As I am sitting with a friend at a local coffee shop, pondering what to write for my next tea post, I pose the question: “Do you like tea?” His answer: “Not really. I mean, if someone brought me a hot tea, I’d take a few sips out of kindness, but I doubt I’d love it.” I contemplated this answer and wondered how anyone 
could not love tea. This brought on a conversation about the overall population’s enjoyment of tea, and whether the classic phrase, “I bet you just haven’t had good tea,” actually holds water. Does the average beverage consumer enjoy tea, and I mean good quality, flavorful, naturally produced tea? If not, could it be that they simply have not had good tea?
There can be major differences among the tastes of teas, which could be the reason why some people don’t think they like tea. Let’s take a popular brand of tea – for example, Lipton tea. Tea lovers around the world consider this tea a pretty average / basic tea. Lipton tea is usually what is served at restaurants and most likely what the average tea drinker is drinking. What if we put a deliciously brewed cup of vanilla Matcha tea in front of an average person who is unsure of whether he / she likes tea? I strongly believe that person’s perception of tea would change dramatically. If the average person has only tried a basic brand of green or black tea, I can understand why they aren’t crazy about tea.
When I first fell in love with tea, it was because of the delicious varieties I indulged in. I always enjoyed most simple green teas, but when I added Sencha and Matcha to my tea world, I became obsessed. The taste difference could be based on different tea brands, whether the tea is loose leaf or pre-packaged, and the way it was processed. I think most people who are indifferent or think they dislike tea simply haven’t had GOOD tea. It is a goal of mine to introduce others to delicious, good tea.
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