The Art Of Tea

Van Gogh Is Bipolar, Manila

I have never appreciated and looked at tea growing up before as much I love and appreciate it now as an adult. I used to drink coffee back in the days and it was only when I moved to London that I found my great appreciation and love for tea. The gentle scent of green tea, the earthy aroma of puerh just sinks my feet into the rich earth. The flowery scent of oolong to minty scent of Moroccan mint green tea calms my spirit. From then on, I decided that tea is my drink of choice.

I began letting my taste buds explore the herbal teas that the Britts like. As a nation of tea drinkers, the Britts are serious about their brew. Everyone has their favourite brands but there are a variety of great British teas out there that everyone can choose from. Tea, which is an upper-class drink in continental Europe, has always and has been a part of the British lifestyle. And this fascinated me. While, it is usually served with milk or cream, it not uncommon to drink it with lemon too.

I am often asked, why in a world where everybody seems to love coffee and everybody claims to not being able to start their day without coffee, why am I so enthralled with tea. It's always hard to answer. Being Asian, I am actually not new to the practice of drinking tea. I grew up with my grand parents drinking tea though I only began to really drink and appreciate it later on in life. But there's more to it. Given the health benefits of tea, you can never go wrong with what you are feeding your body. I began to explore different varieties of tea like mint, lemon-ginger, chamomile,hibiscus, rose hip or lemongrass. I would drink them hot and pure.

Sketch, London UK

Tea & Tattle, London UK

Soho Secret Teahouse, Soho London,UK

TWG Tea Salon&Botique, Makati, Manila

The Waiting Room, London UK

Infinitea, East Wood, Manila

Later on, I began to try Chinese and Oriental varieties of tea like green, white, oolong, red and all their variations. I have yet to learn the Gungfu way to prepare and serve Chinese tea with the Gawain tea pot though ( in my bucket list ). So amongst other reason, I realized that tea was a good excuse to slow down and think. The process, even with herbal teas, stopped me in my tracked and kind of slowed me down in my busy and hectic daily grind. It slowed me down. It became my ritual.

I would boil water in a kettle, decide which teapot set I am going to use as I have started collecting them and that I think is going to be another blog post! tehee! Then I would wait for it to boil while I debate with my self what tea to drink. I think of my mood. What is appropriate for the moment. Taking in the moment. I check in with my emotions and how I feel. How do I feel right now? Do I need the calming effects of chamomile? Do I need a perk up of a little caffeine or do I need to raise my mood with fragrant scents of rosehip or rooibos? I make my choice by the time the water is boiling and then I pour it over my teacup of choice as I enjoy watching the leaves drown in the water in the strainer. The steam rises off in the air and I breath in the aroma filling my sinuses and feeling my body with a sense of calmness and quietness. I can already feel the energy surging within me.

Personally, drinking tea is a very sensual experience. The feel of the warm cup in my hands. The aroma it gives off as you breath in the rich smell of whatever tea is brewing. It's all just an orgy of experimentation on the paletteveryone