Dawning of a new (tea) era

White people problems:

Yesterday I finished drinking the last of my Tie Guanyin tea from China. I went there 5 years ago and I bought enough Chinese tea to last me that long. I think I may still have some bricks of the red Pu'Er, but the Tie Guanyin is by far my favourite -- it has its very own distinct slightly floral, slightly sweet-ish taste. I bought some at the Richmond Night Market this summer and it was utter swill. It didn't taste anything like it, had hardly any flavour at all, and wasn't even the right colour. I'm sure there's a specialty tea shop somewhere in the city I can find it, though. Maybe in Chinatown or something. But if not, I'll have to switch to a different green tea. My boss has a bunch of Longjing, so I'm trying that for today. It's okay. I could potentially bring in some of the Pu'Er too, I suppose. You have to hack off chunks from the brick of tea with scissors, which is messy (which is why I don't often drink it), but it sure is delicious.

I tried some Lapsang Souchong at a local cafe recently. It's a smoked tea, and it pretty much tastes like the smell of campfire. I didn't like it very much. There was no tea taste, just wood-smoke.