My encounter with tea

In my family all infusions were called tea. It was said, for example, that they prepared a tea of chamomile, malojillo, linden, or any aromatic or medicinal herb.

My mother, in case of any ailment of the body or spirit, recommended making a tea of the corresponding herb or flower. Chamomile tea was used for sleeping, star anise tea for stomach pains or colic.

So I grew up not knowing that tea was the leaf of a particular plant, which received that name, and which was cultivated mainly in Eastern countries.

My ignorance was so great that when I went to the cinema and the word tea was mentioned in a movie, I would imagine any of the infusions my mother prepared. And I thought something was wrong because they never said which tea it was.

It was in college when I finally knew what they were talking about when they mentioned the word tea.

At that time I had a friend whose great-grandfather was English. He was an adventurous man who had come to Venezuela at the end of the 19th century, settled in our country and raised a family here. Among the customs he brought with him was that of drinking tea.

One afternoon I went to visit my friend, and when we had a good time studying, a very interesting conversation took place.

—Which do you prefer tea or coffee...? my friend asked.

—Which tea do you have...? I answered in the most normal way, waiting for her to answer me if she wanted chamomile, linden or anything else.

—What do you mean, which tea...? My friend answered with a very surprised look on her face, obviously she didn't know what I was talking about...

—Well, I don't know which one you use... I insisted. My mother prepares several types, I finished off by looking to clarify things...

The astonishment on my friend's face was greater, she realized that we were not talking about the same thing. She said no more and went to the kitchen, looked in her pantry and brought a nice brass box, took out a bunch of dried leaves and showed them to me...

This is tea, said my friend with the leaves in her hand...

Now the one who was amazed was me, I had never seen that kind of leaves, with much embarrassment I told my friend that I did not know that kind of tea. She understood my ignorance and began to explain to me about the tea.

She told me that in her family they used to drink it, not as much as coffee, but it was a custom they kept in honor of her great-grandfather who came from England. He had taught them to drink it at the end of the afternoon and every time he gathered them together he would tell them that it was time for tea.

I am grateful to that friend from the university for having taken me out of my ignorance on this subject that was beginning to become mysterious to me.

As time went by, I became interested in learning more about the world of tea and if I go to a friend or acquaintance and they offer it to me, I drink it without any problem, hot or cold.

Also, I have been interested in knowing the benefits that tea has for our organism. At present, I am in the habit of drinking two cups of green tea daily because of the high content of antioxidants it contains. A doctor friend of mine even recommended me to drink it in small quantities and if possible to drink tea instead of coffee.

However, I must tell you that I have not been able to find in tea the same pleasure that I find in coffee. For me coffee is irreplaceable and it is the first drink to have in any social gathering I have with my friends or acquaintances. Every afternoon I share a cup of coffee while conversing with my wife on any topic.

I understand that this is a cultural thing. I live in a part of the world where coffee cultivation is very widespread, so much so that until the beginning of the 20th century coffee exports were our main source of income. For us tea is an exotic drink that is shared only at certain times.

This is my entry for the initiative convened by friends of the Cinnamon Cup Coffee community to celebrate Tea Day.

Thanks for your time.