Hm. As you know, I have been amused more than once by what people Google and end up visiting my blog. Today’s funny is from someone who searched for “earl-grey tea on the space station mir”. Just by chance I mentioned something about Astronauts and Space Station, and I get the hit.

Let’s discuss.

The Mir space station was launched into space in 1986. It deorbited in 2001. These amazing facts were found at NASA. I didn’t make this up.

It is insane to think, even the Russians would send up their finest into space without tea. Okay, I would believe that Russians might compromise and not send up a Samovar with their crew. For heaven’s sake, my Mom was given a Samovar by some well-meaning relatives from the old country, and it took up as much space in our house as Mir. Yes, 250 tons. We had a 250 ton Samovar in our house. It was given a spot on top of a bookshelf. We had to pay homage to it each time we passed by. The thing is, we couldn’t use it, because the electric plug was Russian.

We had a whole international trade operation going on at one point. There was the Samovar. A keyboard. Wooden animal carvings. Cash. Marushka dolls. Jeans. Some high test alcohol. And linens. Butt ugly linens. I mean no disrespect to my relatives in “the old country”, but you seriously had some butt ugly linens in the 1980’s. No wonder you were giving them away in trade.

Anyway, we have astronauts flinging themselves around the Earth at break-neck speeds between 1986 and 2001. They would be gasping for a cuppa tea. I cannot see how the Russians or NASA could NOT send up tea bags of Earl Grey to their men/women. I can understand taking a miss on Celestial Seasoning’s Camomile or Red Zinger teas or even Tazo’s Awake, but not Earl Grey. Earl Grey deserves a place in space. It is THAT good.