The joy of tea!

As those of you that are friends of me probably know, I am a fan of the finer things in life. I enjoy a good tequila (Herradura or Don Julio, anejo), a good porterhouse and very occasionally a good cigar. While I am equally comfortable with a burger and a coke for lunch, there is definitely something to be said for enjoying the finer pleasures.

What relatively few people know is that I take my tea very seriously. I think that tea is the best thing that you can drink. Think about it- both Chinese emperors and British conquerors would take their tea breaks. It used to be that tea was beyond the ability of commoners like you and I to drink. Now, we got tea!

But most of us wouldn't know a good cup of tea if it was poured over our heads. Repeat after me. Herbal tea is not tea! It's nothing any self respecting man would drink, either. Good tea has to come from a tea leaf- not from something that looks like potpourri. Good tea doesn't come in a tea bag, either.

I put a great deal of thought and preparation into the tea I drink. There is something about a good cup of tea that soothes me and reinvigorates me. If there were tea bars in the US, I would frequent them. But aside from a place in La Jolla that I like- Infusions of Tea- I generally have to go home to enjoy a good cup of tea.

I think that the finest tea that you can drink is a black tea from the Darjeeling province of India. And the only way to prepare it is with good quality loose tea leaves. Those of us that use tea bags are using the tea leaves that the rest of the world throws away. I like to buy my tea from Upton Tea- it's about 30 to 40 bucks for a tin of good 2008 Darjeeling.

The preparation of a cup of tea is easy, but can't be hurried. First, you boil a pot of water. While the water is boiling, you measure out a teaspoon of tea per cup that you are drinking and place it in a seperate container. When the water starts to boil, immediately pour it over the tea leaves and let them sit for 2:30 to 3:00 minutes. Then you strain out the tea leaves from the tea, add an ice cube or two, and voila- one perfect mug of tea (which for me is two cups worth).

Drinking tea brings me back to a more civilized moment. The world may be hectic, but a good cup of tea takes a peaceful moment to sip and contemplate. It reaches into your soul and steadies it.

Really one of the finer things in life.