Image by The Infatuated via Flickr
I’ve always been an avid coffee drinker, super Starbucks strength. I have a cup of strong coffee every morning, without fail, made the same exact way, with Fat Free Half and Half and one packet of Truvia. I’m hooked on coffee in the morning but only drink that one cup a day, which I am sure is equivalent to 3 cups of coffee if made by anyone else.
Why is that you can have a “good” cup of coffee but a “nice” cup of tea? The only time I used to drink tea was when I had a stomach ache and then I would begrudgingly drag out the tea tin. Stomach ache = peppermint tea. A cold= Lipton tea with lemon juice and sugar or honey. That was it. I never enjoyed it, it was like a prescription for an illness or ache.
Just recently my son received a goody box from England filled with all types of delicious Cadbury chocolate and a small plastic bag with tea. He offered me the te so I decided to try it and made myself a cup. It was strong, earthy, bold. I didn’t use milk, or honey or sugar. I sipped it with delight. After that, I dove in the cupboard and reached all the way in to the back shelf to get the old container of tea which housed my own collection. I was pleased to find that I had an assortment of tea: Lipton, Peppermint, Lemon, Orange Pekoe, Chai, Chamomile, Green and Black tea, Sleepytime tea and my new personal favorite, Jasmine tea. The scent alone of Jasmine tea is enough to ensure a great, big, smile of relaxation and a deep, soothing breath.
I find coffee drinking a sociable act but a cup of tea for me in the afternoon is quite solitary yet peaceful. It has become my new afternoon ritual. It gives me the opportunity to gather the day’s events together and gives me time to rethink and relax before making dinner.
I still use the one of the same mugs I use for coffee but it doesn’t feel right. Tea requires a more dainty, pretty cup. I need to buy one, a pristine, flowery tea-cup, perhaps one found in a thrift shop where I can imagine it was owned by a gracious older lady. I drink tea differently too. While I happily slurp my morning cup of coffee, I sip tea, gently, lovingly and with more respect.
Now I have two things to look forward to each day, one in the morning when I am barely awake and one in the afternoon when I could use a break. I sniff the scent of the tea container smelling rose, fruit, nuttiness, a soothing peppermint. It can match my mood, it can comfort my soul.
In this world, that is scary and unpredictable, it’s comforting to have a new routine that gives me pleasure. We all need to make nice things happen for ourselves and appreciate them. I put my troubles aside, I sit down in a comfortable chair and I quietly sip my tea. It’s like sipping a little piece of meditation.
Hibernationnow's Blog 
My Mother was a tea drinker, but only plain regular boring tea. I have recently tried to develop a taste for tea. I bought a Vanilla Chai a few weeks ago and didn’t like it. But I do like a “nice cuppa” chamomile tea every once in a while. The Jasmine tea sounds interesting, I will look for it next time I go shopping. Nice post!
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Lovely entry Laurie! I drink my coffee every morning, but every night I like my tea…I am not loyal to any particular flavor…I love the Green Jasmine the most though…lol. Also Lemon…Chamomille…A new one I found is a vanilla something or other…it’s delicious too! It’s weird though, I always have iced tea in the Summer, but hot tea in the winter, and do not like to switch…lol. It’s awesome you can find a bit of “you” time in the afternoon with your tea! Love ya big Sis!! xoxoxo
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“It’s like sipping a little piece of meditation:” what a lovely way to describe tea drinking! It does sound like your “spot of tea” in the afternoon has become a peaceful interlude and pause from the rush of the day!
I’ve never been much of a tea drinker, and when I shared a house with a group of very health-conscious folks, all we drank was earl grey or herbal tea! I think that did in any hope of my becoming a regular tea drinker.
I do like the ritual nature of tea making, the names of the various blends, the aroma and fragrances, and the history and role of tea in different cultures, but I just don’t really like tea. Every now and then, I will brew myself a very strong cup of Irish Breakfast (or Scots Breakfast if I can find it) and drink it plain: no milk, lemon, honey, sugar, etc.
And, while I know herbal tea is good for you, I’m afraid I can’t go there. Like “regular” tea, I’ve tried to acquire a “taste” for it: but it always tastes like weeds to me, and many of the herbal blends have items in them I’m allergic to. As I said in a posting once: “I’m afraid the fault does lie with me/But I do abhor all herbal tea!”
I’m a strong coffee drinker (trying to keep to one cup per day) with light cream. If there is no cream or half and half, I’ll drink it black. I’m not fond of milk in my coffee. Oh, dear, I do sound quite the picky sort: no wonder I don’t get invited over to folks house for refreshments! LOL
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