Dear Tea Club for Men….

The Tea Club for Men isn’t just about having a good time, drinking tea
and having crazy parties. We’re also about values. Family values in particular.

So when we received this piece of feedback from our reader “Thrif-tea & shifty”, we jumped at the opportunity to give our sagacious advice where it was obviously needed. “Thrif-tea & shifty’s” issue touches on a fundamental issue of relationships and family interaction that often goes unaddressed.

Her letter reads as follows:

“My husband of thirty years and I have a running dispute regarding tea. We are turning to you, as experts in all things tea-wise, for advice. I come from solid eastern European stock. We tend to be “thrifty”. As such, I feel a
tea bag should be used to make two cups of tea, or that one is being wasteful. My husband is of North African extraction. Coming from a illustrious tradition that values hospitality and generosity, he feels that reusing a tea bag is “cheap”. Might I also add, that I prefer my tea weak, and am perfectly willing to let my partner tea drinker use the bag first. Can you resolve this issue, or at the very least open it up for discussion in the tea drinking community?

With Warmest Regards,

Thrif-tea & shifty”

Thrif-tea, I have to say right off the bat that I’m not a fan of “double bagging”. Unless there is mutual consent between the two parties involved, a tea bag should only be used once. For instance, when my grandparents share a tea bag its cute. They’re old, they don’t want to waste, and it’s questionable how well their taste buds work anyhow. But when they start insisting that anyone who wants tea should share their tea bag, things stop looking cute real quick!

Additionally, drinking tea is all about what the individual’s personal preference is. If your spouse is not into the whole “double bagging” gig, it shouldn’t be forced on him. Now that’s not to say that I am not an advocate of using a tea bag more than once, but only if it’s exclusively your own tea bag.

My advice to you is this: Let your gentleman friend have his own bag – although it may not be the most thrifty option, it’s important to understand where he’s coming from. Anyway, you don’t want to mess with North Africans and their traditions.

Cheers,

Avi

Tagged as: double bagging, Feedback, tea bag