The teapot

I have always been a tea drinker. I can't remember a time when tea (the meal) wasn't accompanied by tea (the drink). Elevenses and afternoon teatime (or as we affectionately call it, threeo'clockses) feature heavily in my life. But for the first 20 years of my life, tea meant teabags. Something changed all that.
That something was a teapot. Now, that doesn't mean that I had never used a teapot before, there has always been a brown betty in the kitchen. This new teapot though, was different. A London Pottery Farmhouse Filter pot. And with it a bag of loose leaf tea.
Loose leaf tea was a revelation. The flavour is so much better than teabag tea. A small scoop of leaves infusing in boiling water gradually unfurl filling the water with flavour. I soon branched out beyond the realms of English Breakfast, and discovered the joy of browsing teashops. Loose leaf tea has become my affordable luxury. There's something special about making a pot of real tea, and no matter how many times a day you do it, it does not loose it's magic.
I still use teabags. In fact, there is some nice blends available. But loose leaf is dominating my collection. I have a tea shelf. If I'm not careful, it's pretty soon going to be two shelves. Making the decision over which tea to choose can take longer than brewing the tea itself!