Tea Stories N° 1

a journey into the world of tea and beyond

Tea – this word evokes memories, conjures up images and feelings… For many people, tea is a daily companion in life. It can be drunk hot or cold, sweet or spicy, mild or strong. Tea can give strength, health and warmth. Most people associate tea with the British people, them being the first ones to have brought this beverage from their Asian colonies to Europe. It was also the British who have helped tea to gain its worldwide popularity.

But the fact that tea in Europe is by no means a novelty of the 19th century is demonstrated by two French words – “thé” and “tisane”. Both of them designate a hot beverage brewed with water and dried plants. The word “thé”, very similar to the English word for tea, is a relatively young word in the French language. It describes black or green tea, or shortly, tea varieties derived from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). Meanwhile, “tisane” describes any other tea variety, from herbal to fruit. This is because such infusions were very common in Europe long before the arrival of the exotic black tea.

Herbal tea – “tisane” – is as old as human history.

What are your associations with the word “tea”? What pictures, scents and tastes come to your mind? I would like to invite you on a journey. A journey to friendly, hospitable people who invited me for a cup of tea and who taught me to look beyond the horizon of my daily cup.

1st Cup

It is August, but here, in the Southern Hemisphere, a frosty winter is slowly fading into spring. The bright sun rays and an adventurous day have made me cherish the beautiful landscape of South Africa. But as the sun descends and the coolness of night is creeps in, I’m happy to be inside. At the house of my hosts, Alison & Mike, I warm myself by the fireplace.

How on earth did I get to stay in South Africa, at a stranger’s home?! I originally intended to go to school and to stay at a family in the UK for a couple of weeks, in order to improve my English. My parents asked some British friends if they knew anyone who would be willing to take me for some time. Mistakenly, these friends also sent an e-mail with my request to their relatives in South Africa. In an instance, they replied: yes, she can come to South Africa! After a moment of hesitation, I decided to come. And it turned out to be a marvellous journey that I’ll never forget!

That beautiful landscape and the hospitable people I met there will forever stay in my heart.
Photo by Jenny Grinwis

Memories of South Africa

Anyways, while I’m helping with dinner preparations, I recall the wonderful colours of the South African landscape in my mind that I’d seen so far. Rich brown, the blue of the sky, hues of gold and yellow vegetation and the deep blue of the lakes. As Alison offers me a cup of tea, I gladly accept, and I’m surprised to see a reddish beverage in my steaming cup. It is rooibos, or “red bush”, my all-time favourite tea. It is now that I learn that rooibos tea in fact originates from South Africa. Here, it even is a national beverage. For instance, one could be asked: “Would you like to have tea or black tea?”. And, “I’d like to have a cup of tea” translates as “I’d like to drink some rooibos.”

Luckily, a part of South Africa and its people’s hospitality is with me even back in Europe, as I keep enjoying a cup of this aromatic red tea wherever I am.

Next month, join me for yet another cup of tea at the beautiful Adriatic coast!