Slow Kettle

A very small tea shelf

2 June 2026 · 4 min read

At some point my tea cupboard became a museum of good intentions. Samples I meant to try, gifts I was saving, half-finished bags that had long gone stale.

This spring I cleared it out and set myself a rule: no more than eight teas open at once. Something new comes in, something has to be finished first.

What stayed

One everyday black tea (Assam, strong enough for milk). One Darjeeling. A Japanese sencha for spring and summer. A jasmine green for the afternoons. A roasted oolong. A lighter, greener oolong. A shou puer for late evenings. And one "guest" slot for whatever I'm curious about this month.

It turns out I drink more tea, not less, when I can actually see what I have.

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