As I begin my journey and explore the world of tea, I feel it is important for me to seek out 
local tea merchants and ask if they would be willing to spend a bit of their time with me; share their knowledge – and personal story – of how they became involved with loose leaf tea. I welcome readers of this blog to provide their suggestions as to where I could expand my knowledge of the world of tea. If you know of websites or articles, I would welcome your comments. Information about tea distributors located in Canada would be of great help.
The more I read about the different experiences people have with tea, it is clear to me that Tea, with all its different varieties, combined with the palate of the drinker – that each individual experience is as unique as the teas themselves. I cannot help but compare it to wine, for each particular winery and the region it comes from has a unique grape and the aging process adds to the complexity and flavour of the wine. Each person’s experience, and how wine tastes, will be different. Each person’s palate and preference are different. Some prefer black tea, some prefer green, oolong and so on. Some wines become better with time. Pu-erh tea becomes better with aging and depending how it is processed through its slow oxidation, becomes more expensive and sought after the older it becomes.
Please share with me your thoughts and preferences as I expand my knowledge of the world of tea.
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Hello Terry,
Please visit our website – teatrekker.com- and check out our two tea books: The Story of Tea and Tea Enthusiast’s Handbook. You will find a lot of good information in these three places.
Hi Mary Lou,
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I will definitely check out your web site and the two books you mentioned in your comments.
It is funny someone else mentioned that I read the Story of Tea as well. I will order it on Amazon right away.
Thank you
Be well
Terry
Learning about tea is truly a life long journey. Yes, it is our subjective experience that will determine our personal preferences, as it does with wine. The most interesting learning process I’ve enjoyed is the re-steeping of whole leaf teas. Each subsequent steeping creates a different taste and enjoyment for me. From a financial vantage point, nothing can compare. Be it wine or coffee, no other beverage allows the consumer to get further pleasure from the leaf, bean or grape. Aren’t we lucky:)
Terry, I learned a lot from this website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/teapot/cultural.html
Best of luck – and many, many cups of tea – on your journey!
Hi Terry. I’d very much recommend the latest edition of Tea Lovers Treasury by James Norwood Pratt. That is, if you haven’t already read it. I’ve been told by many its a great place to start and I would definitely have to agree with them.