When I first started blogging about tea, I stumbled upon Nicole Martin’s tea blog, Tea For Me Please, and it gave me a lot of inspiration. Inspiration to try new teas and always be exploring beyond what I knew, as well as inspiration to continue learning about tea and putting time into my own blog.
Since first finding her blog, I’ve really enjoyed following her posts and seeing what kinds of teas she tries, often adding them to my list. She has so much knowledge to share and is always talking about a new tea I’ve never even heard of before. Whether you’re new to tea or know a lot, her blog is definitely one you need to follow and enjoy. I got to ask Nicole some questions about her tea journey in today’s Q&A post!
1. Tell me about your first experience with tea and why you fell in love with it?
I grew up in a tea drinking household so it was always a part of daily life. My mom still drinks even more tea than I do but she prefers to stick to tea bags with milk and sugar. I really fell in love with tea in college, though. I don’t like the taste of coffee so I relied on tea to get me through early morning classes and writing papers. There were a lot of trips to Wegman’s and Whole Foods to find new kinds to try.
2. Why did you start Tea for Me Please following writing for Teaviews.com, and how did you come up with the name?
I originally started the blog as a way to backup my writing for Teaviews.com. My journey with tea was just beginning and I wanted to have a permanent record of everything that I was experiencing. It was almost six months later that I realized other people were actually reading what I had to say. I actually came up with the name a few months before starting the blog when I signed up for Twitter. Whenever I visited someone’s house they usually offer coffee and I would always reply,”Tea for me, please.”
3. What is/are your favorite kind(s) of tea?
That’s a tough one. I usually cheat and say oolong since it’s a pretty large and diverse category. You can find anything from a very green and floral Tie Guan Yin to a dark and toasty Da Hong Pao. When it comes to what I drink most often, I would say that I probably have more puerh than anything else. It’s a really complex type of tea and I enjoy the challenge of learning more about it.
4. Why is tea so important to you?
Tea is important to me for a lot of different reasons. I enjoy the taste and the way it makes me feel. More than that, I find the history and many different cultures behind tea really fascinating. As a hobby tea has also helped me to connect with others and make friends from across the globe.
5. What role does tea play in your life?
Tea plays a pretty big role in my life. I don’t always have time to brew tea before work but I try to at least squeeze in a quick bowl of matcha. Every evening I try to sit down and have a cup of tea to unwind. Writing for my blog is a lot of work as well so even if I’m not drinking tea, I’m probably reading a book about it or doing research for my next post.
6. How has your taste in tea changed over time?
Like a lot of people, when I first got into tea I drank a lot of flavored blends and herbal teas. While there’s definitely nothing wrong with those I just don’t enjoy them as much anymore. I drink mostly pure teas now and the direction of my blog has changed to reflect that change as well.
7. Why should people learn more about tea?
Like a lot of people, when I first got into tea I drank a lot of flavored blends and herbal teas. While there’s definitely nothing wrong with those I just don’t enjoy them as much anymore. I drink mostly pure teas now and the direction of my blog has changed to reflect that change as well.
8. You seem to have a pretty cool tea pet collection. What are some of your favorites and where have you found them?
I’ve become a bit obsessed with tea pets. Most of my collection are animals, everything from pigs and horses to snails. My favorite would have to be my first one, a frog sitting on a seashell. He squirts water out of his mouth when you pour hot tea on him! They’re pretty easy to find online but some of my favorite shops are Crimson Lotus Tea, Teaware.house, and Bitterleaf Teas.
lifesacupoftea.com 
Thank you so much for hosting this Q&A on your blog! It was so much fun to answer these questions. 🙂