Oddball reasons to buy tea

We all know the legitimate reasons to buy tea: It's a beverage we enjoy. It's healthy for us. It's the ultimate "slow food." But when it comes to why we choose one particular bag or box or tin of tea over another, I have to admit I'm not always a purist. I've bought tea to get free figurines (Red Rose), because I wanted a souvenir and bag (a local museum gift shop), and yesterday, I bought some new Mango Tea because I liked the fact the lime green tin is hinged, and it will make a nice storage box and/or a container for holding flowers.

I don't know about you, but the vast majority of tea tins I own, perhaps all, have lids that are totally separate. I liked both the color and style of this hinged tin, and although I like Mango Tea, I was more concerned about the package than the contents this time. (The tea is quite tasty, by the way.)

Interestingly, enclosed in the tin were two of these business cards from Hedley's Real Tea, pointing me to the website www.teamastersceylon.com. I always like to check out new tea vendors online, and this one has some unique things listed, such as the Tea Plucker doll in the "Souvenirs and Gifts" section. I don't quite know what to think about this, but it certainly qualifies as something new and different.