Teaviews Profile: Geoff

My name is Geoff, I'm 32, and I'm probably the strangest dichotomy you'll ever meet...er...read, whatever. I originally hail from Southern California, moved to Oregon, did a university stint in Nevada, then wound up back in Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is probably where I'll end up buried. I followed the ten-year-tenure plan as a college student and currently eke out a living as a hotel night auditor (read: night troll) and print gallery cashier. On the side, I blog about the magnificently mundane, make up excuses for not starting the Great American Novel, and dabble with poetry about kiwis. What? Kiwis are awesome!

My love affair – or rather, lust? - for tea began in the winter of '04. True story. I was in a GNC mall outlet looking at male enhancement products for, you know, research. All of the labels looked exactly the same, titles like "Manly-RX" and such. Reading the ingredients, I noticed a common component in all of them; green tea. Prior to that, my only exposure to the beverage was chamomile, which I learned the hard way put people to sleep. Not good for a rookie graveyard employee. In the end, I figured, why take a pill when I could just drink the stuff? The obsession kindled after that.

Palette-wise, I tend toward the lighter blends. White tea is my poison of choice, Bai Hao Yinzhen especially. Slightly lower on the tea tier are pu-erh (love the aged stuff) and matcha. On the herbal side, I lean toward the mild and fruity types – Acai berry, blackcurrant, green rooibos and yerba mate. If I find my imbibing practices becoming too routine, I spice things up with my own fusions. Ask me about my homemade Power Pomegranate Iced Tea. Go on, ask me.

After four years of dabbling, I would only claim "amateur appreciator" status at best. Taster notes elude me, black tea makes my tongue feel chalky, and I still think the word "tisane" sounds like a ninja weapon. To my credit, though, I do know what yellow tea is and count it among my favorites.

Website: http://www.lazyliteratus.com

Geoff's Favorite Tea Products

Adagio UtiliTea Kettle		9/10
Numi Emperor's Puerh		8.5/10
Pluckers Pick Homadola		8.5/10
Zhi Tea Wuyi Oolong		8/10
Dragon Pearl Ti Kwan Yin Oolong		7/10
The Simple Leaf Tankha		6.5/10
Golden Moon Tea Rasa Sinharaja		6/10
Boulder Tea Kabuse Sencha		5/10
Teavana Lavender Dreams		4.5/10

Recent Posts by Geoff: