The expression “It’s a guy thing” is rarely applied to tea. In fact, for many folks, tea is for women and “sissy men” (the kind that don’t belch a lot or spend the weekend putting new brake shoes on the pickup). Anyone who thinks this, though, hasn’t met my hubby. While he is neither prone to lots of strange bodily noises nor in a perpetual state of grime from doing some “manly” activity, he is not a “sissy man” and is definitely a real tea guy. It wasn’t always so, but the transformation has been quite remarkable and has paralleled my own educational experience with tea.
The main process for my hubby’s transformation started when I began writing about tea. He was and is my most devoted reader. I take photos to go with many of my articles, and he has been a great help with them, also, assisting with lighting, prop set up, and selection of the best shots. Small wonder that he’s become a real tea guy.
At this time, you’re probably wondering what the heck a “tea guy” is. Well, it’s more than just someone of the male gender who likes tea. It can, and usually does, go far beyond this.
Qualities that a tea guy might possess:
- Opts to start his day with a cuppa tea instead of the usual coffee and indeed goes for tea most of the time instead of other beverages, especially colas.
- Has to know what tea garden the tea was grown in, what flush it is from, and the factory the tea was processed in.
- Keeps track online of announcements of new teas that become available (actually, hubby relies on me for this).
- Feels his pulse quicken at the mention of a new varietal or clonal of Camellia Sinensis.
- Starts every conversation with “So, I had this great tea the other day. Let me tell you all about it…”
- Wears a T-shirt that has “I © tea” on it and carries a matching mug full of tea around everywhere he goes.
- Reads and re-reads the transcript of a panel discussion or two at the World Tea Expo.
Hubby doesn’t quite do all of these, but he has been known to ask (without any prompting from me whatsoever and with an eager tone in his voice), “Are we doing a tea tasting today?” He is also talking about repainting the interior of the house with colors reminiscent of various teas (the steeped liquid, that is). I am resisting this for now since paint fumes wouldn’t go very well with the delicate aromas of our teas.
Is your hubby (or wifey) a tea guy (or gal)? It could be a very good thing, sharing your love of tea!
Don’t miss reading articles on this blog by another Tea Guy, William I. Lengeman, III.
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