Once upon a time way back in the yesteryears of 2006 I worked as a stock boy in a high class tea store, a brute among connoisseurs. It was one of the single best jobs I’ve ever held for it introduced me to the world of fine loose leaf teas and also to one of the best substances in the known universe: bergamot oil. Bergamot oil is the basic ingredient used for flavoring the old champion of teas Earl Grey, a tea I avoided for a few months as I was too busy being distracted with the whiz-bam of other teas like the Formosa nut Oolong, Spiced nut Mate, or the forever young Tranquil dream chamomile blend mixed with pure peppermint! Eventually though I wandered through enough of the seemingly exotic teas and yearned for a more basic taste. I went and grabbed the Earl Grey tea tin off the wall and as soon as I opened it I knew my prejudices had wronged me. The smell erupted from the tin as if it had been silently building up pressure for years, and as soon as those heavenly vapors tickled the ends of my nose hairs I was instantly transported to a euphoric playground of blissful leisure. Hurriedly I scooped up two teaspoons of the dried oily leaves and set them to steep for the prescribed time of three minuets, not too short where it gets all watery and not too long where it becomes all bitter and dry. I mixed in a modest amount of milk and honey and set the standard paper cup to my mouth. What transcended next was beyond the typewriter of any world! I understood with one little sip the complete harmony of existence and found with my tongue the bottomless pit of simple pleasures. Bergamot, where have you been all my life?