Tea - A "Carpe-Diem" potion

I can’t start my day without it. If I do, I am mostly grumpy and irritable and it’s best to avoid me then. Rarely do I refuse an offer to have it. I can entertain it in the middle of summer afternoons and as well as at midnights. And what I am going to claim now is debatable, but if it was not for tea, probably I would have been single even now. I guess it was a common affinity for tea and “adda” that created countless hours of idle conversations which I suppose is the best way to become familiar with someone, familiar enough to want to get married to that person. Tea is something I am very fond of and this is not a secret among my friends. What is unknown though is the intensity of my indulgence towards tea and the importance it wields in my life. As bachelors, friends often talk about the qualities they hope to see in their future spouse and some of the expectations they have. And it may sound incredible, but I had a criterion that she should be able to get up before me and keep the morning tea ready. Well, God had other plans. He has an amazing sense of humor.


Making tea is an art which needs to be mastered. It needs relentless practice and dedication. And should always be done with lots of laaaaav. If made in an offhand fashion, the aura associated with the whole ceremony of having tea is compromised. It’s not just the sipping part which consummates the tea-drinking experience but also the events leading to it and the subsequent arrangements that are planned for future. No tea drinking session is complete without a promise of the next one. And I know that I am not an isolated case of Tea aficionados. You should check out an essay entitled “A nice cup of tea” by one of my favorite authors, George Orwell. http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/nicecupoftea.htm . There are hardliners who have given statements like “If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty” and “Tea is liquid wisdom”. My favorite is “The first sip of tea is the always the best... you cringe as it burns the back of your throat, knowing you just had the hottest carpe-diem portion - Terri Guillemets”. Seriously, Carpe-Diem (Seize the Day) is writ large on the first cup of tea. Like a magic potion.


The influence of Tea transcends common households and individuals like us. It can be traced to Boston Tea Party movement in 1773 as well as in the efforts of British rulers to have huge plantations in India and Ceylon replacing food crops which brought the irk of the natives. Of late, the Tea Party movement endorsed by likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin has captured the attention of millions of Americans. At least, there is something which we agree upon, even if it is “just” a cup of tea. Well, that is an ample testimony to the clout Tea holds in our life.

I would like to conclude by saying that Tea is also used by many as a test of character. I have known a lot of people over a cup of tea and formed opinion about them based on their treatment of the subtleties associated with a cup of tea. And I am not alone in this practice. In words of a former first lady of USA, “A woman is like a tea bag, you cannot tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water - Nancy Reagan”

So long,
Anand