Poor blog, I have neglected it a little over the last couple of weeks. But then I have been travelling for real, rather than from my armchair. And while I was jetsetting across Europe, I managed to finish my world tea tour.

I ended where I had started, in Asia, though further west than my starting point. For the first time in my life, I tried teas from Georgia and Iran. Both came from Le Palais des Thes and both were touted as good to brew samovar-style, which is what I did.

For each tea, I steeped about 2 tablespoons in 26oz water for ten minutes, then diluted it with freshly boiled water. Both cups turned out to be solid and mellow, a comforting drink for a cold evening. Neither was particularly aromatic, though the Georgian one had a slightly deeper nose than the Iranian one. Good, robust teas for everyday drinking, like a Claude Lorrain cranking out paintings of the Roman countryside, which were always pretty but never quite made it to masterpieces.

Now that my little tour has ended, I find myself wondering whether I have learned any worthwhile lesson. It has certainly broadened my horizons to tea countries I had not come across before. I have discovered the odd gem I had not come across before, such as Zhongshan Baiye. And I have improved my gong-fu brewing technique (well, almost). But, all in all, I have to admit the tour has reinforced my prejudices. I still prefer black India tea, still think Tibetan butter tea is yucky, and still believe South America would be better off focusing on coffee rather than branching out into tea.

Only, now I can support my arguments with a lot more conviction.