The time is near to line up those tea resolutions. Like the commonly made resolutions of losing weight, studying harder, being nicer to people, etc., tea resolutions are goals we set for the New Year in the hope of getting more enjoyment from the tea we drink.

There seems to be some deep human need to assign beginnings and endings to things and then to commemorate them. It seems to be related to us being born, living, and dying. New Year’s Resolutions are one way of marking an ending of the old year and the start of a new year. They date back to 153 B.C. when Janus, a mythical 2-faced king of early Rome who could look at the past and the future simultaneously, was used as the name of the first month of the year on the Roman calendar. Which month was the first and which day was the first day of the year have been different throughout mankind’s history and is still different in countries around the world, China being the most notable.

Resolutions are very personal things. Tea resolutions are even more personal, since your approach to tea and what you want from it are things that only you can decide.

A few basic resolutions you might consider:

• Read a tea book or two or even three (there’s tons of ’em out there)
• Make a point of having a daily “tea moment” (just you, a cozy spot, and a cuppa tea)
• Order some tea samples totally different from any teas you’ve tried before ― expand your taste horizons!
• Add a special teapot to your arsenal
• Ditto for a special teacup and saucer or a mug

Some more esoteric resolutions to try out:

• Try a different way of preparing your teas, for example doing a gongfu style preparation instead of the European style
• Attend tea seminars and even possibly the next World Tea Expo
• Adopt someone as your tea protégé to teach them about tea
• Make up your own blend of teas for your personal enjoyment and/or to share with friends
• Start your own boutique tea company (assuming that your tea blends are a hit with your friends), like so many seem to be doing these days
• Write your own book about tea or in some way related to tea, like Katrina Ávila Munichiello did recently
• Begin your collection of antique teawares from Wedgwood and others

Whatever you decide to be your tea resolutions (i.e., goals) for the New Year, put your list together while sipping tea so you have the proper inspiration, and be realistic here. Having a resolution to visit every tea garden on the planet might not be achievable, especially if you have school age children or lack the funds for such extensive traveling. I wouldn’t count such a thing out entirely, though. After all, where there’s a will there’s a way.

Happy Tea New Year!

See also:
Tea Samplers
Toasting in the New Year with the “Champagne of Teas”
New Year’s Tea Time Resolutions
Tea Resolutions and Other New Year’s Stuff
Holiday Tea Time — New Year’s Eve

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