Tea judging. And I don’t mean critiquing. I mean judging. Making someone feel like they are absolutely crazy for liking a certain tea because you yourself don’t like it. I have experienced that in the last few days. And for some reason it’s really bothering me. I had someone look at me like I had a third eye for commenting that I liked a certain chai tea. They couldn’t believe that I could like it. And it got me to thinking. This isn’t the first time that this person has done this. Normally I would shrug it off, but it’s really gotten me to thinking. I’m sure they don’t mean any harm by it, it’s probably just a more… shock than anything, but at the same time, I have to wonder… do I do that?
I love tea. And I have for years now and for many different reasons. I have my favourites and I have the ones that I hate. I know there are ingredients that I don’t like and ones that I do.
But when I find something I don’t like, I think I try to avoid sounding as though I’m judging the person for liking that tea. There maybe times that I am shocked, but I think overall I don’t. Or at least I don’t mean to. It’s funny how different everyone’s tastes truly are. We all have our own opinions and likes and dislikes and really it’s not up to us to make others feel weird or bad for liking certain teas. It’s just one of those things. Everyone’s tastebuds are different.
So, to go along with that, I do like this tea, but I think I made it a bit too strong for my tastes today. I’m still going to drink the cup probably ‘cause it’s not that bad but I probably won’t make another one of this today.
Comments
I think in my case, rather than shock or even perhaps in addition to shock, it is curiosity. I really do want to know what exactly this person likes and how this person perceives the various flavours of the tea. But, hey, different things work for different people.
I hear you. I’m definitely in a niche group here on steepster, since I mostly drink herbal and decaf tea. I also really appreciate the convenience of bagged tea. So I have a mixture of bagged and loose teas and more herbals than not. I feel like this puzzles a lot of people around here.
I think in my case, rather than shock or even perhaps in addition to shock, it is curiosity. I really do want to know what exactly this person likes and how this person perceives the various flavours of the tea. But, hey, different things work for different people.
I hear you. I’m definitely in a niche group here on steepster, since I mostly drink herbal and decaf tea. I also really appreciate the convenience of bagged tea. So I have a mixture of bagged and loose teas and more herbals than not. I feel like this puzzles a lot of people around here.
That happens to me all the time with friends who love coffee and think tea is stinky water!
I don’t like coffee or soda, so in some ways I’ve been dealing with this my whole life.
@Evol Ving Ness: I know I’ve done that too. Asked people what it is that they like about it. It’s definitely interesting to hear their responses.