A great love story.

The love story between myself and black tea dates back a long time.

I very much assume that I was weaned on black tea – at least they gave it to me as a daily drink, when I was only a very little girl.

Like any pair of lovers we have both developed a few quirks and idiosyncrasies over the years and have gone through highs and lows.

These are, of course, intimate details only relevant to the two of us – but I will make an exception and allow you to partake  in our love today:

1. I start my day with two cups of English breakfast tea – I drink the first one shortly after having prepared breakfast for the children.

I sit on the couch and watch them, as they pack the last items for school (and if I’m very lucky I don’t have to search for this piece of paper that they really do have to bring back today, signed, yesterday it was for sure still in this spot?), the mug warms my hands, the tea has the perfect drinking temperature.

2. Speaking of the perfect drinking temperature:

immediately after the tea is done steeping, it has to cool off – this way the taste will remain very soft and mild.

I find it impossible to wait until it cools off by itself: first of all it takes what seems like hours, secondly a residue might form around the rim of the mug, which is not pretty, and finally it might be bitter by then.

This is why I always need 2 mugs:

Fill cold water into one mug – wait a second – discard water – fill hot tea into cooled mug – fill hot mug with cold water – wait another second – discard – decant tea, etc.  – you get the idea?

After about 4-5 times decanting the drinking temperature will have reached PERFECTION.

Yes, I know, everybody thinks we are freaks now – but you just have no idea!

Tea and I: we haven’t known anything else for decades, and we both absolutely do not want to change it.

Well, at least it has never said anything.

3. Without its company I don’t like any kind of cake, fancy or other – I’m not kidding! 

Even if it is my favorite cake, I cannot eat one morsel, until its aroma enters my nostrils and I taste its bittersweet deliciousness.

Tea does appreciate my faithfulness and rewards me with its pleasantly stimulating effect. 

4. Speaking of faithfulness:

about 1 year ago it had huge jealousy issues – first it hoped that the Italian affair would be of short duration, then it feared that espresso would come between us after so many years of togetherness. In the mean time it has calmed down: while the two of them still don’t communicate, they tacitly tolerate each other.

(when the drama got really out of hand for a while, I assured it that espresso definitely has the smaller…um…cup. THE SMALLER CUP!)

5. To be fair:

I, too, have emotional airs and graces.

The only (!) situation when I act like a bitch from hell, is the moment when my husband picks up my mug and empties half of it without asking (the answer would ALWAYS be “no”!).

NO, he cannot make fresh tea for me – because it wouldn’t instantly have the perfect drinking temperature…see 2).

By the way: despite the fact that I really do get mad, my husband keeps doing this.

For decades.

I should consider a separation.

Not from black tea, of course!

6. As is often the case in a long relationship:

while our love was consistent, excitement wasn’t part of it.

I tried new varieties, half-heartedly, but none of them brought a breath of fresh air to our love life.

And then suddenly lightning struck – our love ignited once again, completely unexpectedly and out of the blue in a small, yet superb department of the KaDeWe in Berlin.

My taste buds experienced one highlight after the other and I realized:

This is exactly what I’ve been searching for all my life.

7. Since that day, no effort has been too big, no price too high:  

full of anticipation I open the beautifully designed metal containers and first bury my nose in them.

I breathe the natural aroma of the organically grown tea and let the whole leaves tumble into the strainer.

While I’m pouring water on top, their fragrance already starts filling the kitchen.

I try a different kind of black tea every afternoon – none of them has disappointed me since.

I enjoy, and allow myself to be pampered by it, we both experience intensive moments like never before – the taste compensates for the effort of brewing “lose tea” by far!

I feel like a teenager head over heels in love, who would like nothing better than to post an hourly selfie with her honey, and at the same time I feel like a missionary on a crusade, who has to convince everybody that drinking tea of this particular brand is the one and only truth.

(And those who do not agree simply have not discovered salvation.)

In conclusion I can say:

I associate with black tea what many others associate with coffee:

Extreme pleasure.  

Time-out. 

A lovely ritual I look forward to every day.

A faithful partner of many years by my side.

And at this point I would like to thank Kusmi, who – unknowingly – reignited the fire of our long love affair.

Sources of supply:
Tee glasses (they have perfect grip and don’t alter the tea’s taste like ceramic mugs sometimes do, they keep the perfect drinking temperature for a long time): Räder
Tea strainer with China embellishment: Räder
Tea: Kusmi



Love,
Joanna



p.s. 
I have so far tried several types of Kusmi black tea – they are fantastic without exception.
Their quality is so superior that you will never be able to drink tea from the grocery store anymore.

If, however, you prefer green tea, I would recommend Lov tea, it is the same standard of quality, but both my daughters prefer it.

This post was translated by Ginnell Studio.