How I did it: I drank what I already had in my cupboard. Lifted odd bags from conferences and events. My colleague and fellow tea lover gave me samples of whatever he bought, and I bought loads of new teas to try.

I also bought a tea infuser as I don't have much luck with my 'traditional' teapot and a new teapot specially for green type teas. I emptied one of my drawers in my desk at work so I could fill it with different types of tea, tea paraphernalia and information.

Then I drank about six cups of tea a day of different types until I'd tried 43.

The picture on the left is a field of tea in Assam.

Lessons & tips: Drink loose leaf and follow the instructions. Even lovely teas won't taste good with stale water or milk added where it shouldn't have been.

You can reuse the leaves for green/ blue/ white teas (and some black) several times. This makes loose leaf very economical.

Don't try Fujian Oolong teabags unless you are into self-harming by tea.

Don't be snobby about it. You can love strong builders tea like the kind you get in mugs at greasy spoons and also enjoy drinking carefully prepared oolong from a glass cup. It's all great.

Resources: www.allabouttea.co.uk/ A great general shop for teas my favourite of theirs so far is Kotiyagalla Ceylon but I've had many tasty teas from them.

Silent Lion tea have sadly ceased trading but I loved their Chai and their Smoked Russian Caravan. It is my new mission to find another good Smoked Russian Caravan.

www.ringtons.co.uk/ I love their Borengajuli Assam and have tried a few of their other blends too which were great.

www.cantonteaco.com/ Despite their rude and snooty employee they have some good chinese teas, if a little overpriced.

There are loads of tea drinkers blogging and tweeting too so I have read lots over the last few months. I mentioned some links in a previous entry.

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Sep 15, 04:05AM PDT | 2 comments | 4 cheers