The Aromatic Brew
There is something comfortingly blissful about a cup of tea. Though not a tea addict myself, I am still very much attached to the tea culture of India and especially the city, where I grew up: Kolkata. The city is known for welcoming guests with a cup of tea, an age-old custom, which is still maintained in most households. Therefore, I am somewhat genetically programmed to offer tea to my guests irrespective of the time or the occasion.
Tea serving is a ritual all over the world. The Tibetans drink it salty, with butter. The Moroccans like it minty. The Taiwanese prefer their bubble tea whereas the Americans and Thai have their own versions of iced tea. In India, we conventionally follow the British, who introduced this aromatic beverage to our country in the 19th Century. As a child, I was fascinated by the tradition of serving tea. I used to mimic and practice all the nitty-gritty of making and serving this welcoming beverage with my own miniature toy tea sets.
What’s In Your Cup
Unlike coffee or other fizzy drinks, tea is considerably low on caffeine content and therefore the good news for all tea-lovers is that one may drink as much as 3 to 9 cups a day without much issue.
Tea leaves are loaded with flavonoids, which are a high source of antioxidants; helps the body to fight against several life-threatening diseases like heart attacks, strokes, diabetes and many types of cancer. The fluoride content in tea leaves is known to protect the teeth enamel and beneficial for gum health. Tea is known to reduce blood cholesterol and also boost memory power. If that is not enough, tea helps to ward off dehydration and a bad mood!
Nothing in excess can do any good to anyone and that also counts for tea. Drinking too much tea may lead to caffeine dependency. Tannin in the tea interferes with the absorption of Iron in the body so needless to say too much can lead to iron deficiency. Tea is also known to slow the rate of absorption of certain antibiotics, chemo drugs, contraceptives pills therefore, it is advisable to restrict your cups to the limit and consult the doctor if using any medicines. Regular milk tea in excess can lead to acid reflux and burden the system with sugar overload, leading to weight gain!
The quality or the variety of tea is an individual choice and preference. Tea is good in all forms provided it is the original leaves. Teabags are the popular choice of many tea drinkers around the globe. However, some brands use plastics to preserve the flavors and to add shelf life to the products. This could be a major health hazard in the long run. Therefore, it would be advisable to investigate properly before using tea bags.
Tea Time
Many traditional practices have taken a backseat over the years; some for convenience while others for adapting to different cultures.
My morning wake-up calls and lazy spells of the day are accentuated by cups of strong, black Americano. I serve my guests the popular Indianized milk-based ginger tea at home straight from the saucepan to the cup, without the frills of a tea-set, another fast-track to the convenient adaptation of modern times. However, nothing can beat the original charm of an aromatic cup of steaming hot tea, brewed to perfection, strained and poured out from a rounded, traditional tea-pot with customized adjustment of milk and sugar, added to each cup, the final musical stirring of metal against porcelain and ultimately, sipping the soul-calming beverage and letting out an appreciative, involuntary, soft, “Ah!” and coiling up cozily on the rocking chair and lose myself in the world of the latest fiction. Luckily, some fantasies are easy to recreate in reality.
So, what are your tea-time memoirs? Would love to read about it. I’ll be back in just a few short minutes; While you share I’ll quickly brew myself a cup of fresh, hot tea.😄🫖
