The Perfect Cup of Tea
Dec. 1st, 2013 06:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scribblemynameSo, thecatisacritic asked me to ramble to you all today about the perfect cup of tea.
The perfect cup of tea varies, of course. It depends on my mood. When I was growing up, my grandmother always had a tin full of various Celestial Seasonings flavors and we would boil water and try out a new flavor each time, sometimes go through more than one a night, and even less often, more than one per cup. My favorites growing up were my perennial yerba maté—we were doing Wisdom of the Ancients back then—and Roastaroma, which is essentially chicory tea. I still love chicory and now I use it in my own blends.
Yet and still, I buy those old flavors I loved so much over the years: the holiday teas, Bengal Spice, zinger teas, the new rooibos flavors. Sometimes, I just like the comfort.
Growing up, I often drank cold yerba maté from the fridge (we brewed up pots of it at a time), but after I left my insurance job due to tendonitis, my grandfather would bring me cups of steaming hot maté from time to time, and I was hooked. I'm often cold, so cold tea has completely lost its appeal for me. I'll buy bottled Guayaki if I'm out and about, but I always drink that at room temperature or heat it up. In short, the perfect cup of tea is piping hot and sipped for pleasure, warmth, and whatever additional benefits it may provide.
As mentioned, I make my own blends now. I drink supertea daily for health and it's my standing go-to: equal parts pau d'arco, stevia, thyme, and yerba maté. When I want to get warm and want to save my supertea, I tend towards peppermint chamomile, gingermint, chicory spice tea in various ratios, and rooibos with flavor of the day additions. And every once in a while, I still do pull out tea from the fridge and pour it in a cup to drink it cold—just not often. It's a granddaughter/grandfather thing, this hot tea stuff.
Originally published at Liana Mir. You can comment here or there.
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 02:09 am (UTC)I loved Vanilla Maple, but they discontinued it and then only had it in decaf for a while. I don't even know if they have it now. Usually I go for black tea if I'm drinking tea. I like Lady Grey or Earl Grey.
We used to go tour Celestial Seasonings about once a month. It's been years since we've been there, though.
I prefer my tea hot, too, though I will take bottled tea to work and drink it cold after I finish my coffee. I don't like microwaved tea, which would be my only option there.
When you make your own, how do you make it? With leaves and a strainer or just mixing other teas?
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 02:43 am (UTC)I buy herb, leaves, bark, etc. down the bulk aisle, brew those babies in hot water, strain them and heat them to drink them. Sometimes, I use MiniMinit's one-cup filters to make essentially my own tea bags.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 03:04 am (UTC)Caffeine is addictive, I admit that, but I've always considered it tame compared to my sisters' addictions, and well... I love coffee. I tried to like yerba, but it didn't happen. My mom enjoyed it, but I did not. Then again, she hates coffee, so I guess it makes sense?
That's very neat. I wish I was more... creative with my own stuff. I just drink premade things most of the time. The most I do is brew my own tea or coffee. Kind of sad, really.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 03:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 03:08 am (UTC)It is like an addiction, too. :(
Me and all my bad habits...
(But maybe it is your fault I want tea now...)
no subject
Date: 2013-12-02 03:09 am (UTC):grins: