The Strange World of Axel Fendersson

I have discovered that it is quite difficult to come by Fairtrade, loose-leaf speciality tea (by which I mean anything besides generic ‘just tea’). Any one of these criteria: easy. Available in any supermarket. Any two and it starts getting harder, but not impossible, unless you’re looking for a fairly specific variety. All three? Give up now.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I do like both CaféDirect and Clipper‘s generic teabags. They both make a decent enough brew (as long as you make it correctly), and until recently, when I was drinking a cup of tea only every few days, they were quite sufficient. But recently — and especially this last week or so — I’ve been getting more into tea-drinking, and fancied trying doing it properly with loose-leaf tea, in a teapot, and with specific varieties and blends of teas. If for no other reason, I would like to see if this actually produces a significantly better cuppa than generic teabags. Except that if I insist on only drinking Fairtrade tea (which I do), that becomes rather difficult.

The one place I haven’t yet looked is Cardew’s in the Covered Market in Oxford (from whom I already buy all my coffee). However, since I am not likely to be back in Oxford for a good few weeks, I have decided to give up trying to find any tea in a shop, and have mail-ordered some direct from Clipper.

Next up, I need to get myself a teapot.