Namastea!

Some of you may have seen a recent post I put on Facebook with a picture of A LOT of tea that I got from hosting a virtual tea party.  Or some of you may know me well enough to know that I don’t like coffee, but am a absolute tea lover.  True confessions time, I drink 5-6 cups of tea per day.  I try to make sure only two of those have caffeine; my morning Earl Grey and my afternoon green or matcha tea.

I grew up drinking tea.  My mom always made tea in the afternoon, being British and all, it was expected.  She would make a pot of Red Rose Orange Pekoe and we would add sugar and milk. It would be this sweet, milky warm hug.  When I moved out on my own at nineteen, I didn’t buy milk because I didn’t like it and I couldn’t afford it, being a starving student and all (it took about 20 years before I could eat Ramen noodles again after that time – and why are they so salty?).  So, ever since, I drink my tea with sugar (now stevia) unless it has a sweetness to it already or it’s a tincture (which is basically anything that you steep that isn’t made from a tea plant).  

When I started to work at my current job, we had an afternoon “tea time” at 2:00pm (or 14:00 in my world).  I still wasn’t refined in my tea drinking at this point, drinking only the boxed tea that came from the grocery store (which I recently heard called “hot dog tea”!); mostly Twinnings Earl Grey (thank you Captain Picard) or peppermint.  However, it was the act of the tea time that intrigued me.  It was a brief stop in our working day (since none of us smoked we saw it as our combined “smoke breaks”) and it was a moment where we were just ourselves and got to know each other a little better.  We’d share a recipe or where things were on sale or a funny story.  It gave us a sense of camaraderie.  Things change and we no longer do this at work, however the act and feeling of tea time never left me.  

In 2009, on a trip to Niagara Falls, I discovered a Canadian tea chain called Teopia.  I was there for five days and went there each day, sometimes, multiple times a day.  This is when I fell in love with tea; real tea, tea leaves (not “hot dog tea”), and a world a flavour opened up to me! (It made me sad when this delightful little Canadian company sold out to big American business and became part of Teavana. I think it wasn’t long after that David’s Tea, another delightful Canadian tea company, filled the Canadian gap). 

I do, as a side note, want to take a moment to say that there are many, many great Canadian tea companies that I’ve discovered and want to support.  I’ve tried the following and please message me to let me know of ones you’ve tried:

The Tea Haus

Copofte

Pluck Teas

Genuine Teas

Tealish

David’s Tea

Steeped Tea (now Sipology)

Tease Tea

The Tea Emporium

Anyway, I don’t need to go into detail about my love of tea and how much I’ve tried and bought since that fateful week.  Eek!.  I don’t even want to know how much I’ve spent on tea over the years! However, my husband will confirm that I may have a tea addiction.  

Yet, despite the fact that my husband may one day do an intervention of my tea drinking habit, it’s not just about the tea.  It’s the act of the tea process.  You see, it’s a mindful process and meditative act to me.  

You have to decide what type and flavour of tea you want to have.  There are many health benefits to various types of teas (or tinctures because I also now make my own).  There are varying levels of caffeine I consider.  There is the ease of making it, or not, depending on my mood and if I’m doing it as a mindful, meditative act.  It’s become a ritual, if you will.  

As a mindful act, I pay attention to the act of filling the kettle, selecting the appropriate cup or mug, preparing the tea for infusion while the water heats to the appropriate temperature.  Then there is the act of making the tea itself, whether you are just pouring the heated water over the leaves or the active and mindful process of blending matcha tea.  

The most important time is the steeping time.  Each type of tea has an “ideal” steep time.  It depends on the type of tea; for example, green tea burns easily and becomes bitter so maximum steep time is 3 minutes.  But during this steeping time, however long that may be, is a perfect time to meditate or reflect; to take some time to just focus on your breath perhaps inhaling the aroma of the tea as it steeps.  This is the perfect time to just be in the present moment, to reset your day or to take some self-care time for you!

Once your tea has steeped, then the act of drinking it can be a mindful act.  Notice the feel of the warm cup in your hands.  Maybe it’s iced tea and you feel the coolness.  Notice the temperature as you bring the vessel to your lips for a sip.  Maybe smell it before sipping.  Engage your senses.  And with each sip notice, really notice, the feel and flavour of the tea.  You can also take a moment to feel gratitude for all the people who allowed this moment to happen; from the tea growers and pickers to the shippers and packagers to the sellers.  

Namastea!

If you want more information on either tea or meditation, please feel free to contact me.