Thanks to everyone who submitted blog entries for The Tea Table’s blog contest.  We had fun reading them, and it appeared you had fun writing them as well.  We decided the best entry was by Anne who wrote a clever post relating tea with dating.  Congratulations to Anne, who wins our Quarterly Tea of the Month Club!  Here is Anne’s post in its entirety:

I’ve been asked out for coffee more than a few times. I’ve said no. No one ever thinks to ask me out for tea.

But if someone asked me out to tea, I would go, and this is how I think things would happen. We’d stand in line a bit awkwardly, squinting at the menu. He’d say something safe, and I would reply. I’ve already scrolled down in the browser of my brain to my selection: Loose Leaf Tea (hot).

Their selection is around the corner from the register, three long tiers of tins the entire length of the counter. Theres is an impressive selection—it’s the only coffee shop in town with this many tea choices. I’ve long made up my mind, but the question boiling and steeping in me is what sort of tea will he choose? Which is he, really?

Will he be a stiff black tea, an Assam or a Ceylon? Strong and full of energy, deep and mature. The warmth on chilly cold mornings, the strength to get up and face the day, with a dry sense of humor. He’ll come on a little too strongly sometimes, too abrasively, but he’d be exactly what I would need to keep awake and focused on reality.

Or perhaps he’d reach for an Asian green tea, a Sencha, Lung Ching, or perhaps some Gunpowder Tea. Mellow he’d be, clean and clear and just a touch exotic. Cool and contemplative, though he turns a bit bitter when over-steeped in his own thoughts. He’d be quiet but able to hold his own in any sort of argument. He’d adapt to almost anything, but he’d always retain a clear sense of his foreignness—and be proud of it.

He could go for Rooibos, the Red Bush tea. It’d be a cup of a different sort, sweeter and gentler, and a little nutty at times. He’d match up with lots of other flavors, very versatile and able to function at all times in all temperatures. His patience would be extreme—no matter how long or tightly he’d be stretched, he’d keep on coming with the same sweet taste and crazy sense of humor.

I have to admit, I’d be a bit surprised if he were an Herbal. He’d be extremely unassuming, letting others take the spotlight while he quietly helps where he can. His mood might change with the seasons, he’d be very in tune with nature. Most of all though, he’d be calming and steadying, a rock to cling to amidst the jitters from everyone else and the stress of life. He’d be of no real help to get me going in the mornings, but he’d be there for me in the evenings to help me relax and unwind.

Or an Oolong, ooooh. Suave and sophisticated, a gentleman with a high and complex taste to him. He’d be expensive, more so than me even, and for a while I’d probably think he’d be out of my league. He’d be temperamental, and tricky to brew up properly—it’d take me a few times before I’d be able to unlock his guarded heart and get into the true flavor underneath. He’d be harsh and unforgiving about mistakes, but quite vulnerable once his dapper front is stripped away. He’d need me, but he’d have a hard time letting me know.

I’d watch his eyes travel over all the choices slowly, taking them all in. Oh, which will it be? His hand lifts a bit, hovers here, hovers there. He opens a few and peers inside, bemusedly. Choose, I’m dying to get to know you! His brow crunches a bit, in thought. Then he turns back to me.

“Where’re the Lipton teabags?”

And I’d soon be back home after struggling through the rest of our polite conversation, trying to wash the taste of tea-flavored disillusions out of my mouth.

We were also struck by another entry completely different from Anne’s.  It was the very brief poetic entry by Kristina, reproduced here:

I’m waiting in the South, impatient for Fall to arrive. Tea is never as pleasant as when I sip it bundled up next to a chilly open window with a cat on each sill, watching the leaves begin to turn.

We really enjoyed the Haiku-like quality of this post, and our manager, John, was especially vocal that we alter our original plan for one winner and give Kristina an Honorable Mention prize.   So congratulations to Kristina, who has received a gift certificate for our store, The Tea Table.  I think I may print this little poem and tack it on my bulletin board by my desk!

Thank you everyone, and we’ll do this again some time!