It's Time for Tea Somewhere in the World

I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea.
― Fyodor Dostoevsky

So, I like tea.  And, I think I can trace this preference back to my Grandma.  When I was younger, she’d always drink lemon tea; I think it may have been Lipton’s or Nestea Lemon tea.  It came in a big container, and it was granularized.  She also drank it out of a taller glass, that to me, recounting the experience, seemed like it was a very special glass, only for her tea.  I liked it, and I’d always steal sips out of it, if I could. Then a long time passed and I really had no interaction with tea.  I don’t think I started drinking it again till I was in college.  

While in college, I would go in spurts: tea for a while, then coffee for a while.  I liked both, equally.  I probably had an equal amount of gadgets to make my own version of the brew.  For the coffee, I had a french press and later I had a Italian moka pot (a great device to make pitch black coffee, then all you need is to add a bit of honey!!).  For the tea I had a, well, a french press, the same one as I used for coffee, and I also had a small portable tea steeper, and then I also had tea bags.  I think primarily, in the beginning, I used store bought, pre-packaged tea.  It was convenient, as I was crunched for time while in school.  But, as time progressed, I feel like, as with a good wine or cheese, I matured (hopefully, not as smelly) into what I am today.

What I am today is not necessarily pretentious but  just accustomed to what I like.  And that is, for me, having an accurately timed and appropriately heated loose leaf tea.  It can be the best thing in the world to me.  I can almost taste that first sip as I write this, and it is divine.  I can’t explain it the way it should be explained, but just imagine tasting the earth while in the middle of a very green forest with the sun shining through the canopy, sitting peacefully with no distractions.  The smell, the taste, the warmth creates an experience and I get to enjoy that with a simple cup of tea.  

It is hard for me to understand, completely, how some may not like such a thing.  And, I’ve been told by numerous people that tea just tastes like warm leaf water.  As the emotions rise, I have to remind myself we are all different and we have different opinions.  But, it’s HARD! tea is great!  

Some of my favorite teas are genmaicha, which is a tea with roasted or puffed pieces of rice.  Which gives the tea a more earthy flavor.  Pu-erh is also a preferred tea of mine.  At first, I was a bit put off by the aging process.  However, as soon as I tried it, it once again brought me to the forest, I could taste the ground, the air, the time it took to age; it was like a rainforest in my mouth.  As I write this, I can see why some may not like tea, all I’m talking about is tasting dirt or trees or leaves... but I love that symbolism.  I grew up in a place where the look and smell of nature was very apparent, so it does strike a chord with me, and it is a very good one.  

I hope I’ve inspired some of you to try tea.  Leave some feedback in the comments about tea you’ve tried, and how it has made you feel.  Or, maybe you enjoy and feel similar things, but it’s coffee, let me know, it won’t bother me :)