The Jasmine Tea Fairy

I have always had a bit of a thing for tea and coffee. My dad, a great tea and coffee lover, is obviously the one who has influenced me. From a young age, I knew it was better to warm the pot first, to use fresh tea leaves, to pour the tea first, always drink from a china cup etc etc. I only really started to drink coffee in my twenties and always preferred filter or percolated to instant. Fast forward a few years and I entered the world of flavoured teas and real chinese tea. My kitchen cupboard, as you can imagine, is full of packets of teas, coffee, coffee beans, tea pots, coffee pots, cafetieres, percolators and a fab coffee grinder.
I always prefer any hot drink in a china cup or mug, and again, have a collection of these (some of which have moved to The Knit Studio). I have a friend in Edinburgh, who brews the most fantastic strong black coffee in a stainless steel pot on the cooker. A most welcome drink after a long journey, I can almost hear it percolating as I type!
It's interesting that the smell of various teas and coffees can take me back in time to many places and events in my past.   
Recently, one of my favourite teas has been Jasmine Flower Tea, normally only taken when dining at Nudo in Newcastle. This lovely restaurant just happens to be next door to Andy's business and just around the corner from mine! Very handy, indeed.
I shall try to describe Jasmine Tea Fairy - I think it starts life as a flower head, which is packed with tea leaves, dried, tied and then flowers are threaded onto the tie. It looks like a dried seed pod, but when you drop it into a glass of hot water, it sinks and the magically opens up and the flowers float up towards the surface. Quite beautiful, and very tasty. You can also refill the glass at twice - so good value for money too!
As you know it was birthday last weekend and I was surprised and delighted to receive a whole box of Jasmine Fairies!!! Bliss! Here's a photograph to help all the previous waffle make sense.