I got into black tea ’cause, well, everyone’s always going on about coffee, right? But I wanted something different, something, you know, more chill but still with that kick. So, I started trying out different teas, and bam, black tea just hit the spot. It wasn’t love at first sip, though. I had to go through a bunch of those supermarket teabags—Tetley, Lipton, you name it. They were okay, kinda meh, but they got me curious enough to dig deeper.

First thing I did was ditch the teabags and get myself some loose leaf tea. I found this website, just this regular online shop, nothing fancy, that had like a hundred different kinds. So, I ordered a few that sounded interesting—some from China, India, even one from Africa. When they arrived, I brewed each one, trying to follow the instructions on the packets, like water temperature and how long to steep ’em.

The difference was wild. It’s like, with teabags, you’re drinking the fast-food version of tea. But with loose leaf, it’s like a whole meal, you know? Each tea had its own thing going on. One was kinda smoky, another one was sweet, almost like honey, and this other one, it was strong, like, it really woke me up in the morning.

Then I started getting into the whole “terroir” thing—yeah, I learned a new word! It’s basically how the place where the tea grows affects how it tastes. Just like wine, which I don’t know much about, but it makes sense, right? The same tea plant can taste totally different depending on if it’s grown in, like, the mountains or near the sea, or if it’s sunny or rainy all the time.

I even started a little notebook to keep track of all the teas I tried. I wrote down where they were from, how I brewed them, and what I thought they tasted like. It was pretty basic, just my own notes, but it helped me remember which ones I liked and why. One of the black teas have a very special fragrance. I like it very much.

My Tea Setup

• Kettle: Just a regular electric kettle, nothing special, but it heats up water fast.
• Tea pot: Got a glass one so I could see the leaves unfurl, which is kinda cool.
• Thermometer: Yeah, I went full nerd and got a thermometer to make sure the water was just right.
• Timer: Used my phone’s timer to get the steeping time down.
• Notebook: Like I said, just a cheap notebook to jot down my thoughts on each tea.

So yeah, that’s my black tea story. I went from those boring teabags to exploring all these different flavors and types of loose leaf tea. It’s been a fun ride, and I’m still learning new stuff all the time. It is not just about the caffeine kick anymore, although that’s still nice. It’s more about the whole experience—taking a break, enjoying the different tastes, and just chilling out for a bit with a good cup of tea.