. huh.** i have fully suceeded in teaching myself not only to like, but to LOVE both green tea and oatmeal. loving tea as i do, i have become a bit of a tea snob. portland brew's loose-leaf tea selection is near and dear to my heart, and their japanese cherry green tea is my never fail favorite. they order their tea from specialteas.com. frothy monkey has pretty good bagged tea, from mightyleaf.com. starbucks? fido? bongo java? cafe coco? no thank you.

today, however, tea life in nashville has been revolutionized. i was in downtown franklin this morning, taking a shelter client to see her probation officer. naturally, i dropped her off at the courthouse, instructed her to call me when she was finished, and then went shopping. and found the franklin tea store. god bless. they have so much tea and tea paraphernalia it almost took my breath away. really. i was like a kid in a candy store. except more excited. HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE???? they've been open ALMOST A YEAR. after much much much consideration, i came away with an ounce each of masala chai, orange blossom oolong, and caramel rooibos (rooibos is not technically a tea, but still. we pretend it is.) i promptly came home and brewed a cup of the rooibos and it is just absurd how good it is. i want to quit my job and just sit at home and brew tea. and blog about it.