To many folks out there, the very word “selfishness” raises their blood pressure a few levels, since the term has been vilified for centuries. Before you start thinking that I am proposing some totally hedonistic and/or bacchanalian tea time bingeing, hold on. I’m just saying that selfishness can be a key ingredient in the enjoyment of tea.

Here’s how:

• Take a tea moment — Slip away from your routine and even away from friends, family, and associates to enjoy a solitary cuppa tea. I’ve posted a series of examples on this blog of tea moments, that is, opportunities to do something just for your own enjoyment (see the list at the bottom of this article).
• Acknowledge the validity of your own taste — You like what you like, not what some tea “expert” says you should like or even what some celebrity likes (or is paid to say he/she likes). So, go ahead at tea time and satisfy yourself. Who cares if that aged ripe pu-erh won some award somewhere? If you like Iron Goddess Oolong or a basic black tea blend, go for it!
• Your method is not necessarily madness — Have the tea your way. This is subtly different from the above in that here we are talking not about which tea to have but how to steep and serve it. I like milk and sweetener in a lot of black teas. Other people think that milk in tea is an abomination and/or interferes with the body using the beneficial elements in the tea. The selfish tea drinker decides which, if either, is right for him/her. Ditto for whether you steep in your gaiwan or a teapot, whether you serve in cups, sipping bowls, or mugs, and a multitude of other options.
• Letting others do the same — You’ve been a bit selfish with your tea time, so it’s only fair and balanced to let others do the same. Make your recommendations and then stand back. If they select some tea that makes you cringe, just look away. That’s what I do when hubby has some mint-flavored tea. Love means never having to say you’re sorry (that hubby could drink such a thing). Hee!

Well, I’m hoping the meaning is clear here. I’m not advocating that you hog the teapot, just that you feel free to have your own tea moment your way. See, selfishness can be good!

Pick an article and have a selfish tea moment:
A Cozy Tea Moment: The Kids Are in School
Tea Moments — Doing Laundry
Tea Moments — Watching Raindrops on the Window
Tea Moments — Remembering a Thanksgiving Past
Tea Moments — Long Shadows at Teatime
Tea Moments — Being Thankful
Tea Moments — Enjoying the Christmas Sparkle
Tea Moments — The Christmas Tree
Tea Moments — Reading Fortune Cookie Fortunes
Tea Moments — Hubby Bakes Some Pies
Tea Moments — Candles Setting the Mood
Tea Moments — Putting Down the Duster
Tea Moment — Bird Bath Brouhaha
Tea Moments — Watching an Airplane Fly By
Tea Moments — Iced Tea and the Bug Zapper
Tea Moments — Enjoying a Cloudy Summer Day
Tea Moments — Finding a Shady Spot
Tea Moment — Tea at the Piano
Tea Moments — The Scrabble Game
Tea Moments — The Trick-or-Treaters
Tea Moments — The Relatives
Tea Moments — The Carolers
Tea Moments — A Too Quiet House
Tea Moments — A Castle on My Teaspoon
Tea Moment — That Fall-time Frame of Mind
Tea Moments — The Chef Knows Best?
Tea Moment — “Honey, I’m Home!”
Tea Moments — The New Pot of Tea
Tea Moment — The Colmar Pâtisserie
Tea Moments — Filling (Not Pushing) the Vacuum  

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