A cup of hot tea: one of life's "creature comforts"

Discovering the pleasures of loose tea

Noun
1.
creature comforts - things that make you comfortable and at ease;
"all the comforts of home"

One of my favorite gifts this Christmas was from my son and daughter-in-law, but I suspect my daughter-in-law picked it out! She knows me well enough to know that I enjoy what I call "creature comforts"...those little things in life that make things more comfortable, cozy and pleasant.

I'm holding the little purple teapot in this picture. (The color was even chosen for a reason: to match my eggplant-colored Longaberger mugs--and it does match them, perfectly.)

The pot is for the purpose of brewing loose tea. Although I love tea, I've never really had access to loose tea before. My gift was the little teapot, which comes with a snap-on metal lid and an "infuser"--a little strainer basket that fits in the top of the pot, in which you spoon a small amount of loose tea.

Along with the teapot, I was given a bag of loose tea. It's from Keria Teas in Round Rock, Texas, and it's called "Texas Summer"--according to the website: "This refreshing blend of peaches and apricots with gunpowder green tea has been our #1 seller for many years."

I can see why. This tea is absolutely delicious. I admit I had to learn by trial and error--there were no instructions as to how much tea to put in the strainer, and I put way too much the first time...to the point where it was completely undrinkable.

I learned that a scant teaspoon works best for my taste. The result is one of the smoothest, most delicious teas I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

I can see why tea is a so essential and even almost a ritual in some cultures. Few things are more enjoyable, more soothing and delightful than a cup of really delicious hot tea...and you can really taste the difference between the loose tea and tea-bags.

I'll be enjoying this gift for a long time to come!

So, how about you...any especially delicious teas you can recommend? Let me know in my comments section!