A Tea Co. pt. I

I work at a place called A Tea Co. This is short for the Annapolis Tea Company. So yes, I work at a tea co. I heard about this job from one of my friends who worked there before me (Marcie). It was a great way to fill my Saturdays, and I get money at the same time.

At the tea co, we have over 130 varieties of tea, a full menu, and free wi-fi. Sometimes we don't get a lot done, but we enjoy each others' company for the slow periods of time. Because ATeaCo is tucked away in the corner of this plaza called the "Scottsdale village," It is not a well known plaza, and the tea company is even more unheard of. Most people that enter our doors wander upon the place as if it could only exist in some alternate reality, and they are lucky enough to find this hidden gem. That's what it is.

I've learned a lot about teas. I am still lacking so much knowledge in this area (and in many others.) Some things I've learned about tea:

1. Anything can be iced. Anything. I can put ice on anything and wala! There you go. Would you like some iced Yerba Mate? Yes I can go to the back, and get some green chili soup and serve it to you iced. [warning, the green chili will still be spicy.]
   
2. Add milk to anything and it becomes a latte (even tea), lattes are more expensive, lattes mean business. Moo juice=Moola.
   
3. Black Tea and Green Tea steep at different temperatures and at different times. I know there is good reason for all of this, I've done this wrong a couple of times. Good thing my boss is forgiving, and good thing the lady at the counter ordering doesn't know the difference. "Excuse me, I'd like my green tea steeped with the proper water at the proper time!." (Disclaimer: I steep tea properly 99.9% of the time.)
4. Red Tea is not tea at all. Well it isn't from the tea plant. It is from a bush called rooibos, from South Africa. No one knows how to properly pronounce it (except maybe my boss). I pretend to know how. (Roy boss) (Roo-E-Bos) in Spanish: (rrrruivos).
   
5. White Tea is not one of my faves. It is pretty and smells great, but give me something Green, or Black with some heavy cream. Yes I do take cream with my black tea. Not milk, haters.
   

One morning, I was sitting at the restaurant called "Anne's Soup Kitchen" which is just across the way from ATeaCo and I realized that it was filled with mostly senior citizens. "I am a lucky man," I said to myself. It took these people their whole lives to find the Scottsdale village, I managed to find it in my twenties.

The tea company attracts a lot of seniors [citizens] and women. One of the questions I was asked when Brian (my current boss) interviewed me was, "Are you good with elderly people?" I said yes. That is what you say at all interviews regardless of your capabilities. You say yes. Truthfully, I am frightened of old people. I basically don't know what to do with people who are below the age of 12 and older than the age of 70 unless I am related or acquainted. Even then it isn't all that easy. For the record, I have tried my best to interact in an un-alien-like manner (and by that I mean with the most respect I can muster) when interacting with seniors at the tea company. Besides, the older ladies think I'm foxy.

All in all, it has been a great place to work. Not only for the working environment, but also for the knowledge I'm gaining and for the good friends I've made.