Tea Blog

Tea is a great way to express your independence. Since July 4th is a day when we here in the U.S. celebrate that happy state of being, a special tea time seems natural. Independence is something we strive for, even from our first wobbly steps as toddlers. Being able to walk means you can get out of that playpen or cradle and explore that coffee table, the bookcase, those sparkly things in that cabinet with the glass doors…

As you grow, your independence is still there, but you learn to guide your choices through knowledge and reason, hopefully. You choose your career, your goals, and a dozen other things.

That independent spirit also applies to selecting things you like to eat or drink that suit you. Especially good when it comes to tea time. While there are a lot of traditional foods to serve at tea time, such as cakes and crustless cucumber sandwiches, you can be independent of such confines and have something totally different.

Peking duck, barbecued ribs, one of those jiggly gelatin molds with fruit and mini-marshmallows suspended in them as if by some magic spell (mine always sink), corn dogs, those little pizza roll thingies, sushi, crab cakes, and maybe some of those pretzels with peanut butter in them and you’re off to a very independent-minded tea time! The only problem is which tea to serve with such a mélange of flavors.

Let’s see, gunpowder seems to go with a lot of the foods listed above. It seems to be a pretty general, all-around tea. Keemun is another one you can have with most of these edibles. Don’t forget a nice Assam, either steeped up light for a delicate cupful or stronger for those of us who like it with a bit of “kick” that you can smooth with milk and sweetener. A nice Darjeeling tea is another option that can accompany just about anything that tempts your tastebuds.

While noshing and sipping, remember the events that led up to the transition of 13 feisty colonies into a united federation of states operating as a constitutional republic. A brief history of our first step of declaring independence makes for interesting reading. If you’re going out to watch fireworks somewhere, bear in mind that this wasn’t always the way we celebrated the date. In fact, it wasn’t until the early 20th century that the day was celebrated across the nation. One of the most memorable 4th of July events was the launch of the space shuttle Discovery in 2006. You don’t have to go that far. Just put your feast together, including the tea(s) of your choice, and cherish that expression of independence.

Happy 4th!

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