Green tea vs. black tea, ah the dilemma. Does it really have to be one or the other? “I only drink black tea”, a comment I hear very often. Or, it goes the other way with green tea favoritism. Having a favorite is a great place to start when choosing a tea; at least you know you’ll like it. However, I do encourage people to branch out to have a taste of something a little different. We offer a free sample of brewed tea each day which is a great opportunity to venture at very low risk.

Our “Sit-n-Sniff” table is the second stop I take them to. Let them examine and sniff the leaf of their favorite tea, then the one we are sampling for the day. Sooner or later we will get to a sniffing tin of tea that really lights them up! If they are so daring, they can buy a cup of from our Blend-Your-Own Tea Bar to taste before buying a bag. They may just find they really love something they wouldn’t have otherwise tried. A great joy is when a new discovery is made in someone’s palette. They themselves are surprised and a door opens.

Experimenting one day, I came up with a blend that is now one of my favorites—one part of our Cream Earl Grey and one part Japan Sencha. Oh yeah. It has wonderful depth from the smooth creamy Earl Grey but becomes a whole other cup adding the Sencha—something delightful and new. There you go! Black tea pleasantly shaking hands with green.

Scenes from Discover Teas grand opening in Williamsburg, Virginia.