Sitting in a comfy chair by the window when the rain is absolutely pouring outside, with a warm cup of tea in hand is a magical little treat I have for myself every once in a while.I'm sure some of you do as well. Like any other beverage, I think tea has its time and place. If I want the drink to compliment a meal a glass of wine will probably be more suitable (and preferred) to the most amazing tea you can find, but the same tea will be the number one choice if you're about to have a long-awaited chat with one of you best friends.
I live in the UK, but I wasn't born and raised here, so adding milk to a cup of English Breakfast tea is something that took me a bit of time to adjust to many years ago. I prefer herbal teas, I love green tea (although I undestand why some people find it hard to drink) and I am always curious to discover new blends and exotic flavours.
Whenever I travel to a new place I try to get at least a new type from there even if it will end up waiting for me in the cupboard for many months after I get back home. I don't know about you guys but I go quite often from 'give me all the teas! I want to try them all!' to 'tea? sure, after my third cup of coffee I might remember to make a cup' so whenever the first phase sets in, discovering that random tea I got from who-knows-where six months ago gives me the sort of feeling you have when you find money in an old pair of jeans.
I'm lucky enough to have friends who remember I like tea (or they can't be bothered to think of something else - either way, it works for me, keep up the good work guys!) so throughout the years I've received a variety of blends which I probably never would have picked for myself, but I'm lucky I had the chance to try them.
I won't pretend to have a vast amount of knowledge when it comes to the history of this drink but my uneducated guess is that there has to be something special about tea since the Japanese have a ceremony centered around the preparation of it and which can sometimes take place in a room built specifically for that purpose (talk about dedication!).
I'm sure it has brought people a bit more toghether throughout the years, even if it's just for a little gossip. It's one of the first things most of us will offer to anyone coming into our home (not during lockdown, please stay safe, follow the government guidelines), it's a simple gesture that makes your guest feel welcome and you will probably offer someone a cup of tea when you see them a bit troubled and in need of a little chat.
Not everyone drinks coffee, not everyone drinks alcohol, but most people will have in their house at least one type of tea either for themselves or for their guests. Whether it contains caffeine or not, whether you like it sweet or not, or whether you have a cup every once in a while because you heard 'it's good for you', tea is most likely part of your life one way or another.
You don't have to wait for the weather to go all murky. You can make yourself a nice cup of tea and stare out the window like any good cat would, contemplating life or just spacing out, staring blankly into the outside madness, because we all need that every once in a while, we all need a little moment to breathe and just be.
I hope life is treating you well.
Be good to yourselves.