Spice of Life: Here’s to tea, the unsung hero of chaotic mornings

Ever since I was young, the aroma of brewing tea has acted as the perfect alarm clock to wake me up from slumber. My mother, though reluctantly, would extend me the warm drink to break the inertia. Now, this morning cup has become my singular reason to wake up on the foggiest or the sultriest of mornings.

Ah! The sacred morning ritual: The clinking of porcelain, the gentle swish of boiling water, the eddy created by the addition of milk and the aromatic dance of tea leaves. My morning cup of tea is not just a beverage; it’s a transcendental experience, a journey to the caffeinated heavens, while paying due obeisance to the essentials at every step involved in the process of its genesis.

The clinking of porcelain, the gentle swish of boiling water, the eddy created by the addition of milk and the aromatic dance of tea leaves. My morning cup of tea is not just a beverage; it’s a transcendental experience, a journey to the caffeinated heavens, while paying due obeisance to the essentials at every step involved in the process of its genesis. (Shutterstock)

The morning alarm buzzes diligently and without fail I put it on snooze a couple of times before I finally decide to give in to its entreaties. As I groggily stumble into the kitchen, my eyes half-shut and hair resembling a mad scientist’s experiment, I reach out for the trusted pan. With the grace of a sleep-deprived sloth, I manage to pour water into the pan, though a significant portion ends up on the countertop. I normally choose my tea leaves with the seriousness of a scientist selecting a rare specimen, only to realise that more than the tea leaves, it is the assorted embellishment I add depending upon the season-green cardamom in summer and crushed ginger in winter; my convenience fennel seeds are always handy, whereas tulsi leaves have to be plucked at leisure from the garden downstairs; and of course my predilections, lemon grass, cinnamon, star anise, chai masala, coarsely ground black pepper corns or rock salt, anything to enhance the flavour of the morning cuppa. Well, variety is the spice of life, right?

The moment of truth arrives as I take that first sip. Ah, the taste! It’s as if the angels had descended from the heavens and brewed it themselves. Or perhaps it’s just the euphoria of caffeine hitting my brain cells. Either way, my taste buds do a joyful dance, celebrating the perfect blend of warmth and flavour. Next comes the leisure and pleasure of savouring every sip as if it were the first or the last of the salubrious drink.

Ever since I was young, the aroma of the brewing tea has acted as the perfect alarm clock to wake me up from my deepest slumbers. My mother, though reluctantly, would extend me the warm drink to break my inertia. And before I realised, this morning cup of tea became my singular reason to wake up on the foggiest or the sultriest of mornings.

A change in the matrimonial status resulted in the alteration of so many things, including eating habits, residential address and surname. However, none of these could deter me from waking up to the morning tea. Not even a life partner who loathed consumption of tea before breakfast. Credit goes to me for persuading him to give up his resistance. Now, not only does he enjoy the warm elixir beside me but also takes unusual pride in preparing it, on most mornings.

And so, armed with my mug of magic potion, I face the day – one hilarious misstep at a time, fuelled by the liquid courage of the morning cup of tea. Here’s to tea: The unsung hero of my chaotic mornings. sonrok15@gmail.com

The writer is associate professor, English, at SD College, Ambala Cantt