Tea....Oh tea.
Being born in the Uk, Tea made up a staple part of my diet growing up. I'm encouraged today to write about this tasty brew, because I'm sitting here with family. Tea by our sides, we sit back and watch a buzzy semi future based show, about a hardy group of netflix models, who travel through time to save the past, which, of course is the perfect accompaniment to a warm mug of tea. Nothing left to do but sit back and sip.
Now ( reaches for mug....just had a gulp )... I'm a bit of a tea traitor... In reality i'm not, but in England I may be. You see.. I've given up on caffeine..'soo'...well which means, i've given up on black tea... 'errr'....Tetley...'nooooooooooooo'.. I know I know, I miss it to, you see i've become a bit of a health freak, and somehow caffeine found it's way onto the ever expanding list... I can see you weep..I may join you..
I can still write this though, because although it's been many years, I can still recall those subtle variants and blends, and of course on my new path i've stumbled upon an ever expanding array of 'infusions'.
Infusions are non caffeinated teas, they leave you feeling warm, happy and silently gloating. No no, in truth.. it can be a little shit!....So let me break it down.
In my years of trying to recreate a familiar 'tea' experience, I stumbled on many different blends.. I'd been to Egypt amid my foray into black tea abstinence, and coming to the land of Mint tea was I quickly found my eyes scanning the coffee shops. Before I knew it I was sitting there with a steaming glass of mint internally absorbing the herbal rays. It wasn't bad.
After years of Mint tea, and Decaf ( I KNOW I KNOW 0.001 % ) anyway.. Finally I found, Yogi tea.. Auravedic tea blends... Long story short... Choco Aztec spice.. that's the one! for me at least.. I tried the majority of them, and that's the one that did it for me, tasty, sweet'ish' slightly spicey, and then there's the choco.. nice! So where was there to go from there? I'd journeyed far into the outer fringes rebel tea blends, continents and spices, I was a tea tourist! What next..
I once again felt the pang of nostalgia of that old childhood warmth that came from the perfect blend of milk and tanine. I couldn't drink the caffeine, and then I found it... Rooibos. To this day, for better or worse this remains the closest thing i've found. I could add milk, and yup it felt like a proper gulp, so tea was back on menu. Yum.....But then..... some deep hidden memory came flooding back... memories of something so beautiful, the perfect tea...I never knew what it had been..until one day I heard the name.
Chai....there it was. Chai. Oh chai. Now I didn't know what Chai tea was, I had no idea, at least I thought i didn't. But... it seems that I did. While strolling round with friends as a kid, perhaps 15/16 at the time, I found myself at a friends house, a great guy ( RIP Vishal ).. he was a super gent. Anyway. So I remember sitting on his rug, with another friend, and he asked me if i'd like some tea, of course I said yes. two moments later out came a porcelain mug decorated in gold and intricate details... it may of glowed..hmmm that bit might not of happened. Anyway so there I sat, he asked if i'd like some milk, I said yes, and he added carnation milk to this beautiful concoction. I took a sip and .... OH MY GOD... Vishal what is this?. he floated off... and there it was, my forever 10/10 tea. Vishal sir you were a gent.
Chai tea, which I since discovered is what I was given, perhaps that cup of chai, has been my gold standard every since. It's warm, perfectly balanced tasty goodness was able to summon something in me, which just made life quite literally better... yep i'm easy. So years later, I found my way into a starbucks, which was a novelty to me, seeing as I'd lived in starbucks free Malta for some time. My brother helped me understand that was the type of the type of tea mentioned. None of those Teas came anywhere close, and in fairness it would be very difficult for them to replicate such a thing. It was a whole different species, though It was a chai.
Of course there's Green tea, and Berry tea... I'd been on a clippers berry tea kick for a while lately, Noooot bad... not bad at all. Green tea I found out had the caffeine, and so i'd have to give that up to, but at the time it helped me with both a healthy gloat and a somewhat sharper focus. Then there's the Chinese strains of tea, which I hadn't managed to make my way towards as the majority were caffeinated. I can quite easily see myself quietly sipping on a warm gentle cup of jasmine flower tea, while sending out happy nods and smiles as i sip fragrant contents. Alas..
There are many Teas out there, and you're all special and wonderful in your own way. But I need to finish with those which brought me here, the teas from back home. I'm talking about English Breakfast, Darjeeling and of course....Earl grey...Ohhhhhhhh EARL GREY..... the pinacle of your English Brew.. that sneaky warm aged taste.. You tea pot gentleman...When I think of Earl Grey, I picture myself quite literally in a Earls Palace... Perhaps he's grey.. I don't know.. he's not there.. perhaps he's pottering near by encouraging me and the other family members to scouf down some crumpets and scones...'Have yourselves the lot!' ok that's my diet talking.. Anyway.. there on that large wooden table, sits a pot of your finest aged earl grey. A fine teapot waiting to be poured.. Ok if you insist.. I'll have some. Earl grey is where it's at! :)
So my friends this is how it ends, years of tea, teaing can only be condensed so far. Perhaps one day i'll be able to expand upon this. Tea has played quite a large role in my life, and i'm sure a couple or more of yours to. Thank you tea, and all those who've brought it to us. For those quiet nights alone huddled near a radiator or out on the porch/sea looking out on the horizon, whimpering on someone's shoulder....oops there's mr tea. Thank you! and bless you!
Thank you for reading...Pretty please..give me a little vote if you like this, so perhaps i'd buy myself another Yogi Choco blend. Have a lovely day and I very much appreciate you taking the time to read.
Most pictures from https://pixabay.com - Excellent site!
I also used one from rivertea
Awesome story ..Dear .Really happy saw your post..
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Aww that's really cool of you! please give me a like if you can... im begging a little now arent i! :)
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I love tea too! tea can be tasty just by itself actually XD
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You're right...absolutely.. I like the blends though, those are the tastiest.. actually im not sure if i've found a single tea by itself which is tasty per se
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The secret to chai: cardamom. ;) I like those Yogi ones too, especially when they have ginger in them--so snappy!
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Thanks Steph.. Yeah Chai... dear lord it's good, though the majority of them use black tea which i avoid. I'm sure you can do it with rooibos though. Yogi teas are great!
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Yeah, so weird, I was just thinking about chai last night. I love it so much but at one point I connected the fact that I got a huge migraine every time I drink black tea. :( So no more chai for me.
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So you're off the caffeine to my friend :) nice.. welcome
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Well not really, I drink coffee every day. ;) Maybe it was the tannin doing it.
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ahh yep i was going to say.
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Speaking of ginger, you can boil coke with chopped ginger inside, it will surprise you!
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Sounds intense! Im off the caffeine though, so cokes out the picture to
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Tea is amazing like you I am an avid tea drinker!
There is a quote by Samuel Johnson which I am partiularly fond
"a hardened and shameless tea-drinker, who has, for twenty years, diluted his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant; whose kettle has scarcely time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea solaces the midnight, and, with tea, welcomes the morning."
Those new teas are very handy, I am also looking to divert from caffine.
I discovered chai wandering in the early AM at Greenman festival where I stumbled into a tent somewhere and chai was brewing. I stayed there for hours drinking chai!
Its been a staple since =D
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hehe that's lovely to hear, re the chai, just the image along of chai in a tent makes me feel cosy. Thanks for your feedback, that's a great quote to have found! you've made me want a tea now :) !
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nice finger and also nice tea and story
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Ha thank you, it's not my finger if you mean the first photo. Thanks Rasel very cool of you! :)
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T a source of freshness.....simple i remember while i travel via train there is ahwker who use to sell tea...called masala chai...simplay made up of lemon along with light sugar with some black pepper on it. After a long trip that one sip made my day....still i alawys look out for that vendor...👍
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Wow that does sound nice, and really fresh! thanks for that!
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By the way you wrote that in a way that I could really picture it, thumbs up! :)
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thanks :) just refreshing one will share someday, if i can trace out vendor ...
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I too love tea, though I am still of the caffeine variety, though not always. I also like a spicy tea. My favourite has cinnamon, orange peel, and licorice root, but also black tea (caffeine) as well. Sometimes I treat myself if we are getting Thai and have a Thai iced tea, which is so good and so sugary, but alas I have given up carbs, so no more of those. But, maybe becasue of the 'no carbs' I ever embrace my tea. Being an American who also loves to spend as much time in the UK I equally love both coffee and tea. My day is started with strong coffee, followed by hot water and lemon (palette cleanser maybe?) then followed by pots of tea in my studio for the remainder of the day. There is just something about a hot beverage even on a hot day that just fills the soul. And a bonus thumbs up for the last photo. We are rewatching the entire 7 seasons of TNG and as soon as we see the Capt. anywhere near a replicator we say in unison, "Tea, Early Grey, Hot". I also love early grey too with lashings and lashings of cream! And I am now a follower too.
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awwwww thank you :) All these comments people are writing are so nice. That's a really insightful and in depth reply to the article. I appreciate the alternative glance of another Warm drink consuming brethren. TNG ahhhhhgg nice... Make it.. earl grey! I'm also on a balls diet... it's called the Leaky gut diet.. this will not last long i tell you! I feel the pain. Thanks again, i'm enjoying these personal insights we all experience to our warm earthy brew times.
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