Tea?
I have always believed that there is something mysterious and magical about tea. As someone with a hospitality background and a tea business, it is not my intention to sound so trite but this week after travelling to Long Beach to attend the World Tea Expo (thank you Babson!) and meeting people who had travelled from various parts of the world for a 3 day event, I realized there is such a diverse, thriving and devout following behind tea.
Furthermore, unlike wine, beer or coffee, tea has a unique and distinctly subtle way of coming into one’s life. It is never as simple as “I tried it at my friend’s house one night” or “it was the only decently priced item on the menu”. No! Tea is too seductive and adventurous for that! It prefers a memorable introduction and entrance into your life, by appealing to your core characteristics. It then teases you with its versatility, but only after you begin to seek it out, of course. More often than not, it quietly sneaks into your everyday, converting you into a bonafide Camelia Sinensis Evangelist.
Most people don’t even see it coming, and before they know it, fall in love with tea. You think it’s not for you, primarily because you are not a baby boomer, you don’t go to bed by 9, and your idea of a nightcap consists of a generous serving of alcohol. Besides, you love coffee after all, it serves its purpose, you like its taste and have your coffee routine perfectly worked into your everyday schedule. Why would you mess with that? Why would you drink tea?
Well first, you can do both! If you are anything like me, this hadn’t occurred to you yet, possibly because you had fallen victim to the idea that the two were at antipodes, competing for your attention and consumption. Or perhaps the zeal of coffee or tea extremists forced you to declare an ally too early in the game. Regardless, the truth is in fact they are not at antipodes! You can, just like Kenya, be host to them both! Appreciating each one for its unique qualities, benefits and attributes.
Today’s tea drinker and tea options are far from the dated, regimented, traditional black tea teabag options of yester year. Tea comes in a variety of forms, contraptions, flavours, sources and temperatures, and now more than ever before is a great time to provoke your curiosity and dare to meet this seductive temptress. So go ahead, mix things up and make the first move.