tea-ing up with the big boys

Last weekend, on our return home from San Francisco, we stopped in Berkeley to visit a couple of shops before heading home. While I was taking a pit stop at Peet’s, Mr. M wandered next door to find a wonderful gem of a tea store: teance. Now I should tell you that I’ve been warned of its glory by my friend Cathy, but hadn’t had the chance to wander in and explore what it was really all about.

Mr. M admitted his sub-par tea knowledge to the staff at the store, but inquired about the Lichee tea that they had available. Within minutes he had a free cup of the iced tea in hand and was walking out of the store with 2 oz. of the liquid goodness. I was scared that he had bought tea that was beyond the capacities of our glass & beehouse teapots, but when I read the directions on the back of the bag I realized that the process was going to be flawless.

You see, they tell you EXACTLY what to do with each tea you purchase… STEP BY STEP. They tell you what tea pot to use (clay, ceramic, glass), how much tea, how long to steep it, and how many charges you’ll get from your serving. I must admit that I felt pretty awesome prepping the pot and the tea as they asked, and when I took a sip of the amazing tea I realized that my stash of tea bags might go unused for awhile.

So you may think that $13.50+ is pricey for 2 oz. of tea, but compared to the price that we pay for burnt espresso… I’m thinking that countless cups of tea in the comfort of home is worth the splurge.