Tribute to Tea

From a Facebook post I learned that May 21st is International Tea Day. Who knew?

It’s a good thing, though — it made me pull out some tea photographs and paintings from my photo album, to write a tribute to tea.

I realized that tea is the only beverage I drink twice a day. So in a way, I take a little bit of “nicotine” every day.

My tea is almost always the same: a milk brew with tea leaves, and sugar. If I’m feeling cold, I’ll add some ginger to it — that’s it.

I know people drink tea in all kinds of ways.

For me, the above recipe brings most comfort. I do have mint and lemongrass in the garden, and if I want, I could steep that too. But I always return to my good old milk tea.

So does the ambience. I love drinking my tea in the garden, surrounded by flowers and birdsong.

A cup of tea solves everything. Tea is not just a drink, it’s a way of life.

Many of us love our tea. We start our day with it, and maybe even end our day the same way.

For me, it’s the only beverage I take.

In Japan, tea ceremonies (chanoyu) carry deep cultural symbolism.

A famous podcasters have said, “A cup of tea can save your marriage.” I believe that’s true. Offering someone tea is an act of care, of acceptance. And really — who doesn’t like to feel accepted?

Whenever I went to natural places, I used a tea cup as a photography prop. There’s something magical about a tea cup resting against a backdrop of nature.

Let me share some nice, relevant quotes.

“Tea is the magic key to the vault where my brain is kept.” — Frances Hardinge

“Tea… is a religion of the art of life.” — Kakuzō Okakura

“Tea is the elixir of life.” — Lao Tzu

“Where there’s tea, there’s hope.” — Arthur Wing Pinero

“There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.” — Lin Yutang

“Tea tempers the spirit and harmonizes the mind.” — Lu Yu

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C.S. Lewis

“A cup of tea is an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and rejuvenate.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

“Tea is the only simple pleasure left to us.” — Oscar Wilde

“A cup of tea is a cup of peace.” — Soshitsu Sen XV

“Tea is quiet and our thirst for tea is never far from our craving for beauty.” — James Norwood Pratt

“Tea… is a friend who always has time.” — Terri Guillemets

“Making tea is a ritual that stops the world from falling in on you.” — Jonathan Stroud

“Tea is best when enjoyed in pleasant surroundings, whether indoors or outdoors, where the atmosphere is tranquil and gracious.” — John Blofeld

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” — Henry James

“Tea should be taken in solitude.” — C.S. Lewis

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world revolves.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Are you a tea person too? I hope, you enjoyed the story on tea. Now go brew a cup of tea for self and feel better.

How do you like yours?