Tea Blog

There’s a lot of talk about tea being good for your heart. Not to mention a bunch of medical studies to back up those claims. Hardly very romantic though. Tea may be good for your physical heart, but it is also good for that romantic urge within you, euphemistically called the “heart.” We celebrate those romantic urges on Valentine’s Day.

A couple of weeks from now your wife, husband, sweetheart, etc., will be looking at you expectantly. Are you going to hand her/him a bunch of roses (cliché and possibly allergy-inducing), a box of chocolates (tasty but not enough), a sappy greeting card (nice start but more needed)? How about a special, for-your-true-love, gazing-longingly-in-their-eyes-while-you-sip, steaming potful of tea?

I’ve had the pleasure of trying some tea samples sent to me and, thus, expanding my idea of what makes a good tasting tea. Therefore, as “grand tea master for the lovelorn” (self-appointed), I am recommending some teas for you to give your true love:

• Apple-flavored black tea (says your true love is the “apple of your eye”)
• Lemon-flavored green tea (says you enjoy the tangy side of life and love)
• Cranberry-flavored black tea (says you’re a bit of a rule breaker — who says cranberries are just for Thanksgiving and Christmas?)
• A delicate and slightly sweet Darjeeling (says “I love you” is a soft, sweet tone)
• A fragrant and enticing Oolong (says that love is fed through the senses)
• Jasmine-scented white tea (says your loving heart is flowering)
• A perfume-ish Earl Grey tea (says how the air is filled with the perfume of love)
• Chocolate Chai Tea with chocolate already in it (says “sweets for the sweet” as eloquently as a box of chocolates ever could)

Setting up a tea table that is just dripping (figuratively speaking) with romanticism is a must. Start with lacy tablecloths, and add lots of sparkly crystal and fine china. A heart-shaped tray as well as dishes and treats as colorful as they are tasty are good additions. Don’t forget the lovey-dovey music, classic love poems, and lots of candlelight. You can’t go overboard with this stuff.

Of course, the best gift of all is yourself. I’m not trying to be corny, but a loving hug conveys more swainful feelings to your sweetie’s heart than even the most smoky, planty fragrance of a green tea or the fruitiest wonders of a Darjeeling. Sweet treats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, patés, and other temptations of the palate are no comparison to an embrace.

As “grand tea master for the lovelorn,” I encourage you all to start preparing now for a most loving Valentine’s Day. Plan your strategy and order the teas and goodies to serve. Select the venue (your dining room, a cozy nook somewhere in the house, etc.), and get your In-Laws to watch the kids for the night. A little thought and effort now will surely have a big reward later.

I’m off now to begin my own plans for that special day — quite in secret, of course. Cheers!

Don’t forget to check out A.C.’s blog, Tea Time with A.C. Cargill!