In Praise of Camellia sinensis

Tea! thou soft, sober, sage and venerable liquid;-
thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing,
heart-opening, wink-tippling cordial, to whose
glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate.

Unfortunately, these lines are not original to myself, but they do express my sentiments quite well.

Where would I be without tea? Dead, probably. My hot pot in my room at Fairwood saved my sanity multiple times. The powers of a steaming cuppa on a frazzled girl are not to be underestimated. By said cuppa hands are warmed, sinuses are cleared, thirst is quenched, cells are antioxidized, mind is sharpened, soul is soothed.

"Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea?-how did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea." ~Sydney Smith (1771-1845)

Seriously, a cup of tea really does bring a lot of comfort to me. And no, caffeine isn't the reason. Herbal tisanes make me happy, too.

You, gentle reader, should also like tea. Here's why:

~Tea tastes good. Really. Especially when quality tea leaves are brewed correctly. Most varieties don't even need sugar. (George Orwell and I are united in this opinion.) I usually prefer slightly bitter or earthy tasting teas, but fruity teas, coffeeish teas, and sweet teas exist in abundance for every taste.

~Tea is beautiful. Check out some pictures of tea leaves.

~Tea is good for you. Research has shown some varieties of tea to be rich in antioxidants and lots of good stuff.

~Tea has much less caffeine than coffee, and that caffeine is much milder than coffee's. Herbals of course don't contain any caffeine.

~Tea is soothing. Steadies the nerves and warms the body and soul.

~Tea exudes romance (in the adventurous sense of the word). The very names in themselves are lessons in geography and culture:...sencha, genmai cha, gyokuro, darjeeling, assam, ceylon, jasmine, oolong. They call forth visions of clipper ships sailing to the Far East, of "plantations of ripening tea/ All from tuppence," of the British Empire at its height, and of exotic lands and peoples.

~All real teas come from the same species. The distinctly different flavors of black, oolong, white, green teas and their many varieties are results of differences in processing and location grown.

~C.S. Lewis liked tea. "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

~Tea goes well with books. It just does.

Convinced yet? If not, try some white tea with blueberries. (Make sure it isn't just blueberry flavors.) If you still don't like it, consider the following statement: "If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty." Turn from the folly of your ways while there is still time!