There’s something about steeping a pot of tea and sitting in bed or on my couch to enjoy it that puts me at peace. Maybe it’s that I’m an ‘old soul,’ or maybe it’s something else entirely that I have yet to discover. Tea has a culture onto itself, different countries have their own teas, and the tea trade was huge for the British in colonial times. When I travel, I try to always enjoy a cup of tea wherever I am. In Peru, it was the coca tea to ease my altitude sickness. In France, it was whatever I found at a market in Provence that made me feel like a local. As a Jamaican, there are two things that I believe cure all ails: rum and tea. I suppose I say all this to say that it’s not just that I love tea, it’s that tea is something that is loved around the world. It’s a part of global and individual cultures, it’s used to wake you up, put you to sleep, soothe aches, and cure illness – it feeds something in the soul.
My most recent obsession is a cup (or pot) of happiness that Harney & Sons calls Hot Cinnamon Sunset. It’s a black tea with cinnamon, orange, and sweet cloves – and every single cup has been an absolute delight. At first sip, you taste the sweetness of the cloves (I almost thought I’d added sugar), and then it unfolds – the oranges come in and then you feel the spice of the cinnamon as it slips down your throat. It’s the best tea I’ve ever had, and I’d gladly buy it by the boatload. I’ll drink it morning, noon and night. I’ve let friends and family taste it and the consensus is all the same – this is damn good tea.
