My Cup of Tea

You’ve heard me say it many times. Something that suits me is generally my Cup of Tea. Why? Because I like it. I like it a lot. Having said this, I’ll get to the subject at hand without further ado:

In my thrillingly delusional existence as a writer of some measure, I am always on the lookout for something innovative and interesting to share with my readers. Taking the subject matter of the literati off the table for one moment, as there are .... wait for it ...... other things of interest (gulp), to discuss.

Take the matter of Tea for instance.

Tea.

Clarification is needed here lest some may think I‘ve not only gone to the edge but tripped over it: what most of us know about tea is derived from brewing something that is inside a bag. In this context, just saying the word tea next to the word bag is offensive and leaves a very acrid after-flavor. Tea, in its pure form, is tightly formed into cakes or bricks of varying shapes, sizes and compressions. When ready to drink, tea leaves are separated from the cake and infused in a tea tong into, what tea experts refer to as, ’a soup’. Or, one may simply drop the dry leaves into a pot until all the natural scent of the leaf has been released. Thus, arriving at the taste.

Each tea has a different taste and aroma, all to preferential liking that magically transforms into a soup of varying colors such as red, yellow, black, brown, green - depending on what type of leaf is steeped. Some of the terms used to describe the taste of teas are: Buttery dustiness; spicy, peppery; meaty; narcotic; caramel; leathery-sweet; wood-sap; light mushroom; sweet straw overtones; tangy floral; intoxicating; jarring; bubbling to the top of consciousness; tobacco-sweet aroma; plumy scent; sweet grain; citric tartness.

Isn’t this all just too delicious? The words, I mean .... not that the tea isn’t, it is, however, as a writer I savor the depth of words, and I love the language of the tea connoisseur.

The dialect slowly slides across my sensibilities, and lingers, infusing unity and dissention without leaving a bitter experience. I close my eyes and actually see the scent of the words spoken within this culture.

All this talk of tea, and my mouse-finger is itching to wander off into a tea shop,

and just click away .......

what?