Thoughts on Tea

What's my tribe?

Even though I can find an interest group that I find myself aligning with at times, I've never really felt at ease with the opinions and thoughts of the people within that group.  For instance there tends to be a clear divide between coffee and tea.  I know I very easily fall within the circle of tea drinkers. But even within tea drinkers I rarely find people that have the same approach to tea as me.

So every now and then I try to see what others think about tea.  I'm not entirely sure why, since I've longed since seen how conservative views are on the matter.  There appear to be two main camps of thoughts on tea.  First is the casual consumer that gravitates toward fruity flavors and marvels at the wondrous innovations in the production of tea bags.  Second are the ones that venerate tea and all its history; looking down on the first group as uneducated rubes that have yet to experience the true taste of full leaf brews in delicate porcelain cups.

I don't think I've ever been part of the first group.  Tea bags will do in a pinch, but I would never say that it's something I want.  Plus even a cursory understanding of the tea industry will tell you how little effort and quality is put into each tea bag.  When all you're getting is the leftover remains of tea leaf processing, why not just go for the real thing?

But then there doesn't really exist much of a middle ground.  Because the second group veers all the way to the other end of the spectrum.  The Sisyphean goal of a more authentic experience is how I see this group.  Gone are the pastimes of merely enjoying the simple flavors in a warm glass.  Now it's a matter of the perfectly brewed tea.