What is Your Tea Idiosyncrasy?

[emeraldrobot]

I am the opposite about my cups; well sort of. I had the most obnoxious cup with a snowman juggling snowballs on it (come to think of it, that is morbid...like a human juggling cannibal meatballs)
ANYHOW, needless to say the cup was not my style. however, the cup was the perfect size, weight, and had the perfect handle. I used that cup so much and when it cracked, I was devastated.

I used the teacup for quite a while because I didn't want a present to collect dust and be not appreciated! In the end though it also didn't have a great shape and just wasn't comfortable in my hand...

hopefully it'll be used! I haven't seen it in the breakroom sink though.

[Pentox]

I intentionally drink bad tea to remind me how good good tea is.

[Janine]

I have no idiosyncrasies whatsoever.

Except maybe that I am using what I consider a giant glass gaiwan at the moment, even for a new oolong tea I bought. it has become more important to me to allow space enough for leaves in the water for them to swirl and get fully infused. I also enjoy viewing the condition of the leaves as I re-steep. AND I will re-steep the same leaves for my brews in a day (I started this to cut out caffeine, but I've also come to appreciate getting to know the tea better in this way.) In the past I wouldn't use glass and never used a large pot (larger than a medium yixing).

But I'm enjoying my brewing experiments a lot I will choose teas in the morning that appeal to me, and quite often that just might be the same one as the day before.

[teashionista]

I don't drink subtle teas afer spicy meals: we're huge fans of Sichuanese cuisine, and after a dinner at my fav restaurant I stay away from anything delicate

[Beidao]

I have a list with all my teas and write when I drank them last time, and if it's more than a week I will make the teas name red and bold, and try to drink it rather imediately. I often look at the list before I chose a tea and consider which teas I have not been drinking for the last days. I also write how much I have of it: much, much/medium, medium, medium/little, and when I can estimate how many more brewings are left, I write down that estimation. I do not tend to save my teas when I have little left, I rather rush to finish the ones I'm running out of. I sort of have a game to have as few teas as possible at one time (usually 10-15) and I see it as a sport to wait as long as I can before opening a new tea, it becomes more precious to me then. I will sometimes go through my list in the morning and mark the teas I want to drink during the day and try to follow that. And yes I go through the list several times every day to make sure I have not missed to fill in the correct date if I have been drinking them

[Dresden]

I will never drink the exact same tea 2 times in a row, nor 2 times the same day.

+1

Also,

I will not drink tea out of a cup with a handle.
Whenever trying a new tea my first cup is always in my favorite double-walled glass tumbler so that I can fully appreciate the color of the liquor.

[bambooforest]

I gotta another one for you guys. I sometimes stick my nose into an empty bag of sencha just to smell the aroma that still lingers on.

[Dresden]

I gotta another one for you guys. I sometimes stick my nose into an empty bag of sencha just to smell the aroma that still lingers on.

Why am I imagining a puppy trying to dig the last kibble out of a bag of Kibbles'N"Bits?

[Dreamer]

This topic had me stumped...then I realized that according to my family anything I do with tea is pretty much a big idiosyncrasy!!!

They think that the only "normal" tea behavior is drowning a little bag with a little "Lipton" tag on it!!!

Have fun,
Dreamer

[Intuit]

Can no longer tolerate travel without my 'tea kit' for brewing loose leaf tea. I tote my own teabags or loose leaf tea (and large tea sacks plus pick) to restaurants.

Am very choosy about teacups and will search and use 'just the right one' for years on end, until it breaks.

Am resigned to a deareth of local friends who are tea lovers and teaware hounds. Just not going to happen unless I can relocate to suitable quarters (say, Victoria BC). Maybe I will have to make that happen. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

For the Canookie Watchers: a proposition

Will trade essential and critical insight on a cadre of related, particularly pressing problem if you will assist me in relocating to Victoria. I see it as a win-win situation. I save you many millions in public and private costs, you find me a cozy bungalow with a nice wee garden and offer me dual citizenship. An endowed chair at U Vic would be a nice touch (I will bring the funding if you create the position).

PM if you're interested. :-)

[auggy]

This topic had me stumped...then I realized that according to my family anything I do with tea is pretty much a big idiosyncrasy!!!

Me, too! I've been trying to figure out what my idiosyncrasy is and I think it's pretty much tea. That and I'm pretty strict as to how I brew the tea - scale, timer, thermometer if needed. All in the desire to ensure it is consistent. Which I don't think is that odd, but yeah, others seem to.

[virago_ns]

My dog has her own tea bowl, though she only has one bowl compared to my cupboard of tea cups... is that cruel?