Tag Archives: tea

A New Leaf

Musings,

A few weeks ago I was the victim of a nasty stomach virus and for a couple of days afterward I had little appetite for anything except Gatorade. Slowly I got back to my regular diet, but one thing has changed — possibly for good. I started drinking tea in the morning instead of coffee. At first it was because my stomach could not tolerate it, but later I realized I don’t like the buzz I get from it anymore. And I don’t like the way it often makes my stomach hurt.

tea for two

The other day Clare and I were in a tea shop and she said she thought she would stop drinking coffee in the morning. I thought that was a good idea and decided to join her. She also knew the quote at the end of this post by heart.

I still like coffee — the smell, the taste, the ritual; I also like tea — the smell, the taste, the extended ritual: boiling the water, warming the pot, measuring the tea, timing the brew, adding the [whole] milk before pouring the tea in the [China] cup. Where coffee gives me a jolt, tea teases me awake.

I don’t know how long this will last — but I plan on enjoying it while it does. And I’ve not given up coffee — I’ll still drink it occasionally — but not every morning. It is hard to get a good cup of tea at a restaurant — this morning I asked the waiter to boil the water in the microwave if necessary, but it had to be hot. She did it right — and my tea was delicious.

“There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea which makes it irresistible and capable of idealism… it has not the arrogance of wine, the self-consciousness of coffee, nor the simpering innocence of cocoa.”

– Okakura Kakuzō, 1862-1913.

Tea for two. Or three. Or four.

Food,
tea for two

I’ve written before about my tea stash. I may have also mentioned my teapot collection. I like tea. I like tea but I rarely drink it. I was thinking about this fact the other day and wondered why that was and came to the conclusion that, to me, drinking tea is not a solitary undertaking. I like to drink tea with others.

See, I don’t necessarily use tea to wake up. I drink coffee in the morning — and often do it alone since I’m not all that social in the morning. When I drink tea it is usually in the afternoon or evening.

When I’d spend time in England we’d always have a cup of tea and cookies before bedtime. To this day, thinking about those moments in front of the gas stove, drinking PG Tips and eating digestive biscuits makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.

When Clare was in middle school and high school we’d often sit down to a cup of tea when she got home from school, before she began her homework. It was a great time for her to decompress from her day at school and for me to catch up on what was happening in her life. I looked forward to those few minutes we shared over a cup of tea.

Andrew didn’t join us in our tea drinking until after he’d been to Ireland twice in the same year. He went with his rugby team during spring break and then again that summer with us. We all got into the habit of having a cup of tea together in the evenings after dinner and carried it home for a few months. Even today, if I ask Andrew if he’d like a cup of tea he’ll often say yes.

So, I rarely drink tea anymore. Not because I don’t like it, but because I see no reason for it if I cannot make a social ritual out of it. Dean doesn’t like drinking caffeine after noon and doesn’t particularly like herb tea. He sometimes joins me in a cup of tea, but I suspect he only does it because he knows how much I like to drink tea with others.

Last night, as the Steelers lost the Superbowl, my friend Maria asked me if I’d like a cup of tea to warm me up. I did and together we drank cups of green tea and it was good.