An Affair With Tea

Some bonding are eternal. One expects and hopes these to be between humans but it is often found to be more profoundly maintained between a man and his habit; his unconditional love for something he enjoys silently in his solitude. My perpetual love affair remains with my early morning tea that I enjoy making myself. Over the years, that affection has grown deeper and stronger to ultimately make us inseparable. 

Every morning, I enjoy the sight of the dry leaves divulge its flavour in to the boiling water. I take one last glance at the mixing before hurriedly closing the lid fearing it’s fragrance’s escape. Few impatient minutes pass by until I reappear before my beloved to add just the right amount of milk to enrich the flavour but to retain the essence. Some may disagree with the milk part and many might refuse the sugar. But in my opinion, they compliment the leaves like they were made for each other; to be united at my kitchen. A minute under the closed lid, a perfect melange appears and a perfect colour of a happy compromise emerges.Watching the morning news, as I take the first sip, it fills me with an aroma that takes me back in time, thus making me reminisce our several previous dates. I find myself transported to the backdoor steps of my Mangalore house, where I as a child enjoyed this special moment. Somewhere there our association had begun.

My maternal grandmother had this rule at home - The first thing one gets at home after brushing their teeth would be a cup of tea and some snacks or a slice of bread to chew along with that blissful sip. My mother introduced that tradition in our house. A morning tea thus became an integral part of my life even before I knew what this relationship meant. On Sundays and during holidays, my paternal grandmother boosted my infatuation further by offering me the mid morning tea that she was accustomed to. The evenings would end with another cup of tea with some tasty hot savouries specially relished during the Monsoon season while watching the rains soak our lush front yard. I also cherish some great tea moments with my Muslim neighbours. Everybody has their own style of tea making and the nuances are noticed when closely observed. I liked their tea a lot. But it always remained that early morning date, which I relished the most and could not refuse it even when I had to travel alone to other cities. 

Whether it is in those lonely rooms of Bangalore or in the US, this lovely relationship was never abandoned. There always had to be a cup of tea in my hand before I can think of anything else. When I am traveling in a different city or country, I always step out of my hotel to a local tea stall and I find myself privileged to be amongst many like minded lovers who are immersed in this enjoyable and unavoidable morning date. But, I must say that my affair elevated to its highest level when I met my soulmate in Ceylon tea.

I was introduced to Ceylon tea in Hong Kong youth hostel where I stayed. While, I was there, I also visited a lovely all-tea shop and bought a mud pot to enrich my tea drinking experience. For the first time I saw how there could be a store only dedicated to tea and there were a bunch of crazy lovers like me.

I did try a lot of Chinese tea but none fit my taste. After returning to India, I totally forgot about this encounter with Ceylon tea and continued with my Indian flavours. It was in last December that my backpacking trip to Sri Lanka turned this infatuation into a true love affair.

Ceylon tea was nothing like what I had tasted before. I was so fascinated by its natural flavour that during my travles in the country, I would have several cups of tea in a day. For the first time, I enjoyed black tea, lime tea, flavoured tea (Apple, Strawberry, Litchi etc) and the mild citric taste of Ceylon tea made this a refined experience. I had after all found my true love.  Moreover, a visit to a tea factory in Ella made me understand the different grades of tea (Pekoe, BOP, FBOP etc) thus allowing me to choose the right type of leaves for the respective tea I was preparing (With or without milk).

My romance with tea has thus found a delightful conclusion. Being aware of the fact that though we cannot be certain about our emotions towards another individual, I can affirm that this sentiment I share for tea is eternal. Sitting in a tea shop in Colombo, I enjoyed my almond tea along with a cheese cake. That was one royal date we were on.

My morning dates were often accompanied by other guests, such as snacks, savouries or biscuits; special Mangalore Sonte (A local snack made of friend sweet potatoes). These have lately been replaced by more healthier options such as Almonds, Pistachio and walnuts. But after all the tea is what that is the most important part of this date. And Ceylon tea has brought the right aroma into my life that no human can perhaps bring. Fortunately, there is at least one true affair to cherish in a lifetime. 

I leave you with this dialogue from the movie, "The Best Marigold Hotel" - 

"Dunking means lowering the biscuit into the tea and letting it soak in there and trying to calculate the exact moment before the biscuit dissolves, when you whip it up into your mouth and enjoy the blissful union of biscuits and tea combined. It's more relaxing than it sounds."