Tea'd Off

Okay, so I had a bad day. And for a fact I know that I am not the only one. A short list includes the darling woman at the Nordstrom Cafe that took my pear and bleu cheese salad order amid a crazy rush, the lady that does traffic on my radio station because she said she was, and the guy changing his tire on the shoulder in a suit in 100 degree humid hot ickiness. But I have to tell you about my experience in Tea Hell.

My friend J.P. has a birthday coming up. Now J.P. has fine tastes so I love shopping for him. I usually end up in a high end store scoping the clearance items for a monogrammed luggage tag or something. Well this year for his birthday I outdid myself. I found the perfect gift on eBay (he won't care trust me) and wanted to add just one thing more. I know he likes this tea they sell by the ounce as if it were gold so while I was waiting for my salad I went to this Tea shop. I tasted the sample of Jasmine Green Tea mixed with Rooibis tea. It was smooth and light, and supposed to reduce stress so I had two tiny plastic cups.

The salesgirl came by and asked if I needed help. I asked if I could buy a small amount of tea. "Well," says Miss Know It All "We (as in the Tea Gods or her in her 18 year old worldly experience) don't recommend just three ounces (the minimum) as it only makes about five cups of tea. You can get two half pounds ..... " She went into the detailed special which included buying about $39 worth of tea. I stopped listening at this point. I bought a pound of tea over a year ago becuase the shop is two states away and has the best Jasmine Earl Grey and I have not come close to finishing it.
When I then said I was interested in the sample she made it clear (as if I was somehow slow to understand not just ignoring her obnoxious sales technique) that it was combination of two teas and I could not get the same health benefit from just one tea. I really wanted to buy three ounces of tea but I know she would have tried to sell me the empty tin can and the frequent tea buyer card. I know myself well enough to know she was worse than the salesguy in Love Actually who spends three hours wrapping the heart necklace and I would just completely lose it there in the relaxing tea shop trying to by stress reduction tea for my friend. I walked out.

J.P. got a ziploc baggie of unknown ounces of Jasmine Earl Grey. And a good laugh.