Hello hello!! Welcome to my annual Blogiversary post!! This year’s post is even more special than before, because this year, my blog turns 10!! Yes, I’m officially a decade old! In the past, I’ve taken creative freedom in my Blogiversary posts by spilling tea in very melodramatic ways. With these posts, I sank on a ship and ended up on the ocean floor, escaped a runaway train , and even floated in outer space . For this year, and for the milestone achievement, I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before: I’ll be traveling back in time. (Photos by Zimirah Haefele of Eventide Glow Photography, Colorado) According to Einstein, time is relative. This means that the way we perceive time is a construct, because it’s all relative to the observer. Although time is linear to us on Earth, time runs in all directions in space. One of the simplest examples I saw of this is a thought experiment that goes like this: Light travels across the universe at 670 million MPH. Let’s say there’s a planet across the galaxy that had advanced lifeforms that were able to build a mega-telescope and point it at Earth. They could be looking through the telescope to see the Jurassic era, and watch as dinosaurs roam the Earth. But how could they be watching us, and see the Dinosaurs that roam the Earth? Well, the light that came from the Earth millions of years ago is currently reaching the outer edges of the universe, so to the observer of that light, Dinosaurs are roaming the Earth, although now humans roam the Earth. Both things are happening simultaneously to the observers because of where we're observing it, and yet, it’s happening differently for us because of when we’re observing it. So, how would this apply to me? First, I’d need to find a way to catch the light that was emitted when my tea journey started 10 years ago. All lot of the light has dimmed and passed since then, so to find the light, I need to travel to catch up to it. The light I had from that time seems to be long-gone, and the only way to get it back is to find where it went. In the meantime, instead of going out on some melodramatic theatrical bang, let’s start out small by answering the question I get asked the most: How did I get into tea? First, we need to go back 11 years to when I was 18. At the time, I had been working as a weight-loss counselor. Many moons ago, it was my career ambition to be a dietitian. While those plans derailed after coming out of the closet, I can pinpoint a day when a client of mine came into my office with a huge secret. She had been struggling to find a replacement for soda, and after several months, she finally cracked the code: Oolong. I remember this moment clear as day. She came into my office and said, “I’ve been drinking this stuff called Oolong tea, and it tastes sweet! Wanna know the crazy thing? It naturally tastes like that!! There’s no sugar or additives, it’s just hot water! Next time you go to Central Market, look for this stuff called Dong Ding oolong tea.” I stared at her blankly. You see, growing up in Texas, we drank tea all the time. We called it just normal, good old-fashioned sweet tea (or, Texas Sweet Tea to those outside of the South). We’d boil 3-4 family-sized Lipton tea bags in a pot for the afternoon, add a full cup of sugar, mix it in, pour it into a pitcher, and add water until it reached the 1-gallon mark. We’d set it in the fridge overnight, and the next morning, your gallon of diabetes was ready! However, the idea of drinking hot tea felt very foreign because in the south, you never drank tea hot. If you drank tea hot and without sugar, you were drinking a drink that was only halfway through the creation process. You don’t bake a cake and pull it out of the oven halfway through, right? So why would you drink tea hot? On my lunch break that day, I drove up the street to Central Market. I browsed the tea aisle and bought a $15 package of oolong tea. I also bought a box of empty tea bags, so I could build my own tea bag. Next door, I drove over to Starbucks and got a cup of hot water. I then went back to work and put my make-shift tea bag in my cup. Since I’d usually make sweet tea by leaving the tea bags in the pot for hours, I decided to set a timer for 30 minutes, walk away, and come back. Half an hour later, I checked on my tea, and it didn’t look nearly as dark as it would have when making sweet tea, but I was tired of waiting and was too eager to hold off any longer. With my lips pressed to the mug, and with a single sip of tea slithering down my throat, I cringed as I puckered my face in disgust. I spit out the kerosene-like liquid and frustratingly threw the rest of it away. “No way I just wasated $20, and no way that woman quit drinking soda for something so repulsively bitter,” I said to myself as I looked at my tea purchases with disappointment and irritation. Perplexed at what my client had been talking about, I decided to go to Google. An internet search later, I stumbled across the tea subreddit (which is a subsection of Reddit that was dedicated to tea). On the page, I read that oolong tea should only be brewed anywhere from 3-5 minutes, not 30. Whoops. I then walked back across the street to Starbucks, got another cup of hot water, and made a new tea bag that I brewed for only two minutes. Once the cup of water cooled down, I took a sip of the tea, and from that moment on, my trajectory in life was forever changed… While reflecting back on this moment, I had an idea. Maybe to find the light from 11 years ago, maybe I need to re-create that moment to find the light again. You know, as a refresher of sorts. So for the next few days, I dug through my entire tea collection and dug out every Dong Ding oolong that I owned. After pulling out four different oolongs, I made them back-to-back, and after sipping one after another, I couldn’t recreate the light that I once had when I initially tried tea. I closed my eyes and tried to mentally put myself back to the moment when I initially tried oolong tea, but couldn’t... Maybe I’m going back to the wrong place and time in my timeline. Maybe I need to go back to when I worked at Teavana? Or maybe go back to when I went to my first tea festival? Instead, I need to go back to the point in time when I created my blog. But how did I start my blog? What was the driving force behind it? (Photos by Zimirah Haefele of Eventide Glow Photography, Colorado) Around 6-8 months after initially trying oolong for the first time, I had already started ordering tea from various companies. During that time period, I had discovered puer tea and had made my very first puer tea purchase from Yunnan Sourcing. I had even made a larger purchase with White2Tea, and couldn’t get enough of my tea exploration. I was posting tea photos on Instagram, and had a hobby on the side. However, the idea of starting an actual blog website didn’t really start until the beginning of January of the following year (2016). While browsing tea companies on social media, I came across a relatively new tea company that had just recently launched. They had a cool aesthetic and had puer tea that looked affordable and tasty. However, while looking through their very first launch, I noticed they had a 100g cake that looked good and was around $60-ish USD. While intrigued, I wanted to buy this tea, but couldn’t afford it at the time. So what did I do? I emailed the company and asked them if they ran any discounts or had any sales coming up. They explained to me that because they were only several months old, they didn’t have the ability to host any sales. However, they did say that they needed some sort of media coverage, such as a blogger of sorts, to help spread the word on them. And if there was a blogger interested in them, they’d give them a wholesale discount on the tea cake. Less than 2 hours later, on January 8th, 2016, my blog website was born! I got the wholesale discount, I reviewed the tea, and my very first collaboration was complete. Even better, I now had a blog website and a blank slate to move forward with. In case you were wondering, yes, I really did launch my blog out of being cheap… (Photos by Zimirah Haefele of Eventide Glow Photography, Colorado) While thinking about this moment in reflection, I decided to go back and drink one of the very first teas I bought from this company. I also decided to go back and read some of my earlier blog posts, in hopes of finding the light. While re-reading some of my earlier posts, I didn’t find light, but I did manage to find a lot of cringeworthy writing. I also found irritation at my past-self, and wish I had gone about blogging with a more mature stance (that’s neither here nor there at this point). However, I couldn’t re-create the original light that I once held. Out of frustration, I started digging through some of my teaware tubs to see if I could find any of the original tea ware pieces I bought from 2016 to see if that could help me re-create the light. To my disappointment, I could not. After thinking of other various ways to find my original light, I started to have doubts and gave up my search. Maybe the problem wasn’t the fact that the light from this time period didn’t exist, because somewhere in the galaxy, the light is traveling to the unreachable borders of the universe. Instead, maybe I was the problem. While on this search, I started to realize that I couldn’t find the light I used to emit, not because I was looking in the wrong place, but because I stopped emitting light altogether. The light doesn’t exist. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped believing in the magic of tea exploration and stopped emitting light from my journey. In my 10 years of tea, I had a lot of hard knocks, and had a lot of experiences that eroded the hope and wander I used to have for the tea industry. I have been through hell and back, and while trying to keep my head above the water, I stopped living and started existing. I was kicked down from World Tea Expo, and on top of that, I even c reated a blog series that was inspired by needing to heal from some of the nightmare experiences I had in my tea career. So what do I do now? Suddenly, I had an idea. Light is comprised of sub-atomic particles called photons, and according to quantum physics, photons can transcend time and space by existing in every state at the same time. This means that photons don’t react to linear time in the same way that we do, because photons exist in spacetime. Photons exist in the medium in that they’re observed, meaning that we can only observe them as being linear because we can’t physically interact in time and space. So if the same photons that came from the light I emitted when I first got into tea, then maybe the same photons that exist within me now also exist from that moment on. The only thing I can think of is to write a letter to my past self, with hopes that the photons from the light that's emitted from the letter can transcend spacetime to deliver the message back to myself. If I write the letter and put it out in the universe, then through Einstein’s theory of relativity, it would have always existed. This means I can talk to my past self, and maybe he’ll eventually read it. So, here we go… (Photos by Zimirah Haefele of Eventide Glow Photography, Colorado) Dear Cody, Hello there! It’s me, you! Now, you’re probably wondering why I’m reaching back in the past to write to you. Something went wrong along your timeline, and I wanted to let you know what you should expect. You see, I’m in a predicament where I lost the joy I once had in being a tea blogger. However, if I give you enough preparation, maybe you can prevent us from losing that passion that you currently have. So here’s some advice that I think you should follow to change the course of our timeline. Now, first things first: You’re currently 19, just starting your blog, and not sure what your style is. I know it’s daunting and you’re currently not sure how to start out, but let me tell you what not to do. You’re going to launch your blogging career by putting on a performative persona of yourself. Just don’t. You’ll receive a bit of backlash for it, and the best way to circumnavigate that is to be your most authentic self. I know it’s scary, especially since you just went through being homeless due to coming out of the closet. While others have weaponized your identity against you, that doesn’t mean you should let them take your identity away from you. Second, there’ll come a point in time in your blogging career where you’ll be invited to attend various tea events. While that might not happen for several more years, you will quickly fall in love with the tea industry and will find a new purpose with it. However, at some point, you will go through a lot of hardship. You will be displaced from your home again and forced to relocate to Missouri. Your entire upbringing will be uprooted, and you will go through a life transition with yourself. Also, side note: There’ll also come a point where you get into a Discord argument during this transition, and just let it go. You’re going to pick a petty argument with Oolong Owl, and she would have had nothing to do with it, and you’ll lose that argument. So, just don't. When you start your entire life over again, you’ll think that your life is over. While your old life might be over, you have to remind yourself that your new life will just begin. Some of your core memories will happen during this time period, such as teaching a class at the Midwest Tea Festival in Kansas City. You’ll also quickly make friends in Missouri, as well as people you get to call your own. These people will be your chosen family. You’ll meet an older couple named Joe and Julie, and they’ll take you under their wing as if you were their own. In fact, one of your happiest memories of making tea will involve Joe and Julie. After your second year in Missouri, they’ll talk about holiday plans with their family and will tell you, “We're speinding Christmas with family, so when will you be here?” You will go over to their home and make tea for their entire family. And despite being lost in Missouri, this will be the very first time you will feel like you were truly found. Next, you’ll meet your ride-or-die named Danielle. While Danielle isn’t crazy about tea, she’ll become a sister to you. She’ll be in your life for at least the next decade. Now, you will make close friendships with other people, especially through tea, but don’t hold on to some of these people too closely. When some of these people are ready to exit your life, you’ll fight for those relationship tooth and nail. However, the longer you hold onto these people, the more you’ll get hurt in the end. When they're ready to leave, let them. Now, not everything will be bad. In your career, you’ll be invited to write several pieces on tea, including being a regular contributor for World Tea News!! You’ll get heavily invested in tea-education, and you’ll quickly fall in love with spreading the love and joy of tea. There will be several speed bumps in the road, including a global pandemic that will take place at the beginning of 2020. Now, I know that 2020 is still 4-5 years away from you, but whatever you do, start buying toilet paper now. You’ll thank me 1 month into the pandemic when you can’t find toilet paper and are forced to take a shower every time you need to use the restroom... However, during the pandemic, you’ll meet two of your soul-mates. You’ll meet Luke, and over time, you guys will have virtual tea over FaceTime. Eventually, Luke will propose to MacKenna, and you'll get to have virtual tea with MacKenna. Now, you’ll make it through the pandemic. You’ll come out of it with the realization that Missouri was only a yield sign for your journey, and you’ll eventually relocate to Colorado. You’ll get invited to speak at World Tea Expo, twice! You’ll also get to travel to Portland to teach a tea class, as well as teach another class at Penn State University. I know this is a spoiler, but after you move to Colorado, you'll get invited to serve tea at Luke and MacKenna’s wedding as a groomsman in Carmel by the Seal, California. You’ll get to watch your chosen brother get married to your chosen-sister, and it will be the happiest moment of your life. However, while there, you’ll get to meet MacKenna’s sister. Along with her, you’ll also get to meet their mom, Stacey. Now, unbeknownst to you, Stacey has cancer. Also unbeknownst to you, Stacy will be one of the most important people in your life because her legacy will change your life forever. Stacy will hug you at the wedding, she’ll say that she loves you as a mother would, and Stacy will periodically message you throughout the next three years to cheer you on and give you motherly support. You don’t know it now, but when you meet Stacy in California, please spend more time with her. Talk to her more. Most importantly, please hug her one more time. When Stacy loses her battle to cancer in 2025, it will be a turning point in your adulthood, and it will be one of the hardest times you’ve ever cried in your adult life. So please, go hug her one more time. Do it for you. Do it for me. While you spend time in Colorado, you’ll start to feel isolated. In fact, you’ll start to feel disconnected from people and struggle to make friends. You’ll spend nearly 2 full years without receiving a hug from anyone, and you’ll slip into a deep depression. You’ll actually feel so lonely that you’ll plan to go to the rooftop of your apartment's garage and plan to jump and end it all. However, don’t forget about Marika -- she’ll FaceTime you and she’ll talk you off the ledge. She’ll save your life. Another future friend you’ll make, named Neldon, who will also save your life by helping you find a thearpist. The loneliness will try and kill you, and no matter how bad it seems, please remember that it wont. Ok so, I know all of this looks bad, but there is a bright side to it all. You will go to therapy, and you will start to get better. It will take time, but you’ll eventually meet people who’ll love you for who you are. You’ll find a 2nd home at Trident Booksellers in Boulder, and you’ll find a mentor in Peter, who runs the shop. You’ll get to eventually meet with Danielle, Luke, MacKenna, Joe, and Julie again, and you’ll be reminded that you are loved by so many people. Eventually, there'll be a coffee shop that opens at the base of your apartments, and you'll get to meet a different Joe, and his wife Marla. The coffee shop employs speicial needs individuals, and you'll start volunteerting there. They'll take you in as one of their own and their love will ultimately give you a new purpose, and will help end your long reign of loneliness. Now, I know all of this is daunting. However, somewhere along the way, you’ll lose your passion for the tea industry. Although it started with the incident World Tea Expo , there will be other events that will lead to the dimming of your light. You will often find yourself sitting at home alone, having tea by yourself. You’ll be celebrating blog milestones by yourself. To make things worse, you’ll have absolutely no one to share your joy with for a lengthy stretch of time, which will make you jaded about tea and life in general. However, while your loneliness will start to define you, please keep the following in mind: Start therapy much sooner. I know you will feel like you don’t need it, but trust me, you do. Also, please force yourself to take a break from time to time for the blog and change up your routine. Above all else, please don’t forget to love and care for yourself. I know loving yourself is the biggest challenge that lies ahead of you, but you need to start practicing it now before it's almost too late. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of stuff you have to look forward to! You’ll get to look forward to launching your own tea-talk show where you raise money for charity and have tea with people from all over the world. You’ll also get to continue to write tea-educational articles that will be published! You’ll also get to teach tea classes at a place called Trident Booksellers, where more of your core memories will be created. You will get to release a tea-cake with Crimson Lotus Tea, as well as release a tea blend with a company named Steep Mountain Tea! Hell, you’ll even get to release your own tea cake production! Yes, you’ll source tea cakes to sell as a blog fundraiser and it will go better than expected! You’ll also write a novel while drinking tea at Trident! And funny enough, while writing this novel, Julia Roberts will sit next to you and ask you about the tea you’re drinking!!! Although none of the people you sent it to will have read your novel, please remember to be proud of yourself and to keep doing the things that make you happy. Above all else, please hold on to the joy you have for the tea community. You love tea, and you love your life. However, it’s up to you not to let the darkness overshadow the brightness. Keep reminding yourself why you should be here, instead of why you shouldn't. Hold on to that light the best that you can. ~Cody Wade ~ Now, there is no guarantee that he’ll get to read the letter. I already stated above that despite existing in spacetime, we humans can only perceive time as linear. So maybe it’s not possible for me to write a letter to myself in the past… However, there is one thing I can do to send myself a message while working around our linear perception of time. I’ll write a letter to my future self... ~ Dear Cody, It’s you, me. Now, you’ll read and revisit this blog post and this letter very quickly after posting them. When you do, I want you to remember one thing. You might not get to re-create the light you once had when you started this journey over a decade ago. However, you do have something else. You have a blank slate ahead of you, and you get to create a new light. With this new light, paint the sky with all of the colors you have within you. No one will be holding you back — not even me. You have a blank slate and it’s up to you to start over, but this time, start over with excitement. You have a LOT more to look forward to. Now, go make us proud. I believe in you. With love, ~Cody Wade ~ At the time of posting today’s blogiversary post, I can confidently tell you that I'm beginning to find a new light… … and I can’t wait to see how far in the universe it’ll go. ~Cody Wade Aka The Oolong Drunk “ Blissfully Tea Drunk ” Click the links below to read previous years blog anniversary posts 4 Year Anniversary (and Special Announcement) 5 Years in Tea: My Side of the Story 6 Year Blogiversary: SOS! The Sinking of the RMS Tea 7 Year Blogiversary - You Sold Out Your Culture 8 Year Blog Anniversary: Train-Wrecking my Career 9 Year Blog Anniversary: All The Stars that Glow (Photos by Zimirah Haefele of Eventide Glow Photography, Colorado)

Hello hello! Before celebrating my 10-year blog anniversary tomorrow, I wanted to share with you guys my very first tea review. I also wanted to react to it! With this, I had to go way back to find some of my very first few posts, which I archived back in 2020 due to wanting to pretend some of the first posts never happened (...yes, they were that bad. You're about to see). Well, since it's been so long, let's take a look at my very first review! For this, we have to go back to the end of Janurary 17th , 2016 where I uploaded my very first tea review. The tea was a small 100g tea cake from Yunnan Sourcing, and upon finding this in my archives, this is what I found... ....Jesus Christ. I JUST started this and I'm already dying. Was this really the first introduction to my blog? Really? And the Pokemon reference? "It's a tea session, but with more ass..." Oh good Lord. Shoot me. Oh my GOD . I don't know where to start. Why did I break the cake in half? And how did I create so much tea dust with it?! Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could even create so much tea dust if doing this now! Also, why did I call the tea cake a 'mofo'?! And 'Yo snoop, got any papers?' I'm literally cringing so hard I could vomit. Yeah, I'm also pissed off at you for wasting 8 grams of tea. Congrats, you managed to irritate future-you. Ok, I want to pause here and question, why I didn't write the entire review like this? There's something solid here with the way I described the tasing notes. I'm glad there's a glimpse of me taking this seriously, but why didn't I keep doing it that way? But also, why did I ever call a tea 'boring'?! I'd never do that. I mean, I did. But goodness... Well, we got Rosanne Barr and Harry Potter in one review... I'm just, Im at a loss for words. I went on a ramble about wathcing Roseanne, and saying I'm ' anal about chipolte '. I think around this time, there was an E-Coli outbreak at Chipolte and several of their restaruants had to shut down? Something to that regard? Don't quote me. Really, don't. This is all embarrassing. Make it stop. "Gurl are we on the RMS Titanic?" Yes because right now I've been sinking with embarrassment. Thank GOD that's the end because I literally can't read any more of this. Back when I posted this, I shared it on Reddit and the comment section was divided ( here's the link if you want to look ). The top comment said my style was insufferable, and you know, I completely agree. It's really interesting to see where I started, and how I grew into becoming the writer I am today. I really don't remember this review, or even remember why I went with this style. I did find my voice eventually, but I guess you could say I was learning in public. While I'll never do an exercise like this without pepto again, I'm glad that you guys stuck around with me for over 9 years. I would have never imagined continuing my blog to this point, and can't wait to see how I'll continue to evolve. With love, ~Cody aka The Oolong Drrnk " Blissfully Tea Drunk " Join the discussion HERE on Instagram!

Hello hello!!  Over the past decade, I’ve had many incredible experiences in the tea industry. While I could narrow down the ‘worst’ moment I’ve had in my career, I couldn’t really narrow down a singular moment that really defined my journey. Truth be told, the good definitely outweighed the bad so much that I struggled heavily with writing this post. However, given that I can’t be decisive, I decided to go with my first core memory in tea — the core memory that changed the course of my journey forever… (Photo: Me, teaching my very first class at the 2018 Houston Tea Expo. Photo by Jordan, aka Tea_Tohraphy) Back in January 2018, Houston held its second-annual tea festival! While the festival is no longer in operation (and whileI think this was the final one), a friend named Jordan and I drove down to Houston. At the time, Jordan was a rising star in tea and was also known as Tea_tography, and at the time, we both had never been to a tea festival before. However, for the festival, I was slated to give my very first presentation at a tea event. My class was about the introduction to puer tea. Although at this point in my career, I only primarily reviewed tea. I wasn’t sure where I was going, and for the first time ever, my fun hobby turned into something more.  On the drive down, Jordan and I listened to Taylor Swift’s new album ‘Reputation’ (and the drive that made me a Taylor fan), stopped at a Buc-ee’s, and sat in Houston traffic. While the road trip wasn’t necessarily the most glamorous, Jordan and I eventually made it to Houston.  For both of us, we had both made this trip too many times to count. Jordan’s mom lived in Houston, and for me, my parents had family/friends in Houston, and we’d drive down at least several times a year. Although Houston is another world away from Dallas, it still felt like home. So now I get to drink tea with a new tea friend, at a tea festival at my home-away-from-home?  What more could I ask for? We both arrived in Houston later in the day, and pulled over at Tin Yin Tea and Herbs — a Houston tea shop in Houston’s Asia Town. We both had gong-fu tea, took tea photos, then went our separate ways until the next morning at the start of the festival.  The next morning, I woke up and headed down to the tea festival. Jordan met me at the conference hall, and we toured the entire festival in thirty minutes. It's safe to say, it was relatively small. We also went to one of the other showrooms to vote on a chai for a chai competition. I remember voting for a blue chai, and remember thinking that I could actually become a fan of chai teas due to this competition.  After meandering around, we then stopped to see a lecture from an ex-Starbucks employee who gave a presentation on how Starbucks is slowly taking down the tea industry. This was the most-talked about and most anticipated presentation for the entire conference. So Jordan and I made our way to the classroom to find it filled to the brim, and although we were just a few minutes late, we somehow managed to find a place other than standing at the very back of the room. Jordan and I watched as the presenter sat in a chair at the front of the room. While anticipating some sort of truth bomb about Starbucks, his rambles continued on as he said, “Starbucks just sucks. Working there was toxic, and it just sucks. Believe me, it sucks.”  After listening to a disgruntled ex-part-time employee nonsensically vent about Starbucks, Jordan, and I realized that the big ‘truth bomb’ was never going to come. In fact, we quickly realized that this gentleman was the problem as to why his working environment was so toxic. We both cringed as we quietly got up and left the bitch-fest.  Jordan and I did the entire expo. It was early in the morning, and I didn’t start my class until 4:00 pm that day. If I remember correctly, I was the last teacher to present my lesson. So what were we to do for 7 hours?  The hotel where the convention was being held was actually across the street from NASA. So Jordan and I left the convention, drove across the street, and did a tour of the Houston NASA facility.  About 6 hours later, and after getting to touch moon rocks, Jordan and I stopped at a Jimmy John's and headed back to the convention. I went to my classroom, set up my presentation, and waited. Only 4 people showed up to my presentation. Despite my lack of audience size, I was still very happy with the four who showed up. A part of me wondered if no one stuck around and ditched the classes due to being afraid of sitting through another bitch-fest.  After breezing through my hour-long presentation in twenty minutes, I asked if there were any audience questions. I quietly and awkwardly made eye contact with all four people, who all blankly stared back at me. I faked a smile before dismissing the class. Jordan and I hugged as we parted ways for the remainder of the trip.  The next morning, before driving back home, I decided to browse the expo hall one last time. While touring the expo hall, I stopped at several more booths to taste a few teas I had missed the day before. Then, something caught my eye.  Yaupon tea. Yes.  Growing up in Texas, we grew Yaupon bushes as a hedge line between us and the neighbours. They grew beautiful cherry-red berries and stayed green all year. However, this was the very first time in my adult life that I learned that you could drink Yaupon tea, or that the leaves were safe for human consumption.  While sipping one of the samples, a black man and his girl came up to the booth to try the tea as well. The gentleman had baggy blue jean shorts, a big tattered football jersey, a massive gold chain with silver teeth, and face tattoos. He was asking the booth vendor, who was Hispanic, questions about the tea. Then, this conversation caught the attention of a white woman who looked like she had come shopping from the Beverley Center. She had lip fillers, a handbag that was worth more than my yearly income, and talked with a Topanga Valley accent. She asked the gentleman for a sample and drank it with us. Then there I was, an overweight gay kid from Dallas. I then looked around at the four of us trying this tea, and talking about this tea with each other, and had the realization that changed my career forever: There is nowhere else in the world where the four of us with our vastly different ethnic, minority, and financial backgrounds could ever come together to have a conversation with each other as if we were one. It was over a cup of tea.  That afternoon, when driving back to Fort Worth from Houston, I couldn’t stop thinking about how all of us at this convention, whether a vendor, a lecturer, or a guest, all live life very differently from each other. Somehow, we all came together to form this community over something as simple as hot-leaf water.   On that drive home, I changed my mind about what I wanted for my tea blog and where I wanted to go.  Before this point, my tea blog was just a fun hobby. But now? Now, after seeing how it can bring people together?  I knew from that moment on that I was to take my blog more seriously, partake in more tea events, and have tea with as many people as possible.  That’s the day that my career in tea launched, and in that moment, I knew I had a lot to look forward to (except for world tea expo… I kid, sort of. Ok but as a gay man I can tell you that we LOVE our grudges. We collect them, polish them, and display them like nicknacks in a curio). With much love and respect to the greater tea community, ~Cody  aka The Oolong Drunk  “Blissfully Tea Drunk” Join the discussion HERE on Instagram!

Hello hello! Over the past decade, I’ve had an incredible tea journey. While that journey is filled with love and joy, it’s also filled with experiences that weren’t so lovely and joyful. Although I don’t like harping on the negative (contrary to my blog’s history), it wouldn’t be honest to say that these things didn’t happen. These things did happen, and despite that I wish they didn’t, I can’t deny that they were apart of my journey. So, this is by far the most horrific experience I've had in the tea industry. Before you ask, no, this is not a re-telling of my experience at World Tea Expo (although I wanted to go with that, I've beaten that dead horse so much that it started to turn to glue). There’s good, but this is the bad and the ugly… Earlier in my blogging career, I was more focused on reviewing teas and blogging about the tea experience. After a few years in my blogging experience, I started to take the blog more seriously. With this, I began wiring articles, including a breaking editorial about how we’ve all been lied to about white tea. After my new found success with writing a serious piece, I got an email from a fellow tea drinker who told me to get into contact with Emily (fake name for the sake of the story). Emily was a tea vendor who was traveling to different tea farms, and while on her travels, ran into a horrific event. The story goes like this: Emily traveled to a tea farm to make a deal to purchase a lot of tea. Many tea farms have multiple lots of tea, and depending on what the customer wants, they’ll reserve one of their lots of tea to be processed into whichever tea type the customer wants (black, green, etc.). With this, Emily went to the farm to secure a contract to purchase the next few years' worth of tea from this farmer. Or, they’ll also sign contracts of exclusivity, meaning that a specific tea farm can’t sell tea to anyone else for the duration of a contract.  However, as Emily was posting her adventure on social media, something else was happening. Unbeknownst to Emily, Elon was watching. Elon (fake name for the sake of the story), who owns and runs a massive tea company, was watching Emily explore the tea farm where Elon's tea company had sourced tea from. While Elon sourced black tea from this farm, they were threatened by the idea that Emily was there to source green tea.  However, Elon didn’t have a contract with this tea farm. Elon only bought tea from this farm, harvest-to-harvest. At the time, it was rumored that Elon wasn’t even buying any more tea from this farm (although rumored, couldn’t verify/confirm).  At this point in the story, you may be asking yourself: Why doesn’t a tea company this large have any contracts with one of their tea farmers, especially a contract of exclusivity? Isn’t that suspicious? According to Emily, after spending several days on the farm, she was about to secure a deal with the tea farm. That was, until the tea farmer received an unexpected text from Elon.  According to the tea farmer, Elon started sending various threatening messages to them. Elon allegedly texted them, stating that if they sold tea to anyone else, they would pull all of their money from the tea farm and blacklist the tea farmer from the entire tea industry — promising that no one would ever buy tea from the farm ever again.  To make it worse, when Elon stopped doing business with these farms, the farmers had no other customers lined up to buy from them because they had turned away all of their potential clientele. The farmers had no way of avoiding this. The tea farmers then got scared, explained everything to Emily, and sent Emily home. Emily wasted hundreds of dollars on this trip and went home empty-handed. After interviewing Emily, Emily agreed to help gather the text evidence from the tea farmers. On my end, I launched an investigative report on this tea company and its business practices. I began the painstaking process of researching this company, researching where they sourced tea from, and conducting over twenty interviews with various tea-industry professionals.  After several months of collecting interviews, I was running into an issue: Everyone whom I interviewed — all the way from individuals to larger businesses, involved in the tea industry, was too scared to speak ‘on the record’. I pleaded with various interviewees to speak anonymously, but they were too scared of Elon. Every single person I spoke with said that Elon could ruin them. Although I had collected a dozen damning stories of mobster-like behavior from this company, I couldn’t use any of it. Although it was a recurring theme that this company would purposefully refuse to sign contracts with tea farms so they could blackmail their way to acquiring whatever tea they wanted, I had nothing to run off of. While interviewing multiple people, it had been claimed by various people that Elon had done this to nearly every farm they had worked with.  Then, after another month of searching for people who’d give a testimony, I received a message from Emily.  I got my ‘smoking gun’ evidence.  Emily had acquired text messages from the tea farmer she had worked with, and messages that claimed how this farm was terrified of being ruined by Elon. One text specifically claimed the evidence that I had been searching for.  I was elated.  I had been working on this project for months at this point, and dozens of stories I couldn’t use, but now? Now I had the biggest piece of evidence I needed to be able to run this story.  However, almost a day after obtaining this piece of evidence from Emily, I opened my Instagram to see that I had been followed by Elon.  Given my investigation and the timing of acquiring the evidence, I’m being truthful when I say that it made my skin crawl.  As time went by, and after eight months of work, I had my first draft of my report. As I was getting prepared to sell the report to several larger publications, I got a notification from Emily.  She said that the tea farmers were too scared for their safety and livelihood, and wanted to retract the evidence they gave, and no longer wanted to be a part of the report. Safe to say, the investigation was now dead in its tracks.  By this point, I had gathered dozens of stories with bombshell evidence to back them up, and yet, I couldn’t use any of it. I went into my bedroom, buried my face in my pillow, and screamed as loud as I could. Not only did these tea farmers have no protection, but there was also no way to protect future farms from being Elon's next target. Besides that, there was no way to protect anyone else, even small business owners, from a company as large as Elon's.  For the next few months, any time I went out, I started asking various restaurants where they sourced their tea from. When they mentioned this company’s name, I’d switch my order. Eventually, it got to the point that I couldn’t avoid ordering tea from this company, no matter how hard I tried. I went to a high-society event that served tea, and although I wanted to ask them where they sourced their tea from, I couldn’t. I looked at my cup of hot tea, noticed it was from this company, and drank it anyway. I willingly looked the other way and drank their tea, and thought if I went with blissful ignorance, it wouldn’t matter. But it still did. That was the lie I told myself.  That night, I laid awake in bed and couldn’t go to sleep. That was the moment I realized that as a consumer, I’m a part of the problem. While I’m not okay with everything that went on, I also had to realize that I was just one person. Without the backing of anyone who had these issues and without evidence, I couldn’t do anything on my own. That was also the day I realized that although I have a voice, my voice was powerless, and I couldn’t make real change — even if I wanted to. The system is too big, and I am just 1 person…  ~Cody  Aka The Oolong Drunk “ Blissfully Tea Drunk ” Join the discussion HERE on Instagram.

Hello hello!! Over the past decade, I've seen many tea companies come and go. Some of these tea companies start out strong and slowly fizzle out over time. Or, sometimes, these companies never really had a strong start to begin with and fought the good fight before closing up shop. However, over the years, there have been some tea companies that have made such a strong impression that I believe they deserve another chance to shine. Below are my top 7 closed tea companies that should make a comeback! Teavana Teavanna was a staple for many tea drinkers in North America. In many cases, Teavana was the reason why so many people got into tea. However, Starbucks infamously acquired Teavana on December 31, 2012. The acquisition was an all-cash transaction for $620 million. In 2017, Starbucks announced it would close all Teavana locations by 2018. While you can buy some Teavana blends online through Starbucks, this is one tea company that needs to make a comeback, and quickly. Dachi Tea Company Dachi Tea Company was a US-based tea company that launched around the end of 2014, and shortly after, launched a Kickstarter. Their Kickstarter was so successful that they managed to be picked up by the local news with a lot of media coverage, including being featured by Kickstarter itself. They specialized in Taiwanese teas, and to date, I'd argue they have the best product photography out of any tea company in existence. Despite my bold claim, Dachi managed to build itself up to be the premier tea company. However, in 2020, they quietly went offline and haven't given an update since. Whatever happened to them will be a mystery to me. Satanic Tea Company The 2020 Global Pandemic brought down many long-standing tea companies. However, because of the pandemic, we also got many new tea companies in return. One of the most creative tea companies to come out of 2020 is the Satanic Tea Company. While taking aim at the goth/metal audience, the Satanic Tea Company's marketing was almost satirical. This fun and innovative tea company stopped operation, and now tours as a metal band under the same name. Grand Crew Grand Crew began as a small passion project around 2020 and originated in Taiwan. This small tea company sourced some of the best Taiwanese teas I've ever had, and had incredible packaging and marketing. They even made a debut at World Tea Expo in 2022. So, why did this company fail? Personally, I believe this tea company needed better marketing and press. While the name and social media still exist for this company, they desperately need to come back for a round 2 and stick around permanently. Steeped Tea App Steeped Tea successfully launched their app and gained a lot of press. 3 German guys worked for over a year to develop an app, and after launching, found a lot of newfound success. They even launched a tea subscription service, which served a wide variety of teas. Despite hitting everything out of the park, front-runner Tristan backed away from the project, and the app and monthly subscription slowly faded away. Totealy Tea Totealy Teas launched in 2018, and slowly started to build an audience. They primarily sold Chinese tea, including releasing various puer tea-cake pressings. However, after gaining traction, they cleared their social media and left a single vague description in their bio: [on pause]. Despite the vagueness, one can only hope that their pause will end sooner rather than later. Just not for eternity... Story of my Tea Story of my Tea is a Houston tea company that launched in 2016 and started out strong. They had memorable marketing and even gained a larger audience for their 'blind' tea tasting samplers. These blind tastings were the best loose-leaf blind tasting sets I've ever partaken in. After gaining a loyal following, they stopped posting in mid-2019 and have disappeared since. Whatever their reason is, they need to come back. ~ Did you recognize any of the companies above? Join the discussion HERE on Instagram and let me know who YOU think should make a comeback! ~ Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk..."

Hello hello! Over the past decade, I've tried a wide variety of teas that are fun, classic, and sometimes -- outright disgusting. However, during my tea exploration, there are a few teas that stick out as pinpoints in my journey that helped me understand tea better than I did before. Rather, if it was something completely unique, or something that opened my eyes as to the wide array of incredible things tea can be turned into, I believe that these teas should be tried by every tea drinker at least once in their tea journey. Let's dive in! Aged White Tea Did you know that white tea can be aged? Long before getting into tea, I didn't even know what white tea was, much less the ability to age it. However, since white tea is only mildly processed, the enzymes that react to light and oxygen are still active in the leaf -- thus causing it to slowly oxidize over time. Aged white tea is a relatively new sub-market in the tea industry, and only really became popular around 2010. Despite its newness, aged white tea is a true delight that every tea drinker should experience just once in their tea-drinking journey. Huang Pian Shou Puer First, you may be wondering: What is shou? What is huang pian? And lastly, what is puer?! While this requires a more complex answer, I'll give the bare-bones basic descriptions. Huang Pian is the large-leaf material at the base of a tea tree's branch, which is often not plucked for production. It's often used as a 'poor man's tea (so to speak). Shou puer is a type of dry-fermented tea that's dark in color and oxidized. Huang Pian shou puer is one of my favorite shou puer teas I've ever had, and it gives a lot of depth while being enjoyable. Every tea drinker should drink this tea because it's an expansive way to see how vast the world of shou puer is, while still being enjoyable. Kyobancha Kyobancha is a relatively unknown Japanese tea for most tea drinkers. Kyobancha is a type of roasted green tea from Kyoto, Japan, made from the larger, older leaves and stems that are harvested later in the season. But why is this on the list? I added this tea to the list because it's a wonderful example of how diverse Japanese teas can be -- outside of the classic staples. A Very Expensive Sheng Now, let me start by saying the term 'expensive' is very subjective. In my mind, a cake of sheng puer that's over $20 is considered expensive (or maybe I'm just poor? That too lol). However, when I say expensive, I mean somewhere in the $2-$4 a gram range. Why is this so important? This is important because some of the best teas in the world are sheng puer teas, and oftentimes, the really pricy ones can really elevate that experience. Award-Winning Tie Guan Yin Tie Guan Yin is one of China's most famous and well-known oolongs. However, because tie guan yin is so popular, there are many 'bad' ones out there. While the definition of 'bad' is entirely subjective to the beholder, I will say, I've seen many people say they dislike this Chinese staple because they have only tried a poorly-made version of it. While trying the award-winning Tie Guan Yin, you'll see how special this tea really is, and see where it originally garnered popularity. Tea-Stuffed Fruit Tea-stuffed fruit? I mean, I am stuffed with tea all of the time... Jokes aside, tea-stuffed fruits are not entirely common, but have slowly gained popularity over the past decade. More commonly, tea is stuffed in bitter oranges, and can easily be found across many tea shops. So why is a citrus-cented tea so important to one's tea journey? I'd argue it's important for any and all tea drinkers to experience this because not only is it an older Chinese tradition, it's a way to see how malleable and delicious naturally-scented teas can actually be. Tea-Stuffed Bamboo Tea-stuffed bamboo, you say? Yes, absolutely! Over the past 5 years, many smaller tea companies have begun producing tea-stuffed bamboo. In this process, many vendors have commissioned tea-stuff bamboo with white tea, sheng puer, and shou puer teas. The tea is roasted in the bamboo shoot, thus naturally scenting the tea with a bamboo aroma. But why is this important for tea drinkers to experience? Bamboo-stuffed teas are an oddity that also shows how malleable tea can be, and can help expand your knowledge of what tea is, and what it can do. High Mountain Taiwanese Oolong Tea Fun fact: High mountain Taiwanese oolongs are the exact reason why I'm named 'the oolong drunk'!! Specifically, AliShan Taiwanese Oolong was the tea that made me fall head-first for oolong teas. During my oolong exploration, I quickly became a tea-nerd, and became forever obsessed with tea and tea culture. Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs can be pricy, but they're some of the best teas in the world and are completely worth it. Tea from America Did you know tea can actually be grown in all 6 continents -- Europe being the 7th that can't grow it... Okay, sarcasm aside, tea can be grown in any warm and humid environment. Tea can be finicky to grow in many climates, and America doesn't have many geological areas that could sustain large-volume tea production. However, there are some small-scale farms in America that have successfully managed to grow tea in America. While some tea plantations can be found in Oregon, North Carolina, and Florida. However, where can you find the best American-grown tea? Arguably, I think Mississippi and Hawaii have the best American-grown teas that you can find. I think it's important for any tea drinker to try tea from Mississippi and Hawaii, to see how great American-grown tea can actually be. Tea from New Zealand Last but certainly not least, New Zealand tea! In New Zealand, there's a tea estate called Zealong, and they grow incredible tea, including oolong tea, white tea, and black tea. However, due to New Zealand's soil and climate, New Zealand teas are a wonderful treat for anyone who tries them. While it might be pricy, especially with shipping, I'd argue that New Zealand teas are more than worth the cost and provide an excellent tea drinking experience. ~ Did you see anyhting on my list that you agree with? Is there something missing that should be here? Join the conversation HERE on instagram! ~ Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk..."

Hello hello! Over the past decade, I've learned a LOT about tea. When starting out, I didn't know anything about tea outside of making Texas sweet tea. When learning that there's a universe of tea outside of a cup of sugar per gallon of sun-brewed tea, I came across many fascinating things that I never knew about tea. For my blog turning 10, I'll share with you my top 10 favorite tea facts that I've learned along the way! Let's dive in!! Matcha tea originated in China. It wasn't introduced into Japan until the 12th century, when matcha tea was brought to Japan in the year 1191, and originated from the Song Dynasty. It was initially consumed by Zen Buddhist monks and the nobility, but its use became more widespread over centuries due to its role in ceremonies and its health benefits. Afternoon tea originated from Catherine of Braganza in the mid-1600s. Catherine of Braganza was from Portugal and married King Charles of England, and brought tea to England with her. She threw parties and served tea with finger foods, and due to her popularity, commoners copied her. This became what we know as 'afternoon tea' today! The world's largest heist, and the world's largest act of espionage, was tea! Also known as The Great British Tea Heist, an English tradesman Robert Fortune worked as an undercover spy and travelled to China in the mid-1800s to learn the tea trade. Over the course of several years, he collected thousands of tea seeds and tea plants, and smuggled them back to British-controlled India. Before this point, China was the only country in the world that produced tea and kept the production of tea so secret that no one else could replicate it. Before, many considered tea as one of the natural wonders of the world. White tea has caffeine. Surprisingly, I've seen many people over the past decade claim that white tea has no caffeine content. However, white tea can have as much tea as any other tea type. Matcha isn’t the only tea powder out there. Tea powder can be made from all types of tea! Lately, 'tea powders' are increasing in popularity. Iced tea was popularised in St Louis, Missouri. Although iced tea wasn't a new idea, and goes back to the 1800s. However, it became popular when food vendor Richard Blechynden served it at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. The weather was so hot that he threw a vat of ice into his tea and started selling it cold. The longest consecutive high tea in America is from Wenham Tea House in Wenham, MA, founded in 1912. The second-longest consecutive high tea in America is the Brown Palace High Tea in Denver, Colorado and began service in 1915. The popularity of the 'tea bag' was an accident. Around 1908, New York City tea merchant Thomas Sullivan would deliver tea samples in small mesh bags. However, to his surprise, customers were putting the entire bag into their mugs -- which gave birth to the innovative idea. Herbal tea is not tea; it’s called a ‘tisane’. It can only be classified as tea if it has Camellia Senses leaves. Puer tea was illegal in the US for 99 years until the Tea Importation Act of 1897 was abolished in April of 1996. It was originally enacted to help prevent the importation of tea that contained  fluoride, heavy metals, oxalate, and pesticides. However, the need for the act quickly faded when the United States enacted the FDA, Food and Drug Administration in 1938. The Board of Tea Appeals was a United States federal agency under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration. From its establishment in 1897 until its abolishment in 1996, it adjudicated the claims of tea importers whose products were denied entry into the United States by federal tea-tasters. ~ What is YOUR favoriet fun fact about tea? Continue the conversation HERE on instagram!! ~ Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello! Colorado is known for its hiking, skiing, and beautiful winter towns. However, while visiting Colorado, you can also find incredible tea spots throughout the Denver/Northern Colorado metroplex. Rather if you're a seasoned tea expert or a casual tea drinker, all of these places offer a fun experience for everyone. Get ready to lock in the Mountain views with a cup of tea, and let's dive into some of the best tea places in all of Denver and Northern Colorado!! Let's dive in! (Photo by Trident Booksellers, Peter Jones) Name: High Tea at the Brown Palace Location/Address: 321 17th St, Denver, CO 80202 [ link ] Description: High Tea at the Brown Palace is the upper-echelon of high tea. The Brown Palace offers one of the country's longest consecutive high teas (beginning in the year 1915) and has offered a luxury experience ever since. Even if you're a tea purist, this is still one tea experience worth having. However, high tea reservations, especially for their Christmas high tea, can book out months in advance, so be sure to plan accordingly. Name:  Milk Tea People Location/Address:   1641 Market St #133, Denver, CO 80202 [ map ] Description:  Milk Tea People is a premier milk tea shop that's a block from Union Station. This must-have artisan milk tea is some of the best you'll find in all of Colorado, and will have you coming back for more. Name:  Trident Booksellers Location/Address:   940 Pearl St, Boulder, CO 80302 [ map ] Description:   Trident Booksellers is a Boulder staple and was the first coffee shop in Boulder to serve espresso. However, Trident is one of the only tea shops in the country that offers self-serving gong fu tea. They also source tea directly from farmers and carry all types of high-end tea throughout the year. This is a must-have for any and all tea lovers, as they have some of the best tea you can buy in the country, much less Colroado. Name:  Celestial Tea Factory Tour Location/Address:   4600 Sleepytime Dr, Boulder, CO 80301 [ link ] Description:   Did you know that Celestial Tea is located in Colorado? Did you also know that you can take a tour of their facility? Their famed tour takes you through the facility to get a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes in a tea factory, and ends with another tour of sorts at the gift shop. Although this isn't a tea shop, this is still one tea experience that all tea drinkers alike can enjoy. Name:  Yellow Mountain Tea House Location/Address:   2616 W Colorado Ave #21, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 [ map ] Description:   In Colorado Springs, you'll find this hidden gem of a tea shop. This tea shop has walls of tea you can choose from, and will be made for you in a tea service that also offers delicious food and snacks. Between the tea and the dumpling, anyone can find something they'd fall in love with. Name:  Happy Lucky Tea House Location/Address:   236 Walnut St, Fort Collins, CO 80524 [ map ] Description: Located in historic Old Town, this Fort Collins tea shop offers many incredible tea blends made in-house, as well as single-origin teas that'll make any tea drinker drool. To make things better, they have an incredible tea-ware section that's worth a double-take. ~ Have YOU been to any of the places listed above? Join the conversation HERE on instagram! ~Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello!! With my blog’s 10-year anniversary coming up, I began to reflect on some of the best teas I’ve had over the years. Over the past 10 years, I’ve had a wide variety of teas from all over the world. While all of this is subjective, this is my list of the top-10 best teas I’ve had throughout my 10-year blogging journey! Criteria: For the criteria, I'll be ranking my top 10 best teas based on flavor profile, quality, drinkability, and memorability. Although most of the teas below are no longer available, they still stick out in my mind as some of the best. This list is entirely subjective. This list is completely unnecessary, except I like being authoritative and this is one of the healthier outlets for it. Honorable Mentions: Although they didn’t make the top 10, these teas are still notable and add to some of the best teas I’ve ever tasted. ~ 2015 Alter Ego, by Bitterleaf Teas ~ Alishan Jin Xuan High Mountain Oolong Tea, by Taiwan Tea Crafts ~ Black Magnolia Tea, by The Great Mississippi Tea Company ~ 2023 Zero Sum, by White2Tea ~ Simple Shou, by Crimson Lotus Tea In random order, below are my top-10 teas that I've had in the last decade! Tea: 2015 72 Hours Company: White2Tea ( link ) Why It Made My List: 72 Hours was gifted to me by a dear friend. This tea was nearly sold out when I received it, and it was my first experience with luxury puer tea. This tea was not only 3-dimensional to the taste buds, but it was the very first time I recognized that puer tea is the most complex tea type in the entire industry. This tea is legendary. Tea: 2015 Colbert Holland Company: White2Tea ( link ) Why It Made My List: The famed Colbert Holland made my list because this has got to be one of the best teas White2Tea has ever released. Not only was this tea flavorful and complex, but it was also smooth and easy to drink. I really wish this one would make a comeback. Tea: 2015 Brown Sugar Company: White2Tea ( link ) Why It Made My List: I have a history with this tea. When White2Tea initially released this tea, they described this tea as something that would taste like dates when it had aged to it. Despite never having shou puer before this point, I blind-ordered 3 bricks of this tea. When I received it in the mail, I tried it, and it tasted like fish and dirt. I was so disappointed, because I didn't expect it to taste like compost. I even trashed it in a review right after. So, I stuck all 3 bricks in my storage and forgot about them. Well, two years later, I rediscovered it in my storage and decided to try it again. To my surprise, it was rich, smooth, creamy, and sweet. I then did more research and discovered that when I initially tried it, it still had the wet-pile taste to it, and I needed to let it rest. I eventually took down my bad review of it and drank one entire brick in less than 1 month. To this day, no other shou puer has matched that flavor profile and has brought that much magic to my palate. Tea: 2016 Secret Garden Company: Bitterleaf Teas ( link ) Why It Made My List: This tea made my list because this tea had everything. This tea was juicy, creamy, fruity, and lightly floral. This tea was rich, but smooth and relaxing. I can't say I've had a sheng quite like this one before. This solidifed for me, being the tea that made me full-on fan boy of Bitterleaf Teas. Tea: 2018 NaKA Company: Bitterleaf Teas ( link ) Why It Made My List: NAKA!!! I don't usually talk about this tea often, but NaKa is my favorite village in China for sheng puer. There's something insanely magical about this tea, and it's something that everyone should drink once in their lifetime. Many companies carry versions of NaKa, but Bitterleaf Tea's consistently releases the cleanest and juiciest version of this tea -- more than any other company. Tea: 2017 Cloud 9 Company: Bitterleaf Teas (link for this tea doesn't exist anymore) Why It Made My List: Cloud 9 is a Huang Pian white tea. Huang Pian is the large-leaf material that's usually picked over during harvesting and is usually called a 'poor man's tea'. However, Bitterleaf Teas managed to obtain a white-tea version of this tea, and it was the smoothest and most airy white tea I've ever had. I've gone through 2 cakes of this already, and am savoring the last 2 cakes I have left of this. No other white tea is as addictive as this one. Tea: 2018 Honeymoon Company: Crimson Lotus Tea ( link) Why It Made My List: 2018 Honeymoon is so special to me, because this tea is the very first tea collaboration I've ever done with another company. I worked with Glen from Crimson Lotus Tea to create this tea blend, and I was very proud of the result. This tea has a higher price tag, but it is worth the price. Maybe it's the nostalgia factor for this tea and my involvement with it, for why I'm biased towards it? Either way, it's still one incredible tea. Tea: Aromatic Oolong Company: Zealong Tea ( link ) Why It Made My List: Zealong Tea is a New Zealand tea plantation, and around 8 years ago, they released a rolled oolong called 'Aromatic Oolong'. The tea was sweet, creamy, and full of flavor. It tasted very similar to a Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong, except, it had a stronger note of sugarcane that helped carry this tea forward. There's something awe-inspiring and magical about New Zealand-grown tea, and although they don't carry this particular one anymore, this tea still lingers in the back of my mind as a reminder of why I love oolongs so damn much. Tea: Hawaiian Green Tea Company: Mauna Tea ( link ) Why It Made My List: Hawaii is known for its Kona Coffee, but what about its tea? One of the best green teas I've ever had was Hawaiian Green Tea from Mauna Tea. This small tea plantation grows and processes a green tea that tastes naturally sweet and tropical, and opened my eyes as to how delectable and delicious green tea can be. This still stands out in my mind, and is something every tea drinker should try at least once. Tea: Competition Grade Tie Guan Yin from Gande Village Company: Yunnan Sourcing ( link ) Why It Made My List: This is the oolong of all oolongs. Tie Guan Yin has a hearty reputation as being one of the most popular oolong teas to come out of China. However, this particular version of it is the best that exists and is also one of the best oolong teas I've ever come across. With notes of sweet honeydew melon, sugar cane, and creme, this oolong is jaw-dropping, and makes it easy to fall in love with oolong teas. ~ Have YOU had any of the teas listed above? Join the conversation HERE on Instagram! ~Cody aka The Oolong Drunk " Blissfully Tea Drunk... "

Hello hello! Welcome to this year's annual list of the best albums to drink tea to! Over the past year, many artists have stepped up their game, as the music industry has had a better year in music compared to last year. With this, there have been many incredible works of art that pair well with tea to help with meditation and your overall well-being. However, this year's list is the most diverse list that I've released to date, with music genres that span the entire musical globe. With that being said, below are this year's best 30 albums to drink tea to! Note: The albums below may/may not be critically acclaimed, as this isn't a list for the best albums of 2025. This list is just for the vibes that carry emotion and help with tea and meditation. (Image: Album Cover Art, photo by Heji Shin for Virgin by Lorde, 2025, property of Universal Music New Zealand Limited) Top 30 30 Album: F*CK YOU SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3 Artist: Skrillex Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Fresh Sheng Puer, Black Tea, White Tea Description: Everyone's favorite middle-school artist is back with one hell of a EDM album that's more of a DJ setlist than anything. Skrillex's album is his absolute best work to date, and is a non-regrettable listen. For the EDM lovers out there, this album is a chaotic banger to sync tea time with. 29 Album: Addison Artist: Addison Rae Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Shou Puer, White Tea, Oolong Tea Description: Tiktok and YouTube star Addison Rae dropped her debut album this past summer, and released an album that defied expectations. Addison's album is perfectly moody, as her Lana Del Rey-esque album sets a meditative aesthetic for your tea session. 28 Album:  Afterglow Artist:  St. Motel Streaming:   Apple Music   / Spotify Tea Pairing:  White tea, green oolong, puer tea Description:   A modern-take on indie pop-rock that's room filling, with heavy U2 influences, is a room-filling llush album that cuts like butter. This album will have you soaring in outerspace with your next teas session. 27 Album:   The Pyre Artist:  The Last Dinner Party Streaming:   Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:   Rock Oolong Tea, Black Tea Description:  Alt-rock band The Pyre stuns with another consistent atmospheric album that's chill, cozy, and is smooth for any tea time. 26 Album:   I Don't Want to See You in Heaven Artist:  The Callous Daoboys Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng puer, black tea, shou puer, rock oolong Description:  This experimental metal-bands album conjoins hard-rock, jazz, and electro elements that makes this heavy-handed metal album an emotional rollercoaster, while sounding new and fresh. Top 25 25 Album:   Pirouette Artist:  Model/Actriz Streaming :   Apple Music  / Spotify   Tea Pairing:  Black tea, dancong oolong, shou puer, sheng puer Description:   This experimental alternative-rock album is nothing short of an emotional journey. This album beautifully captures tension and build-up with consistency,and will you feeling emotionally spent by the end. While not being your typical alt rock album, this album's unconventional sound is what makes it shine. 24 Album:  EUSEXA AFTERGLOW Artist:  FKA Twigs Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng Puer, White Tea, Shou Puer Description:   FKA Twigs released two albums this year. The first album is Eusexa, and the follow-up is called Eusexa Afterglow. While both albums are separate projects, AFTERFLOW is the more elevated and meditative counterpart. This laid-back soul-inspired electro dream-pop ascends to the clouds above, while elevating your next tea time. 23 Album:   Glory Artist:  Perfume Genius Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  White tea, sheng puer, aged white tea Description:   Perfume Genius managed to release another career-defining masterpiece. This alt-rock singer/songwriter infused album draws elements of classic rock, while holding space for soft-yet heavy moments that are sobering, and will keep you emotional and grounded. 22 Album: Happiness is Going to Get You Artist: Allie X Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: White tea, sheng puer Description: Allie X's new album is a somber, yet smooth pop hit that dig deep into the well of heartbreak, and finding happiness again. The 80's inspired quirkness and laid back synths help carry this album along to help create an atmosphere of being happy, yet content. 21 Album:   Silver Deliverer Artist:   Aly & Aj Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Shou puer, aged sheng puer, aged white tea Description:   This heavy, yet light-hearted pop-rock album with blues and folk influences, focuses on the beauty of aging, living life to the fullest, and filling your life with the people who matter the most to you. This is something you'd expect to hear on the patio at your favorite local neighborhood bar. Top 20 20 Album:   THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! Artist:  JADE Streaming:   Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Green tea, sheng puer Description:   One of Little Mix's breakout stars released her ambitious debut album. With timeless Britney Spears's influenced futuristic-pop, JADE tells all in this groovy night-club banger of an album. While having a consistent vibe through-out, she digs deep to sing about truama endured from the hands of being on the UK's The X-Factor, and trauma from Simon Cowell. 19 Album:   Petty Idea Artist:  Amber Mark Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng puer, shou puer, hei-cha, white tea Description:  Amber Mark's new soul-pop album is sensual, moody, and atmospheric. As one of the smoothest albums of the year, Amber's vocals mixed with her ability to write a hook, as well as tell a story, is more than mesmerizing -- It's queen shit. 18 Album:   Never Walk Alone Artist: Blond:ISH Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Sheng puer, shou puer, black tea, white tea Description: Blond:ISH's debut EDM album draws inspiration from afro-beats, Latin America, and even psychedelic pop-rock (with Empire of the Sun's frontman lending their voices to the album's intro). This electronic album is a vibe that you can grove and meditate to, while feeling familiar yet fresh at the same time. 17 Album:   All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade Artist: Of Monsters and Men Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: White tea, swheng puer, shou puer Description: Of Monsters and Men took over half a century to release their fourth album, which goes back to their Icelandic pop-rock and folk roots. However, this album is calm, sobering, moody, and emotional throughout. 16 Album:   A Matter of Time Artist:  Laufy Streaming:   Apple Music  /  Spotify Tea Pairing:  Shou puer, black tea, aged sheng puer Description:   Iceland made it on this list twice this year! Islandic pop-artist Laufy brings forth a very old-school version of pop -- a 1950s-1960s version of pop, to be more specific. She skillfully brings old old-school back into the limelight, with Disney-esque production that has many memorable moments that will make you think: "Is she from this century?" Honorable Mention 1 This year's honorable mention almost made the list. The only reason why this album didn't make the cut is that it's a shorter EP that would last throughout half of a tea session (only 20 minutes). However, this small EP can still contribute to an amazing tea session and is worth noting. Album:  Fancy That Artist:  Pinkpanthress Streaming:   Apple Music   / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Any Description:   Pinkpanthress's 3rd album came out swinging. While she might sound like some Gen Z TikTok star (which is because she is), the best way to describe this album is as if Charli XCX dabbled in low-fi EDM while somehow sounding more British. Despite the album's short runtime, this album's laid-back vibe added to its consistent aestheticism, making this album perfect for a shorter tea session. Top 15 15 Album:   Man's Best Friend Artist: Sabrina Carpenter Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Green oolong, white tea, sheng puer, green tea Description: Man's Best Friend deals with a break-up in a hilarious yet vulnerable way. Despite being heavy-handed at times, this album's consistent production makes this an excellent album for an enjoyable tea time. Maybe it's Sabrina's cheekiness and wit, or light country influences that are glittered onto this album? Something about it reminds me of Dolly Parton. I couldn't tell you why; it just does. 14 Album:   Tsunami Sea Artist:  Spirit Box Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Fresh sheng puer, green tea, black tea Description:   Spirit Box's new album is by far their best and is also one of the best metal albums released all year. The vocal performance, as well as the heavy metal production (which sometimes showed a faint pop influence), was enough to create a moody atmosphere, and enough to get lost in the music with your cup of tea in hand. 13 Album:   Virgin Artist:  Lorde Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng puer, white tea, sheng puer, oolong tea Description:   Lorde's 4th studio experimental electro-pop album is a vulnerable re-awakening. While transcending the idea of time, love, and what it means to be a woman, and reconnecting to your inner child. With influences of Imogen Heap and Kate Bush, Virgin's rawness and vulnerability are healing and self-reflective, which is the perfect combination for tea time. 12 Album:   Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party Artist:  Hayley Williams Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Shou puer, oxidized oolong, rock oolong, black tea Description:   Paramore's front-runner released another solo album that is moody, emotional, and smooth as butter. Hayley's soft-rock singer-songwriter-infused album is heavy while being chill and relaxing. Listening to Hayley Williams write lyrics like she's reciting her diary to us is a humble reminder to be open and vulnerable. 11 Album:  Teal Dreams Artist:  Yazmin Lacey Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Shou puer tea, black tea, taiwanese oolong, scented tea Description:   This soulful R&B/Pop/blues fusion will take you back to the 90s with a modern pop twist, which is enjoyable to help set the perfect mood for any tea time, with a voice that's as rich as butter. Yazmin is virtually unknown, and yet, she released an album that's so well crafted that you'd assume she's a mainstream artistic veteran. To make it all more on-the-nose, Yazmin released a tea blend after her album, and it can be purchased on her website (more artists really should do this). Top 10 10 Album:  The Art of Loving Artist:  Olivia Dean Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify   Tea Pairing:  Sheng Puer, Shou Puer, Rock Oolong/Oxidized Oolong Description:   Olivia Dean's sultry R&B-pop infusion is moody, fresh, romantic, and aesthetically pleasing to the ear. The Art of Loving is such an easy album to meditate to, and transports you to a time of Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston. Smooth, sexy, and meditative; This album is perfect for tea time. 9 Album:   EURO-Country Artist:  CMAT Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Black tea, white tea, oolong tea Description:   This country-pop album is fun, chaotic, and room-filling. Irish-born singer CMAT's ability to create a catchy hook with ease and heavy emotion makes this one of the best female country-pop albums since Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves. The highs are high, and the lows are emotional and somber. Despite being pop-heavy, it somehow reminded me of a Fiona Apple album in some regards (call me crazy if you want, but it's there). The vocal layers that create a choir effect, as well as going all-out on every song, make this album a fun and memorable tea time. 8 Album:   Everybody Scream! Artist:  Florence + The Machine Streaming:   Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Aged sheng, aged white tea, black tea Description:   Florence + The Machine's most recent masterpiece explores the idea of premonition, heartbreak, and Florence's near-death experience after a miscarriage caused her fallopian tube rupture, which almost caused her to bleed to death. While coming back from the loss of her unborn child, loss of a relationship, and staring death in the face, Florence's new album is the most mature piece of work she's ever put out. While having room-filling bangers, this album keeps you grounded by reminding you that, behind being mythical, is an all-too-real human experience... 7 Album:   Femme Fatale Artist:  Mon Laferte Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Black tea, sheng puer, aged white tea Description:   Chilean artist Mon Laferte brings forth a French-inspired jazz album that will make you believe that Amy Winehouse, Edith Piaf, and Adele were all 3 in the recording studio with her. This musical feat carries a heavy punch while also showing vulnerability. Her vocal performance was jaw-dropping and and once-in-a-generation talent. Tea with this album will only send chills down your spine, and will stop the air in the atmosphere around you. 6 Album:  Through The Wall Artist:  Rochelle Jordan Streaming:   Apple Music   / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng Puer, Black Tea, Shou Puer Description:   Rochell Jordan's new album 'Through The Wall' is a buttery and sensual soul-pop album that walks the line of being disco-inspired. Rochelle's vocal performance, as well as the smooth and laid-back glittery production, make this album a fun and groovy soundtrack for your next tea time. Honorable Mention 2 This year's 2nd honorable mention almost made the list. The only reason why this album didn't make the cut is that it's a shorter EP that would last throughout half of a tea session (only 20 minutes). However, this small EP can still contribute to an amazing tea session and is worth noting. It would be a crime not to mention this album somewhere on this year's list. Album:  After EP 2 Artist:  After Streaming:   Apple Music  / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Any Description:   After's 2nd EP is best described as an EP that traveled through a time machine from the year 2000, and ended up in 2025. This old-school Moby/Vanessa Carlton-inspired electro dream-pop/rock album sounds nostalgic, yet somehow manages to sound fresh. While you'd expect music from this album to end up on an early 2000s romcom, it somehow managed to make its way to the present day and makes for an amazing tea pairing. Top 5 5 Album:   Nobody's Girl Artist: Amanda Shires Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Sheng puer, shou puer, aged white tea Description: Indie country singer-songwriter brings us the heaviest country album of the past decade. Amanda Shire's raw vulnerability is everything that country should be, and is something Loretta Lynn would be proud of. Despite being country, this album's strength lies with its relatability and gorgeousness, while showing every shade of sadness and recovery. Disclaimer: Do not listen to this album if you experience depression -- it'll push your mental health over a cliff. 4 Album:   If You Ask for a Picture Artist: Blondshell Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Black tea, oolong tea, white tea, sheng puer Description: Blondshell's sophomore album came out strong. Blondeshell's new soft alt-rock album utilizes enough pop hooks and nonsensical emotional lyrics that'll leave you questioning if she's related to Phoebe Bridgers. While creating a language of her own, Blondeshell's songwriting is catchy and fresh, while reminiscent of early 2000s pop-rock. This album will make you feel comforted during tea time. 3 Album:   Let God Sort Em Out Artist: Pusha T and Malice Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: [This tea pairing is culturally inappropriate] Description: After nearly 15 years, Pusha T and Malice rejoin to create one of the best rap albums of the 2020s. This album opens up to the mourning of a huge loss while exploring the grief of losing a parent, while continuing to explore themes of feeling guilty for making it out of generational trauma, while watching loved ones stay stuck in the same rut. While being largely produced by Pharrell Williams, and with guest features from Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Tyler, the Creator, and others, this album stays fresh throughout. This makes for one helluva tea and music pairing. 2 Album:   LUX Artist: Rosalia Streaming: Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing: Any Description: Lux is one hell of an album. Spanish artist Rosalia sang this album in 13 different languages while recording with the London Philharmonic Symphony. Rosalia's production is grand, while somehow still being vocally vulnerable. This album was masterfully crafted and will instantly transport you into another dimension. When this masterpiece ends, you'll be standing up at your tea-table -- ready to applaud Rosalia for the otherworldly journey she just took you on. 1 Album:   Blue Artist:  Galdive Streaming:   Apple Music / Spotify Tea Pairing:  Sheng puer, shou puer, black tea, hei-cha, aged white tea Description:   Galdive is a relatively new Hong Kong duo that's everything a tea-album pairing should be. This album has progressive and refreshing low-fi beats while incorporating R&B influences with jazz instrumentation. The vocal performance in this album is utterly flawless and will keep you relaxed while head-bopping through your tea session. This ranks as the chillest album on the list, and is everything a tea-album pairing should be. (Photo: Album Artwork by Tisha/ Kubo for Blue by Galdive, 2025, property of Mom + Pop) ~ Do YOU recognize any of the albums in this list? Join the discussion HERE on instagram!! Happy listening, and happy sipping! ~ Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello! Today is my 30th birthday! 30 years ago on September 17th, Sunday at 12 noon, I entered the world. My mom and dad debated on naming me either Cody or Preston, and when my grandfather was asked to be the tie-breaker, he picked Cody.  From there, I have lived quite the life. I have survived a massive car accident, watched my father die, come out as gay, launched an extensive career in tea, written 2 books and a novel, moved from Texas to Missouri, and moved from Missouri to Colorado. Over the past 30 years, saying I have learned a lot would be an understatement. However, for my 30th birthday, I’ll go over 30 pieces of advice that everyone should know by the time they turn 30. Let's dive in! There’s no such thing as saying 'thank you' too many times, but there is only a limited amount of time you can say ‘I’m sorry’.  Family is not always thick as blood. After coming out as gay, I’ve seen many family members write me off. While not everyone is unfortunate enough to know what that feels like, it is always good to remember that family is the people who show up for you, regardless of whether you are blood-related to them or not. Also, chosen family is the best family.  Read more books. Make time for it, and do it regularly. Journal more. There is no greater joy than self-reflection, and self-reflection is made so much easier when you leave yourself a paper trail.  Photos say a thousand words, but hearing someone’s voice speaking those words is priceless. Somehow or another, save audio-recordings of loved ones.  As someone who has battled mental health struggles on and off in life, I will attest that going outside and looking at the sun and breathing in fresh air does actually help.  Know how to make at least 1 cocktail drink, or 1 mixed drink, and know the difference between each wine type.  Listen to a different genre of music at least once a week. It’s easy to stay in our own bubbles, and social media and technology have made it much easier to stay in an echo-chamber. Listening to music of someone else from a background other than you, will help expand your mind and imagination.  Don’t get news from social media. Ever.  Make a habit of phone-calling people. I was young enough to remember when you had to hang up the phone to go on the internet, and when you had to remember people’s phone numbers to call them. Cell phones have taken away the ability to connect with someone on a more personal level. With that, keep the bridge open. Talking on the phone is a skill that’s quickly getting lost. Twitter is never on your side.  Learn how to cook 1 soup recipe by memory. It’s never too late, and it's never a bad time to tell someone what they mean to you. If there is someone in your life who is special to you (either a friend, family member, co-worker, etc.), it’s better to tell them now, rather than never telling them at all. And also, make a habit of telling them. Give people grace, and give people 2nd chance. We all mess up. We’re human, after all.  Learn how to public speak. Whether at a company function or with a group of friends, learning how to talk comfortably in front of other people is a huge personal upgrade.  Brush and floss your teeth. Go to the dentist regularly and make it a priority. We only get 1 set of adult teeth. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.  When talking, make a habit of talking about the things you love more than the things you hate. It’s better to be remembered for the love we possessed, not the hate we spread.  Go see an opera LIVE, and even an orchestra, at least once. Turn off your phone at least 30 minutes before bed.  Some friendships are meant to be in 1 season of your life, and that’s completely okay. If people want to go, then let them. Don’t accept the love you think you deserve. Don’t settle. We all deserve better.  Disassociate from politics from time to time. Letting political outrage consume your personality will create toxicity within you. Stay up to date on what’s going on, but also know when to draw a line in the sand so it doesn't consume you. Invest money in anything that separates you from the ground. Good supportive shoes, a supportive bed, a good desk chair, etc.  Road rage never helps anything. When driving, let it go. Being mad at that Sudan who cut you off will only age you. Road rage does nothing for the other driver.  Go out in nature without music or your cell phone. Enjoy nature for what it is. Nature doesn’t need a soundtrack, and nature doesn’t need to be experienced through a phone’s camera. Go out in the trees and just simply exist.  Clean your sheets regularly, and switch out your pillowcases at least 2-3 times a week.  Delete TikTok.  Our lives are not our own. Make sure your actions are not only pro-you, but also pro-those who exist around you. It’s always good to put your own self-care first, but it’s also a good reminder that our actions also affect others. Try to leave a lasting impact wherever you go. Don’t judge people who are different than you. Rather, love someone who is different than you. This includes trans people. Instead of using hate to justify your viewpoints towards someone, use kindness. It takes less energy to love and support someone than it does to hate someone.  Drink a good cup of tea from time to time. You’re not just drinking a cup of tea, you’re drinking a gift from Mother Nature and hundreds of years of another culture. Tea warms the heart and warms the soul.  Thank you, everyone, and happy 30th :)  Best wishes, ~Cody Wade Aka The Oolong Drunk “Blissfully Tea Drunk”

Hello hello! IKEA is known for its self-assembly furniture, its Swedish roots, its amazing meatballs, and its exploitative efforts to deforest the remaining of Romania’s untouched forests while yet again proving that white people are destructive to everywhere else except their own homeland. However, when thinking of IKEA, do you ever think about tea? I can say that I certainly did not, until last weekend, when on an IKEA trip, I stumbled upon IKEA-branded tea.  So how does their tea hold up? Is it just as exploitative as their furniture? Let’s find out!  Brewing Parameters: Time: 3 minutes  Brewing Temperature: 204 ° f (95.5 ° c)  Size of Mug: 8oz  Price: $5.00 per box of 25 tea bags Side note: The instructions on the box says to use boiling water at 212°F (100°c), except the boiling point for me is 204°F due to living at high elevation.  Green Tea: To start, IKEA’s green tea was packaged in a box that would not open. To open the box, I had to shred it open. When brewing the tea, it quickly turned dark orange while being mute of any aroma. The taste of the tea was strong in notes of hay, with stale undertones of peanuts and cardboard.  Black Tea: Just like the green tea, this box was nearly impossible to open without shredding. When brewing the tea, it turned quickly dark orange. The tasting notes were light in tree bark while being note-heavy in printer paper and cardboard box. It tasted identical to a Lipton tea bag, just a bit more stale and somehow more bitter.  The Breakdown:  While IKEA is upholding its Anglo-Saxon roots by being white as shit , they somehow managed to release a tea that’s somehow more basic than Lipton tea while being more than double the price. Not only were they able to be twice as bad at double the price, they were able to exploit both the consumer and tea culture -- which is a talent that no other company could achieve at such high excellence.  To add, the boxes of tea both state that they are ‘Rainforest Alliance Certified’. Which, thank God we don’t have to worry about that when considering that the black tea is sourced and packaged from Sri Lanka -- which is known for paying its tea farmers $8.50 a day for near slave-labor in a system that was originally implemented by British settlers ( sigh , British white people of course). We can all rest easy at night knowing that IKEA is not exploiting Sri Lanka’s rainforests, which should be a plus considering the fact that they’re already taking advantage a 3rd world country. But hey, like I said, at least Sri Lanka's rainforests are safe <3 Overall, I would not buy these teas again. If the Swedes want to be known for something, they should leave it at producing gay-icon pop stars instead, because IKEA will somehow make you think that their take on tea is so basic and white that Sidney Sweeney would appear in a commercial advertising this tea while saying her tea-bags are blue . ~Cody aka The Oolong Drunk "Blissfully Tea Drunk"

Hello hello!! This year, White2Tea released one of the first-ever decaffeinated sheng and shou puer teas ever made. Yes, that’s correct! After being in tea for well over a decade, I’ve never heard of decaffeinated sheng or shou before in my life, which explains why I had to try it. So, how is this tea? Is it a marketing gimmick, or is there actually something to this? Let’s dig in! Brewing Parameters: 1g of tea per 15 ml of tea Temperatuer: 200 f/93.3 c Infusions: 12 infusions each Sheng Puer: Upon opening the tea, I noticed that the tea leaves looked darker than normal for a fresh sheng puer tea. According to White2Tea’s website, this is due to the CO2 process that the tea undergoes to remove the caffeine. Upon brewing the tea, the liquor turned dark quicker than a normal sheng puer. The taste was floral, savory, and slightly bitter. It almost resembled a sheng puer that’s had 3-4 years of age on it, while still being smooth and soupy. This tea even held up during the middle infusions, however, this tea’s overall body and notes notably dropped off during the last few infusions. Shou Puer: The shou puer was a nice contrast to the sheng. It smelled like fresh shou, except it didn’t have the fishy aromas that fresh shou typically possesses. This shou puer’s texture was silky-smooth, while being relatively light. After a few infusions, I pushed this tea so its soup could become thicker. Despite pushing it, it still held a relatively earthy/sweet tasting note that continued through out the session. However, just like the sheng, this tea’s body also dropped off pretty quickly towards the last few infusions. Overall thoughts: I think this decaffeinated sheng and shou puer was a lot tastier than any of the decaffeinated teas I’ve ever had. One of my favorite things about these teas is that they tasted near-identical to a traditionally processed sheng and shou. You would have never known the difference. However, one of my main complaints is that the teas were not as strong as typical puer teas and quickly died off in the later infusions. It’s probably attributed to the additional CO2 processing these teas went through to become decaffeinated. Despite this, these teas were a wonderful surprise, and I’m happy that I can now drink gong-fu before bed without it negatively impacting my sleep! I hope to see White2Tea continue creating decaffeinated puer teas, and I can’t wait to see how these age over time. Best wishes, ~ Cody Wade Aka The Oolong Drunk “ Blissfully Tea Drunk… ”

Disclaimer: The following post contains strong and offensive language, including mentions of violence and sexual assault -- which could be triggering to some. Hello dear reader, I apologize for my absence. I know I said I’d be here next week, but if I’m being honest, I’ve had a mental block writing to you. Not only is this the last segment of ‘Spilling MORE Tea’, but this is the last time I’ll be writing to you for the foreseeable future. I feel like there’s so much more I want to say, and trying to find a way to spill the rest of the tea to you has inadvertently created a mental block, because I still have one major issue I’ve been wanting to talk to you about. This is the time I spun out of control, over being called the 'F' word... One night in early February, I decided to return to the scene of the crime again. I returned to the place where I had been stood up, ghosted, and the same place I found and lost myself again. I went back to the drag bar. While at the drag bar, I went by myself with no expectation. However, after arriving, I had quickly built it up in my mind somehow that by going back, I’d be walking into a bear trap of sorts. I had r un into my ex there before , and to add, it was at the workplace of the two drag queens who played with my heart just a few months prior. But I was going for me, not them, so why would it bother me? As I walked into the building, I looked around and didn’t see anyone I knew in sight. I let out a big sigh of relief. Then, as I walked outside to the patio, I opened the door and hit someone in the face who was on the other side. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” I quickly said. I bent down and extended a hand out and helped them up.  As they stood up, I quickly realized that it was Samantha in full drag. “Oh, don’t worry about it, honey, it happens with these doors often and —“ they said before stopping mid-sentence and looking up at me. “Oh, it's you,” Samantha said as they quickly realized that it was me.  “Yeah, it’s me,” I said as I began to die inside.  There was an awkward silence between us as we both tried to avoid looking directly at each other.  “So, are we okay?” I asked as my heart began to beat out of my chest. “Yeah, babe, we are. There’s no reason why we wouldn’t!” Samantha replied with relief. We both looked up at each other and smiled.  Then, in my peripheral vision, I saw Lipstick Teeth walk onto the patio from another door. As I did, I turned around and walked back inside. I walked over to the bar and turned around, and as I did, Lipstick Teeth and Samantha walked in together and walked past me — not noticing that I was standing there.  “Thank God,” I said to myself as I let out a sigh of relief. Then, my concentration was quickly broken as I heard the voice of a gentleman order a drink. “Rum and Red Bull,” I heard the man say to another bartender.  I looked over to see Forehead — the gentleman who told me months earlier that he couldn’t be with me unless I was able to give him ‘good sex’ .  Quickly, I turned around and walked over to a crowded dance floor. As I slipped away, Forehead promptly glanced at me, but I disappeared into the crowd before he could recognize who I was. Considering how large the gay community is, it's really too fucking small at times.  While on the dance floor, I danced in the middle of the floor near a Go-Go dancer. As the songs played, and as the lights flashed, I flipped my hair back and forth and moved with the tempo of the music. I closed my eyes, listened to the music, and disappeared in the crowd. I stood in one spot, didn’t move my feet, and looked around to see other gay couples dancing with each other, kissing each other, and enjoying each other’s company. The more I looked around, the more I noticed I was one of the only people there by themselves. The more that I noticed this, the more insecure I got.  That was, until twenty minutes into dancing in place, I looked over to my left as ten college-aged white girls all rushed to the dance floor. One of them was wearing a tiara with a sash that read ‘ BIRTHDAY ’ in silver glitter, while other girls in the group dragged their boyfriends onto the dance floor with them. They made their way to where I was standing and began to dance.  However, despite being the straightest group in the club, they were also the sloppiest group of people in the club. One of the girls to my right stepped back and bumped into me, causing her to spill her drink on my new Nikes. When she did, she said, “Oops, I didn’t see you there! You made me spill my drink. You should buy me a new one!” I looked at her blankly in the face and quickly replied, “You made yourself spill your drink. You should buy me new Nikes.”  She looked down at my wet, newly-orange-stained shoes, said “ yikes ” under her breath, and quickly turned around and acted like I wasn’t there.  Then, to my right, one of the other girls in the group drunkenly waved for her boyfriend to come over to dance by her. He stumbled his way through the crowd, walked over to me, and started dancing with me. He took another step backwards and stepped on my foot while falling back on me. "Hey man, I’m right here!” I said as I put my hand on his shoulder and guided him off me.  He sternly turned around, struggled to make eye contact with me while shouting, “Don’t fucking touch me, or I’ll kick your ass, you faggot!” I froze up. I was pinned between this man and another drunken white girl, who was now grinding on me while grabbing my hips. I tried to pull her hands off of my hips, but she wouldn't budge. I then looked up at the Go-Go Dancer who was on at the podium by me. He looked at me as I mouthed ' help '. He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up on the podium with him. “I thoguht I heard him call you a fag. Did he?” The dancer asked shouted in my ear over the music. “Yeah, he did! He also threatened me as well," I shouted back.  The Go-Go dancer then waved over a few security guards, who made their way through the crowd. The Go-Go dancer then pointed at the drunken gentleman, as the two bodyguards and the Go-Go dancer all grabbed the gentleman by the arms and escorted him off of the dance floor and out of the club. The Go-Go dancer came back to me, hugged me, and asked if I was okay. I replied,“Yeah, I am. But, this is our space. It's supposed to be safe for us, and now I got threatened and called a faggot by a straight guy in a gay club while simultaneously being sexually assaulted by a straight woman!” The Go-Go dancer then replied, “Straight white women are the worst. They think they have come comrade with gay men, but all they do is dilute our safe spaces and make them unsafe. They come here and idolize us like some sort of fashion accessory, bring their homophobic men with them, and make it all about them. It’s selfish, and they’re wrong for it.”  Suddenly, I began to feel dizzy. My head began to spin as the flashing lights on the dance floor began to make me disoriented. Despite that, I didn’t drink anything, I was feeling faint and light-headed. My face turned flush as I began to stumble my way off the dance floor, out of the club, and back to my car.  As I got to my car, I began to uncontrollably hyperventilate. I squeezed the steering wheel as I started my car, pulled out of my parking spot, and continued onto the highway. 20 miles per hour While driving forward through a green light and onto the on-ramp, I began to question everything I had been through over the past year. It all started with seeing three of my failed dates at the club at the same time.  I did everything right, and yet, I’m still doing this by myself.  I have a lot of people in my life, and yet, I'm still more alone than ever. Maybe I chose the wrong people. But, how was I supposed to know they were the wrong people, until they proved themselves otherwise?! 30 miles per hour  I then started to think about how I  put my focus and attention on some of my pre-existing friendships instead. Since dating had hit such a brick wall, I thought I could rely on my friendships even more.  Instead, I found my friendships to be more draining than anything. My former-best friend from late last year (who I called 'Entitled White Woman' for the story) not only dismissed the book that I worked on all year, but she was also being conceited with her relationship as well. So, what about my other friends? I remember one night, a month prior to this, I called every single number in my phone and not one of my friends answered. Only two people texted back, the rest never acknowledged it. They made me feel more alone, so why are all of these people in my life?! 50 miles per hour I merged onto the highway and got over into the fast lane, as I squeezed the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white. I then started to question: Why do I keep putting bad people in my life? Where are all of the good people at? I moved from Texas to Missouri to recover from a car accident, and moved from Missouri to Texas to begin living life once I recovered. I re-started my life twice over, and yet, I’m falling into worse patterns. I’m lonelier now than I ever was.  I then started to think about my upbringing and how it made me the person I am today. I grew up with a mentally unstable bi-polar narcissist mother who couldn’t control her emotions, and a conceded father who was a lazy alcoholic, who also gave up on life and let himself die when I was fourteen. I grew up in a household where my parents often fought, and eventualy divorced. After they divorced, my dad let his health go. I remember being in the hospital with him when he got really sick and watched his blood spew out of him until he flat-lined. I remember when the doctors rushed to bring him back, and when they did, he was not the same. He became miserable, and while miserable, became abusive as well. He eventually died a year later due to health issues, but I went no-contact with him three months before he died. I never got closure with him as a kid. In the end, I was still the product of parents who were unstable in every single direction they made in life. 60 miles per hour Maybe my adult life is chaotic because I had a chaotic start to becoming an adult. I didn’t get to grow up, because as a teenager, I was in fight-or-flight mode. I never learned what healthy relationships looked like, and didn’t have a chance to build life-long bonds. Between my parents, and between being medically and physically abused as a child, I never knew what normalcy was. When I was made homeless at nineteen for coming out as gay, I had no chance at making it in life.  70 miles per hour Wait, did I just say to myself I was abused as a child? Was I? Despite my dad dying, I didn't talk to him for three months before he died. He became angry, and he hurt me. But he wasn't the only one who hurt me. My mom did, too. Then, I immediately recalled a memory of when I was in high school and my best friend came out to me as a lesbian. She meant the world to me, and was someone I would have considered a sister, and I was someone she'd consider a brother.  However, all of that changed when one day I was in the car with my mom at a red light. This friend of mine called, so I answered the phone.  “Whose on the phone?” My mom asked. “It’s Maybelle,” I whispered while answering the phone.  “Oh, that gay lesbian bitch? The one who's bringing evil around you?” My mom questioned out loud. My mom then grabbed my arm and started screaming in the phone, “Why are you calling my son, you n- lesbian bitch? N- bitch! N-!!!!” I immediately hung up the phone and pushed my mom off my arm, and when I pushed her off, she hit her head on her windshield. She screamed, turned the car around, and drove to the ER. She told the nurses that I had hit her and that I was mentally unstable, dangerous, and I needed mental health help. The cops came and questioned me while she was in the ER, and upon questioning, they saw the mark my mom left on my wrist from when she grabbed my arm to yell into the phone. They stopped questioning me after they saw the mark. I looked down at my phone, and Maybelle was upset, and said we couldn’t be friends anymore… 80 miles per hour These types of things happened on a regualr basis. There are too many to count. However, I do remember another time when, after the car incident with my mom, my mom drove me to a doctor's office to put me on mood stabilizers. While there, I told the doctor I didn’t think I needed anything for my moods. I told him that Mom pushed and pushed until I had a meltdown, and I just wanted to be left alone. The doctor felt conflicted and referred us to a psychologist. He couldn’t make a determination of the situation, and didn’t want to prescribe us anything since he felt something was off between us.  When we got back to the car, my mom slammed the door, got in my face, and started screaming at me. She was screaming at the top of my lungs that I tried to make her look bad in front of the doctor. I asked her to stop, and she wouldn’t. I then began screaming “ STOP ” at the top of my lungs because she was still screaming.  I eventually un-did my seatbelt, leaped out of the car, and slammed the car door while screaming “ STOP ” at the top of my lungs.  One of the nurses came out of the office to see why there was screaming in the parking lot.  My mom then got out of the car and screamed at me, “Cody, stop! You’re in public and you’re creating a scene!” I covered my ears and screamed, “STOP SCREAMING AT ME” again, and as I did, I kicked her car door and began to storm off.  The nurse in the parking lot called the cops. As the cops showed up, the doctor came out of this office and gave us a prescription for lithium and told my mom to put me on a high dose until I was able to see the psychologist.  90 miles per hour When I came out of the closet, my mom had no words. She started crying, said I was confusing, and she went to her room and shut the door. I went to my room and went to bed, scared. Later that night, at 3:00 am, I was awakened to the sound of my mom kicking open my door and turning on the lights.  “Get out here!” She demanded. When I stepped out in the hallway, she was swinging a shovel in my face and screaming that she was calling the cops on me.  I quickly packed a bag, got in my car, and left.  I was then homeless. 100 miles per hour Long after the fact, I remember yelling on the phone to my grandmother and questioning, “You saw the abuse we went through growing up! You saw that Mom suffered from mental illness and took it out on us!! You and Grandad knew everything that was going on, and yet, talk sat by and watched like bystanders!!” My grandmother replied, “Well, your mom is an adult. What she does is not our business.” I replied, “But we were kids! We were defenseless! We had no one to protect us from any of it! How were we supposed to make it into adulthood?” She then said, “But that’s not our business! Our daughter is a grown adult; we can’t control her. She's not our problem anymore." I then started to cry as I shouted, “She is your daughter, but I am your grandson!” I hung up the phone and blocked her number. As I drove upon my exit, I realized I was about to miss it and quickly turned onto the off-ramp. As I quickly tried to slow down, I cut the edge of the road with my tire and spun out of control, throwing my car into the grassy median off of the exit. As my car spun out of control, I squeezed even harder onto my steering wheel while closing my eyes as hard as I could. My foot’s brake pedal was flat on the floorboard of the car, as the car came to a complete stop -- slamming my head into the headrest. Once my car stopped spinning out of control, I opened my eyes and looked around as I began to scream while still gripping the steering wheel. I drove out of the ditch, made my way to the ER, and checked in for a panic attack while wearing Sex on the Beach-soaked Nikes. While there, my resting heart rate read 185/100, and they gave me a lorazepam to help calm me down. 0 miles per hour The next morning, I sat on the couch and booked an appointment with my doctor to go on antidepressants to help with my panic.  In reflection, I began to deal with the fact that I was abused as a kid. I never had these realizations until the previous night, and the more I pondered it, the more I realized how awful the extent of it was. I was wrongly put on medicine for severe mental illness for many years, and to this day, I have no idea how much of my emotions I’m unable to regulate because I didn’t need lithium. I didn’t need medicine. Because I was manipulated and drugged because of an abusive household run by people who should never have had kids.  What I needed was peace and quiet. I needed love. I needed to be a kid... However, that was then and this is now. But, t’s affecting me now, which means I need to deal with it now. Maybe it’s always affected me? But who knows. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom and my grandmother, and they’ve worked really hard to try and have a better relationship with me. However, these experiences shaped the way I function as an adult, and I’m tired of functioning off of this as a base. This isn't working for me, and it hasn't been for quite a while. I'm buringin at both ends, and I cant sustain this anymore. I can't change anything else, but I can change myself. The next thing I can do is start all over again, and start with myself. So, dear reader, I’m going to go away for a bit and keep taking my antidepressants and work on my panic disorder. I'm going to clean-slate with all of my friends and start all over again, and I’m going to double-down on loving myself again. I also recently got a bike, and I started biking. I also picked up racquetball and tennis, and started volunteering at a coffee shop as a mentor who employs special people. On top of this, I’m going to keep seeing my doctor and try to rebuild myself from the ground up again. I've laid out the ground work, and is it up to me from here to put in the hard work. Above all else, I’m going to give myself patience, and give myself the love I never had and hope I attract the right people along the way.  All I can do is work on myself, and make sure that when I make it to the other side, I’ll be doing better than my parents did, and I’ll have the life for myself that I truly deserve — a life full of love and peace.  I just have to be the one to give it to myself. Dear reader, I’m sad that we’ll be parting ways again, but when we meet again, I’ll hopefully be writing to you from a different place. I’ve got a good game plan set in place, and I need to start moving forward again. Just, I’ll be moving forward differently this time.  Now, my speedometer read, “ 1 Mile Per Hour”. Here I go. I’m on my way… ~Cody Wade Aka The Oolong Drunk “Blissfully Tea Drunk”

Hello, Dear Reader. Welcome back! Did you have a good week this past week? Have any enjoyable tea? Well, as always, I have tea. But I can’t always guarantee you’ll always enjoy it :p  However, there’s something that’s been weighing heavy on my mind lately: Have you ever completed a project that was lengthy, and took a lot of time, dedication, and effort to complete? Have you ever completed a project that took a chunk of your soul with you along the way? Yes? Now, I have a follow-up question to as: Have you ever shared something so monumental with a friend — only for them to dismiss it? What about with a group of friends? Today, I’m going to share with you about how a close friend took that trust and threw it away.  This is about how I broke up with my best friend over my book. Before we can talk about the friend in question, we need to go back to March of last year. In last year’s blog series ‘Spilling The Tea’, I detailed a story about an ex who my relationship with crumbled due to them being in the closet. ( You can read here ). By the time of writing that blog post, which was towards the end of July, the relationship in question and been long over. In fact, that relationship ended four months before I wrote that blog post.  One night, shortly after the break-up, I lied awake in bed and couldn’t stop thinking about how that relationship ended. I was upset, felt betrayed, and overall, just missed him. Our circumstances were messy, and the situation was unfair. Which, that’s life. However, while pondering that relationship, I jolted straight up out of bed at 4:00 am and began writing down names, characters, settings, and plot lines. This 4:00 am fever dream turned into a month-long planning session. This planning session took the form of an outline, and eventually, would be the skeletal structure of a novel that would consume every conscious thought in my brain. In a creative-neurotic state, I obsessed over this soon-to-be next great American novel. It eventually consumed every corner of my brain space that I had, and no matter how much I tried to distract myself from it, I couldn’t escape it. The characters in the story were very much alive, and the best way to find peace again was to get them out of my head, and onto paper.  In April, I completed my outline and began the rigorous process of writing my book.  With this context, we’ll now introduce the subject of today’s story: White Woman Entitlement.  White Woman Entitlement and I met several years prior at a wedding, and when I first met her, it felt like a long-lost sister that I had finally reunited with years after being separated. We had similar interests, we had similar humor, and above all else, we enjoyed each other’s company. Now, given this wedding was halfway across the country, and she and I lived in separate states. After exchanging social media, we went separate ways with talks of a one-day meeting up again. To my surprise, that eventually happened!  One morning, I woke up to a message from White Woman Entitlement that said that she and her LTR would be traveling to Colorado for a camping trip. And a few weeks, later, we were meeting in person for tea. She brought tea from home, and so did I. We hung out at a cafe, played tourist in Colorado, and after a perfect Saturday, it was time for us to part again.   Despite that we lived several states away, White Woman Entitlement and I kept our connection going through daily snapchats, bi-weekly phone calls, and monthly virtual tea sessions. Over the course of a few years of keeping up this connection, it was safe to say that she felt like a sister to me. In many aspects, I felt like a brother to her as well.  We were official best friends and a part of each other’s daily lives. Despite living several states away, our friendship felt much closer.  We were chosen family. When it came time for me to finally get started on my novel, Entitled White Woman was one of the first friends who I told about the news. I told her for various reasons, mostly including that we were besties. However, one of the reasons I wanted to tell her is because she is also a writer! She’s a songwriter to be specific.  While I was writing my novel, she was also writing new music. While the mediums were different, the art was the same: We were bleeding our hearts out on a piece of paper to convey a story. This was our art. While I was writing my novel, I’d keep her updated on the book's progress. At the same time, she’d keep me updated on her songwriting progress. However, I woke up the next morning to the news that she and her LTR would be back in Colorado. Just like last time, we met for tea and got food, and unlike last time, our date abruptly ended. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something in the air between them. They had been together for over four years and felt inseparable. Her personality was intertwined with his so much that you’d figure they’d be a forever couple, or, forget that they were two separate people. Unbeknownst to me at the time, but right after they left Colorado, they got into an argument on their drive back, and she broke up with him. I put my finger on it.  Without going into details about their relationship (mostly because it’s not my business to tell), Entitled White Woman almost immediately got into a new relationship.  She hopped from one to the next.  Despite my concern for her, she was happy. Since she was happy, it started showing in her art. While FaceTiming with her, she’d show me some of her new songs. While strumming on a guitar, and singing with the sound of a thousand doves, I was stunned at how indiscernibly beautiful her music was. She seems to be doing better. The more music she wrote, the more I cheered her on. However, it wasn’t a 1-way street: While writing more of my book, she was cheering me on too. However, despite our overlapping support, we didn’t share the same parallel.  On my end, I was going from one job to the next. I quit working at a bank, had instability at my new job that made me fearful of becoming homeless, and had horrible luck at dating and creating new friendships. As I described in my blog’s 9-year anniversary post, I even detailed how my loneliness and life situation eventually brought upon a panic disorder that seemed to consume every aspect of my life.  However, the job at the surgery center became so bad, that I was interviewing for new positions on a weekly basis. Eventually, I found a new job, however, I quit the surgery center due to pulling my hair out due to stress.  I had a month gap between leaving the surgery center and starting my new position. What did I do with that month's gap?  I went to Trident Cafe nearly every single day, from sun-up to sun-down, to complete writing on my novel. I wrote from sun-up to sun-down, and at one point, I went to Trident 16 days in a row without missing. I was close to seeing the end of the tunnel, and after putting hours upon hours of hard work into this story, I was almost done. The chargers in mind were coming more to life, and with each and every sentence, they were almost real people.  Entitled White Woman was cheering me on, and while cheering me on, I truly felt like she was there for me.  Then, a week before starting my new job, I looked at my outline and saw I only had a few pages left to write. With a rush of adrenaline and a spike of tea, I levitated out of my body as I wanted to write the final sentences of my book. From the last paragraph, down to the last sentence, up to the last period, I got chills down my spine as I closed the lid to my laptop and began crying.  The weight of finishing the book immediately lifted off my shoulders, as the feeling of cool relief overwhelmed my body.  While shaking and crying uncontrollably relief, I got my phone out and called the one person who I knew would be excited for me: Entitled White Woman. When calling her elated, she expressed excitement for me. She told me she was proud of me, and told me I was incredible for finishing such an incredible feat.  This support felt constant, up until I said one simple sentence: “I can’t wait for you to read it!” That’s when the mood shifted.  Shortly thereafter, the mood changed. “Oh, I’m too busy with the new boo. We have a lot coming up. You can send it to me, but I’ll read it soon.” After a month of editing my book, and with a click of an email, I sent her my novel. Meanwhile, in the next coming months, all of our conversations surrounding her new boo, who we’ll call fuckface for this story.  “Fuckface took me on a romantic date!” Or, “Fuckface makes me so happy!” Or, “I wrote a new song about fuckface! Let me show you!!” She was living her Cinderella moment, and in doing so, she made her new boo her entire personality. Meanwhile, with our parallel, I was being stood up at restaurants for dates, and being stood up by friends at restaurants, and my loneliness was growing into a category-5 storm that was rapidly turning into loneliness-induced panic.  However, one night, Entitled White Woman was talking about how she didn’t enjoy her trip to Hawaii with her family, because the last time she went, it was with her ex. She was talking about how her relationship with Fuckface was so magical that it was too good to be true.  Then, after venting to her that I was struggling with loneliness, she replied, “Maybe you should spend more time by yourself until you’re comfortable with yourself.” My face turned red-hot, not because the advice was bad, but because it was coming from a girl who had spent her entire adult life in a relationship with someone and had never spent more than a day by herself. While anger, disappointment, and jealousy grew inside me, I started to resent Entitled White Woman. Her life was perfect. The perfect vacation. The perfect boyfriend. The perfect friend. Above all else, the perfect way in which the way she never had to struggle was because, above all else, she had opportunities given to her that most people would never have on their own.  After taking a short break from Entitled White Woman, I started to feel bad about my anger and jealousy. Just because she’s happy, doesn't mean I can’t be a part of it. In the background, I was planning a birthday party to include some of my closest friends to come out and spend my 30th birthday with me. If you can’t beat them, then ask them to join you, right? Upon telling her that I was planning a 30th birthday with several of our mutual friends and seeing all of my friends in one spot would help, she said, “I don’t know, I can’t plan that far out because I don’t know what Fuckface will be doing, and I’ll have to plan around what he wants.” I then remembered how the last two times I saw her in person, was also dictated based off what her date wanted, not what her and I wanted. I started lose hope in our friendship. To which I replied, “Look, I’m happy for you and all, but I want to see everyone for my birthday.  My loneliness is crippling me. I’ve spent the last four birthdays in a row by myself since moving to Colorado and spent every single holiday by myself since moving here. I know that’s not anyone else’s problem but mine, but I don’t want to go into my 30’s alone. I need my friends.” After a moment, she said, replied, “Look, Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks. How about I call you and we can drink tea together, and eat food together virtually. I know we can’t be physically together, but I’d love to do this!” I started to calm down and started to feel reassured about our friendship.  That was until when Thanksgiving came around, and she was nowhere to be found. She didn’t call, or text, like she had promised… A week later, she apologized for ditching because she was busy with her new boo, and she was busy having the most magical time with Fuckface. Then, she said, “I’ve also been writing new music!”  Then, in a jolt of anger, I replied, “How’s my book coming along? It’s been a minute, and was curious how far along you were in it?” She then hesitantly replied, “Oh, I haven’t read it. I’ve been very busy lately, and things are going so well with Fuckface.”  Then, I replied, “So how do you expect me to be supportive of you and your art, if you can’t be supportive of me and my art?” She then replied, “I’m sorry. I know it’s been one-way lately, but I don’t have the capacity to give at the moment.” I read that text and realized that was the exact moment I lost all of my love for her. Not only did I lose my love for her, I now harbored resentment towards her. I realized that not only was she had the privilege of living a life I’ll never get to experience but realized that she was using me as a cheerleader, and somewhere along the way, she stopped cheering me on back.  Now, dear reader, she can’t help that she had a privileged life. She can’t help that certain things will come easier to her. However, her life turned into something that made me more and more lonely about myself. Not only was I hitting a peak with my loneliness, and struggling with feeling cared for by my friends, but talking to her started to make me feel like crap about myself. All of her ‘wins’ felt like ‘brags’. Maybe if she could have been there for me like she always had, maybe I would have been able to keep cheering her on.  But I couldn’t. I was angry. I was jealous. And even now, I am lonely. I’m just human.  Even now, none of my friends have read my book, and although I wrote it for myself, I wish I had never shared it with any of them. The hurt that came from no one in my life reading my work, and not reading a piece of writing that I bled for, was soul-crushing.  I don’t know where to go from here, and I haven’t talked to Entitled White Woman all year this year. I just know that I miss having her in my life, despite that I can’t have her in my life.  I don’t have a conclusion to this, except, life is complex and messy. And so am I… Thank you, dear reader, for coming back this week.  I will see you next week, as, next week’s post will conclude this series.  Thank you for making it this far. I appreciate you. With all my love, ~Cody Wade Aka The Oolong Drunk “Blissfully Tea Drunk”