Day 3 - 181 -- An (un)Common Beverage

My beverage of choice through the day is tea. I make a mug of chai with more milk that water for breakfast and bedtime, but during the day it is plain black tea. My favourite blends are from the rift valley -- Kenyan blends. Others include darjeeling (black not the first flush green), a strong Irish breakfast blend (from Fortum and Mason) and a highland blend from Malaysia (blended at Raffles Hotel). Now, I can't easily find these in this small town, but when friends travel overseas, I've been able to source things through them. <smile> Tea is a social beverage, after all. I have no use for fruit flavoured teas or non-caffeinated non-tea 'teas' <smile>. I like black tea straight up -- 'clear' being the technically correct term here. A day without tea is rare. I have one regular each day at the office and all others at home or later in the day at work are a decaf variety blended and packaged in New Brunswick. It isn't available outside the Atlantic provinces, so I've sworn that when I move away, I'll have to forward a case of the stuff to my new abode <smile>.

Everyone has their own favourite tea and are very particular as to its preparation in the pot and in the cup. I find this interesting. It is a relaxing and enjoyable break, but is not the same in each household or region. Cape Breton is known for its brewed tea that sits on the stovetop on low until a new pot is needed. That stuff is strong! I generally leave the teabag in the mug while I know some who quickly dip the bag in their mug once, twice or three times and then put it into the compost. So -- some of us like the spoon to stand straight in the mug while others prefer coloured water with a hint of flavour. Yet, we all call it tea. Again, interesting. Ordering tea in a cafe can be an exercise in frustration since each of us has our own particular ritual. When Tim Horton's moved to steeped tea (pre-prepped tea concentrate used to make tea) it created an issue with many people. I enjoy this new one, but it is a bit stronger than some prefer. So, they now make steeped and can offer a teabag for those who don't like the strength of the steeped variety.

I've grown up with tea since a wee one. My grandparents made 'tea' for us that was more milk than tea, but that began my tea drinking lifestyle. I have my grandmother's teapot to brew tea (and several other fun teapots). I have many mugs and cups and saucers from which to drink my beverage. A friend once wrote about making a concerted effort to use all the 'good' dishes regularly rather than have them linger in a cupboard for years. I do need to do more of this. I have two favourite mugs and I tend to use them most often, while all the other lovely dishes sit unused. That will be my new resolution -- to shake things up a bit at tea breaks at home.

There is a folk-country style song that seems to fit my musings today. There are a few covers, but I've chosen the original to share. The lyrics contain many points that make you smile as well as some with strong social commentary. Enjoy!

Have a Cuppa Tea -- The Kinks