It is frequent that when I meet a new stoner, he or she is quite particular about audio, visual, and taste (as well as other senses). My discovery of these peculiarities came in my late twenties, when I had my first real chocolate bar. The second, was in my early thirties when I tasted my first cup of Earl Gray tea.

A friend offered me a cup of Earl Grey and I was hooked. Aside from a few cups of breakfast tea, this was my first positive experience with a flavored tea. At the time, the Earl Grey tea I tasted was of low quality compared to what I drink today. But since I had no comparative basis, it tasted darn good. If I remember correctly, it was the Celestial Seasonings Earl Grey.

At age 34, I walked into my local herbal shop and was stunned by the quality of their Frontier brand. It was sold in bulk and was much more bold in flavor and strength. This prompted me to buy loose tea paraphernalia as well as search for better tasting teas.

Years went by as quickly as the number of brands I have tried. Though I was satisfied with the brand from my local herb shop, I never refused to try a new one. A few years ago, my family and I were at the Mall of Georgia. My wife was shopping for new shoes and I was board. Hiking through the endless hallways of the mall, my feet were growing tired and my eyes droopy. Ahead in the maelstrom of retail signage, I spotted a place called Teavana.

Not knowing what to expect, I sampled their free cup of Earl Grey. Upon the first sip, my taste buds were fantastically delighted and my mind was in wondrous amazement. Never before had I tasted such high quality tea, of which all the other teas I've tried paled in comparison.

Immediately, I purchased a pound of the delicious loose tea and exited quite happy and refreshed. Introducing my wife to the exquisite flavors, she too understood my excitement. Since then, Teavana teas were our exclusive sipping tea.

Recently, I found another high quality product called Mighty Leaf. The tea comes in this perfect silken dipping bag that neither inhibits the seeping nor distorts its pleasant taste. I’ve never been a fan of tea bags for just those reasons.

I’ve purchased many types of tea paraphernalia, but my favorite is from Teavana. The Teavana® Perfect Tea Maker (16oz.) really is the perfect product for making a single cup of tea. It’s easy to use and clean. It is quite prudent, then, to purchase the perfect tea cup. Though many people assume tea cups are small dainty things, I actually like to enjoy my cup of tea in one of Stoned Mountain's groovy coffee cups. They are the perfect size and come in many different designs to please any taste. So be sure to visit the
Head Shop to choose your Tea mug!

If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to let us know!