This post was originally published on May 12, 2020.
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To confess, I haven’t always enjoyed tea. I’ve considered myself a coffee person from pretty early on and kinda had an us vs them mindset. Growing up, my mom would always make tea and I remember the kettle whistling and then how she’d let the tea steep for a few minutes, which turned into forever because she tended to forget about it. Somehow in all of that, tea didn’t really appeal to me.
However, all that changed about a decade ago.
About a decade ago now, I moved to England for grad school. I suppose it was only natural that my views on drinking tea ought to shift while living in the source of tea drinking!
I always got the impression that American tea drinkers thought they were superior to coffee drinkers, hence the us vs them. And that’s why I didn’t care for tea. However, spending time with my British friends and their non-fussy approach to drinking tea, well, it changed everything.
I remember a conversation I had with three friends who were over my flat hanging out one afternoon. I offered them all tea and asked how they each wanted it. White and one, black and two, black and none. It was so simple. So easy. So unfussed.
Translated, that means, milk and one spoon of sugar, no milk and two spoons of sugar, and no milk, no sugar.
Over the years since, I’ve found that a cuppa is a really good way to take a break. I often find that if I’m stuck in some sort of problem-solving quandary or in the middle of a tedious project or task, stopping for a few moments to make a cup of tea tends to bring clarity.
Now, though, there is something so very comforting about a cup of the steaming, hot liquid. It brings me to a place of contentment and security, serenity, and order. It reminds me of contemplations that take you far away from your ordinary life. The kind of reveries that inspire creativity and big dreams. It reminds me, too, of deep and meaningful conversations with dear ones. Those kinds of conversations where you bare your soul and step out in complete vulnerability. Friendships gain momentum and depth over cups of tea.
Isn’t it lovely how something so simple can be so life-giving? There’s life in those quiet moments.
Tea drinking can be a ritual, whether formal and traditional, passed down generation to generation, or a ritual so very personal and individual in nature.
Cultures and communities, whole societies, have revolved around drinking tea. For, like, centuries. It’s a common thread that binds humanity from one side of the globe to the other. So, no wonder, it binds two people sharing a mug or two across even the most humble of kitchen tables.
Personally, I don’t have specific rituals or traditions when it comes to drinking tea. I prefer it black, meaning no milk or sugar or honey or lemon. Just straight up tea, thank you very much, no fillers. If it’s a stronger tea, I tend to dunk the tea bag a few times until the color looks just right. Which is completely arbitrary. No rules. If it’s lighter, like a green tea, I don’t mind so much keeping the bag in. Otherwise, just between you and me, I think keeping the bag in is a little pretentious.
Tell me about you, friend! Does drinking tea have a pleasurable quality for you? What’s your favorite tea drinking habit?
