The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere they're in each other all along

~Rumi

A few month before I started my blog I came across a lovely tea shop near my work called Rumi Tea & Spice. I saw the sign for the store and was intrigued. Upon entered and greeting the shop owner I found out that the store was in fact named after one of my favorite poets!

The shop is owned by a delightful Persian family who shares my passion for Rumi's words, as do many Persian people. My initial visit consisted of buying some essential spices and herbs, namely dill and turmeric which I use almost daily in my cooking. I saw that they had an incredible selection of teas as well.

I needed to get new teas to try so I went back to visit Rumi Tea & Spice.

One of the teas I bought was a Ti Kuan Yin Iron Goddess of Mercy oolong. The tin the tea comes in (which is free!) has brewing instructions. I brewed two teaspoons of this tea for 7 minutes. The tea dried has an herb like aroma, not like most teas I've tried!

It came out a golden yellow color. The flavor of this tea was smooth and sweet! Legend has it that the goddess of mercy told a farmer to nurture this single tea plant to bring his village prosperity!

The tea also looks really cool once it's been brewed. Dried, the leaves are tightly bound and they expand when brewed.

If you're local to Bethesda, check out this wonderful tea shop! If you aren't local you can order online! I think it's very important to shop local and support small businesses!