$10 Tea

I just finished the book The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. I like her books a lot and this was particularly interesting in terms of finding out more about tea, particularly Pu’er tea, an aged tea formed into cakes and high on the list of tea connoisseurs. So it has entered into various conversations lately and in the course of these talks, the Lovejoy Tea House came up. 

So when I got off of the J-Church streetcar yesterday and it started to rain and I notice there was Lovejoy’s Tea House, it seemed like the perfect time to try it out. At 3 in the afternoon, it was full, but the British hostess graciously fit me into one seat in the corner. They didn’t have any Pu’er tea, so I settled for an herbal mix (called a tisane—don’t know anyone who actually uses this word!). 

But there was a catch. You couldn’t order a single cup of tea. You had to order a pot. For $10. Priciest cup of tea I ever had! 

But then I had a second cup and realized it was now down to $5 per cup. My next cup brought it down to $3.33, my 4^thcup to $2.50 and my 5^thto $2.00. I was beating the system! Each cup I drank was cheaper! There was still a little left in the pot and I should have had one more, because with tip and tax, the price was rising again. But I let it go at that.

By the time I left, the rain had let up, so that worked out as well. I went from there to a play and had to go to the bathroom five times during the performance, so there were other hidden expenses. 

This my lesson on the economy of tea drinking.