The Swedish supply from Kajsa that I discovered in my mailbox yesterday!
Before studying abroad in Stockholm, Sweden, I knew nothing of the tea-drinkers world. I thought tea was a holiday drink, or what proper grandmothers with Old-World upbringings daintily sip (as did mine). In the States, most of my friends and family enjoyed coffee. Not tea. Sure, we had boxes of tea bags in the house growing up, although no one used them, save for my mom and her occasional afternoon cup. It was not until I was 20 years-old and living abroad, however, that I began to understand the vastness of this product and the impact that it's many varieties have on the world. I learned of loose leaf teas, black teas, regional teas, aromatic teas, and medicinal teas. And then, a two years later, when I lived in Japan, I learned of O-cha (powered green tea) and Chado (the Way of Tea).
Me with my Japanese students (2004)
Sure, I dig green tea. I think its health benefits are fascinating and important. Be that as it may, I prefer black tea. And I favor teas mixed in Sweden. Especially the tea mixture that Kajsa and her family drinks. Because when I drink it here, or anywhere, I'm transported back to being 20 years-old, an exchange student, curious, and new to being passionate about observing other cultures and languages. It takes only a whiff to take me back to where the addition began.
Tack allt, Kajsa!
2 comments:
Hi! If you like tea you must try "Sonnentor" organic tea from Austria. It´s very popular and so delicios I also love to drink it! xx Bianca
And then you started a new tradition in our family. You made tea new and different and special in a great way (even though the smell of Nana's tea will forever be emblazoned in my mind). Prost to you, my fellow tea drinker. Prost to you.
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