So, my secret santa sent me a total of three presents to open this Christmas. I was planning on opening them on the 24th, but as I couldn't be home that day, I decided to open the two presents that had arrived already. I'll update this once the third one arrives.

They were both quite heavy, making me rather curious about what it could be. One was rather large and square, the other was smaller, but still quite heavy.

I can't even wrap my mind around how a stranger on the internet decided to go out of his way to do this for me, my only hope for this exchange was for me to just make someone happy, actually getting a gift sent my way wasn't something I had considered.

As for the gifts themselves. One of them was the Iwachu Japanese iron teapot with a silver and black goldfish on the side. I've dabbled with the thought of getting my self a proper teapot like this several times, but the time hasn't really shown itself.

The other gift were two 'Asia tea mugs' from Bredemeijer. Two cast iron iron mugs. The perfect size for a quick sip of tea in the morning or late evening, actually, it'll work for all hours of the day.

I decided to do the very first brewing with some first class gyokuro, what better way to start the very first brew? Added the leaves, heated the water up to 50°C, poured it on, and waited a full minute before removing the leaves.

I don't think I can back to drinking gyokuro in any other way after this experience, it just feels wrong. Everything about consuming this first cup of tea just felt like it was done the right way.

Now, my tea journey has been a long one. I started with lipton baggies, cups loaded with sugar, and just fruity teas. Always boiling hot water, not much care was put in to it, but after several years, I feel like I've finally been able to enjoy tea in the proper way.

So, thank you secret santa. I'll keep this pot for years and years, as a conversation starter, as a medium to enjoy proper tea, as a reminder of how a stranger can make significant impact on someone's life.