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Bio

The most beautiful piece of music to listen to while drinking tea. Or doing anything really.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NecLh4YOT9M

I am a very blunt, highly opinionated, queer, widowed senior citizen. Not retired. Probably old enough to be your grandparent, thus been there and done that. Holistic doctor, art therapist, herbalist, certified aromatherapist, tarot reader and amateur astrologer. INTJ, Eneagram 5 with a 4 wing, Dragon in Chinese astrology. Sagittarius Sun, Scorpio Moon.

As far as following people goes, that’s not my thing. If you follow me and I don’t return the ‘favor,’ usually it isn’t personal at all. Since I don’t do Facebook or social media, the whole follow you/follow me thing just feels forced. And creepy.

I’ve been on Steepster for 6 years but I do not swap, have a wishlist or post tasting notes because tea just tastes like TEA to me thus there’s nothing for me to write about. How many times can I write, ‘This XYZ Assam tasted like tea…’ I don’t keep a cupboard here, either.

My main reason for being on Steepster is to relax and read interesting, well written and entertaining tasting notes while I drink tea.

If I like you, I may gift you with tea as my Swedish Death Purge is ongoing. Even if I live to be a centenarian, there is no way all the tea I have accumulated will ever be drunk by me. Placing it in good homes is my goal.

Flavored teas and rooibos don’t get past my threshold. Green tea tastes like grass clippings to me. The Godfather of Pu Erh has sent me a curated selection of pu erh from his own collection and it’s still something that I just do not grok, no matter how it’s prepared, who prepares it or what kind it is.

I brew Western style and collect antique tea pots and cups-mostly European-but there are some Asian ones in my collection as well as some de rigueur clay pots. I don’t find gong fu brewing relaxing or meditative; rather I find it fussy, annoying and nerve wracking so while I do have several gaiwans, they are rarely pressed into service. I adore Bitterleaf’s tea cup selection and left to my own mad devices, I would have a room completely devoted to tea cups and several rooms devoted to chairs (another passion-yes, CHAIRS).

My maternal grandparents, who were both immigrants, were my primary caretakers and I began drinking all kinds of tea when I was a toddler. Mostly we had wicked strong black tea every day, but if there was an illness or health issue, folk remedies were brewed and used. My grandparents introduced me to tisanes, tinctures and herbal concoctions which I still use in daily life.

I have lived in many states and did some of my schooling in several different countries where I happily enjoyed and engaged in numerous tea adventures.

One of my silly indulgences is a yearly birthday treat to myself-over priced, inauthentic high tea at a pseudo-British pub here. Having a Manhattan or two with it makes everything more festive.
: )

Location

East Coast-Northeastern U.S.