Tea with Friends

I am so elated. I have finally convinced all of my friends that they a) LIKE TEA (the problem for most was that they had only tried bad tea before) and b) are perfectly fine with meeting me for tea instead of alcohol.

My sister (who NEVER drinks alcohol) would be proud. But the whole tea world from estate managers to tearoom owners should be rejoicing! Tea is getting more and more mainstream in the US every day and it's experiencing a revival in many other countries, too.

In the US, tea drinking basically disappeared after the Boston Tea Party (save for the surge in iced tea's popularity, which began at the beginning of the last century and lingers today), but in a lot of other places it simply became old fashioned. Many people thought of tea as fussy, overly formal, or absurdly frilly. Thanks to a bit of a makeover, tea is recognized for its incredible array of flavors and health benefits, and is becoming popular among Baby Boomers and young hipsters alike. And that, my friends, is why tea is hot.