When I was a child, my mother used to make me tea: mainly herbal blends (chamomile, etc.) and flavored black teas (all fruit flavored). She also introduced me to Good Earth tea (Original Flavor). Occasionally, we’d also drink jasmine tea. We’d add a spoon full of honey to our tea and drink it together.
When I first tasted a plain non-herbal, non-flavored tea, I thought it was the grossest thing I’d ever tasted. It was horribly bitter, tannic, and I almost spat it out.
Later, someone introduced me to an artfully brewed oolong tea — which was nothing at all like the bitter, tannic vileness I’d drank several years earlier. This was… Light. Delicate. Amazing!
Since then, I’ve been trying out different teas here and there, and experimenting with brewing techniques as best I can. I still have a weakness for herbal blends and fruit flavored teas — and a cup of Good Earth is always welcome — but I’ve been spending more time drinking whites, greens, and oolongs.