Awaken Your Tea Dragon
Written by Maja Milanovic
I always thought that coffee was tea’s arch-nemesis.
A few months ago, I welcomed a British friend with an open drawer filled with beautiful tea boxes and bags, including Min Systers Tehus’ Verbena and Jasmine Teas . My rich tea selection was quickly rejected with a direct order of black tea . Looking straight into my eyes without a blink, she declared, “It’s the only real tea.”
Pause.
Black tea, probably a cheap or commercial label, was always served on airplanes mixed with milk, making me cringe as a kid until I didn’t learn about boundaries and that I can politely say “no, thank you.”
And a longer pause …
It’s not just about palate preferences, teas touch deep upon our ancestry and belonging, and just like everything else in this overwhelming world, we like to know our place in it, and tea can do that for us.
… followed by an Oprah “AHA” like moment ….
Tea itself is its biggest enemy!
My memory of tea exclusivity exploded. My friend from Japan offered me only green tea. I stood in awe in my friend’s kitchen, originally from Pakistan, as she mixed anise and cinnamon sticks with milk and tea bags turning the drink into chai. My grandmother’s pantry was entirely herbal. I saw faces of people who drink tea solely to wake up, others who drank it only when they were sick, and the rest drinking it mindfully. And even though all teas come from the same tree, Camelia sinensis, we succeeded, through stories that we inherited, to use tea against each other in order to fit in.
Being stuck in an identity is soothing, but it also creates a division of I and Though, a habit, a stalemate.
This year, I encourage you to instead of being creatures of comfort open up to new collective moments. Instead of asking immediately for a cup of black tea, why not round your mouth and ask for a cup of Oolong? Roll those sultry *ooos* off your tongue – isn’t that fun? Not black, not green, not often talked about, yet with so many health benefits, Oolong could invigorate your soul.(Oolong stands for black dragon.)
Reach out to the black tea drinkers, green tea drinkers, what the heck, invite those coffee drinkers, replace the usual pretty tea boxes with loose leaved oolong and observe as your inner dragon awakens in the hot water.
Maja’s Tea Recommendations:
For New Stories: Min Systers Tehus’ Oolong Tea Da Hong Pao or Tie Guan Yin
For Good Old Comfort: Min Systers Tehus’ Ceylon Black Tea and Min Systers Tehus’ Chamomile Tea
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‘You are only free when you realise you belong no place – you belong every place – no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.’ – Brené Brown, from her book “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging at the Courage to Stand Alone|” |
About Maja:
Maja Milanovic has an international experience in film, theatre and TV as a writer and director as well as writing and proofreading blogs and online content. A truth seeker, she bridges worlds together to remind her readers that we all belong. In her free time you can find her cheering her son’s soccer team, drinking green tea, reading, and hanging upside down in her AG Yoga Hammock. You can follow her on Instagram milamaja12 or reach her at milanovic.maja@yahoo.com
