I am a tea lover and will choose to have it over any beverage anywhere. Our household especially loves black tea with spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, lemongrass and mint. As usual, I boil water, put our special spice mix and a teabag for only seconds because the doctor says I should limit my caffeine. This was the best tea, which my husband likes to call fried tea, hehe. We were tea experts, until the Manlans opened my taste buds to the TRUE tea experience.

One fine afternoon, before heading to Accra Mall to work with colleagues on a cashless evening initiative, I had the tea experience of a lifetime at my dear colleague Carl Manlan’s home. And so it was, that lovely Saturday afternoon that my tea life was changed forever. Carl brought out a TRAY of several teas to choose from, most loose leaf. This was first for me and all I could think was all the afternoon teas I’ve been a part have clearly been unserious.

Anyway, I chose my usual lemon and ginger teabag. Carl indulged me while he put together his own mix, which looked like this below. He invited me to try and boy was it good – I still dream of it. I quickly abandoned my boring cup and went of this most gorgeous tea I’ve ever had, accompanied with yummy snacks including a decadent HOMEMADE made chocolate cake all thanks to one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met, Lelani Manlan – I was in heaven.

I tried a few mixes until my stomach was filled to capacity.

After this taste bud awakening experience, my love for tea multiplied. Carl also gifted me with a tea mug complete with one of these and every evening I don’t go to sleep without a cup of my herbal tea blend.

I was reminded of a time a tea producer advised that loose tea is the way to go and that tea bags were really a product of what’s left after all the quality tea has been exported to be packaged and branded abroad at a premium. We should keep some of this good tea for ourselves instead of the “stuff” we get in teabags.

Thanks to Carl and his beautiful family, I’m now the proud owner of the Perfect Tea Maker and spreading the gospel of GOOD and real tea :-). Carl, see you in Kigali for afternoon tea, with the Rwandan touch.