I come from a long line of tea drinkers. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my coffee in the morning.
So much so that I get strange looks from my family in Europe on extended stays when again and again, for the breakfast table, I choose a cup of coffee to their pot of tea.
My Dutch grandmother poured hot water on black tea leaves in her silver pot precisely at 3:30 every afternoon, there was nothing a hot cup of tea couldn’t fix in her {and therefore my own} mind.
Did you know that tea is the second most consumed beverage only next to water? Brewing tea and drinking it is an important part of the day for people in almost every culture.
More than just a hot drink, brewing and sipping tea is a celebration of every day life, of taking a little time to smell the roses.
Brewing tea, smelling its delicate scent, and savoring each sip of the delicious, hot liquid encourages us to take a little break in the middle of the day.
To enjoy the moment, and really concentrate on the beauty of our day.
Drinking tea encourages thoughtful, peaceful thoughts, it brings a sense of peace and calm to an otherwise hectic day.
And these days, pretty much all our days are hectic if we let them be.
Tea asks us to slow our pace, to sit for a while, and be grateful for our homes and lives.
Drinking that beautiful cup of warmth out of an heirloom tea cup makes it all the more “special”, doesn't it?
I have a collection of special antique tea cups, some remind me of the people who gifted them to me. When I pull out one of those cups, to drink my afternoon tea, I remember the special friendship or family ties I have with the person who gave that cup to me.
I am hoping that my daughters and granddaughters, and my darling little grand-boy too, will have sweet memories of me and tea time at our house long after I'm gone. And that they will relish drinking their own tea out of the antique cups they inherit from us.
There are as many different tea blends as there are people, finding one you love is not difficult. The calming blend of herbs and spices can restore health, promote a sense of well being, even cleanse our bodies of toxins.
Making tea a ritual in your days allows you to appreciate your surroundings, it's a small luxury and a large grace note. It's also a wonderful way to treat yourself to a beauty break.
I love home design books, and BEAUTIFUL, by designer Mark D. Sikes does it's title proud. I often take just 10-15 minutes to sit and enjoy glancing at some of the pages while drinking my cup of tea.
I was fortunate to win this gorgeous book from my dear friend Shirley, who blogs at Hospitality Designs. Shirley shares her love of decorating and her love of making her home a haven for her family in such a charming way. We had the opportunity to meet each other in person this month, and it was best-friends-at-first-sight. {Don't you love that?}
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF TEA? {For me, there is nothing as delicious as Earl Grey tea, with its delicate balance of heady and refined scents and taste.}
SHOP TEA CUPS {we have heirloom cups starting at 49.-}
24 comments
Anja, wat leuk! Thank you for leaving a comment, I hope to see you here more often.
Love your post.I love to sip tea twice a day.
Just discovered your site and I am very pleased to find out you have Dutch roots hence the fact I am Dutch.
Thank you Lisa. I agree with all of you, tea is special, and a thin, delicate cup makes it a daily luxury.
Thanks for sharing this lovely post about tea, Lidy. I agree with Shirley and Beverly that it tastes so much better in a beautiful cup and your tea cups are exquisite! Darjeeling tea is one my favorites.
I love several types of tea, but as Peggy said above, Constant Comment is my very favorite—especially with a couple of ginger cookies. Isn’t it amazing how much better tea tastes from a beautiful, thin china cup? Coffee is fine in a mug, but tea needs a vessel that matches it’s delicate qualities.
Pat, my Mom always made me a cup of hot tea too! That is such a sweet memory, isn’t it? I drink coffee, but I agree with you that tea, well, it always makes you feel better!
Hi Lidy, I associate hot tea with my mother who always made me tea and toast when I was a young girl with a bad cold or even worse cramps. Somehow that hot tea always made me feel better. Now that I’m all grown up, I’m a daily coffee drinker. Still, a cup of steaming tea always makes me feel better when I need it. Hugs, Pat
Mary, both of those teas are delicious. English Breakfast is the perfect “pick-me-up” in morning, and then Orange Pekoe, well,
that’s a favored classic.
How wonderful that you are stitching gifts for your sisters and friends, I am sure they will be thrilled!
I feel like a peasant, but my favorite teas are orange pekoe or English breakfast. I just bought a counted cross-stitch chart that says “There’s always time for tea”, and am planning on stitching it for Christmas gifts next year. Myself, my two sisters, and three friends……it looks like a fairly simple pattern, so should work up quickly (fingers crossed).
Love it, Bonnie! I hope that you enjoy it, and the memories of beautiful Switzerland.