Tea Stories. Notes from a Tea Ritualist.

As a young child, I would stay with my Grandparents on their farm, sleeping in the spare room with a large frangipani tree right outside the window.

My grandparents would rise at dawn, to milk their cows. Before leaving for the dairy, my grandmother would place a mug of weak, milky and slightly sweet tea beside my bed, plus half of a vegemite sandwich. I’d sit up in bed, watch the day break and sip my tea whilst looking out past the frangipani, down to the creek. 

Once finished, I’d get up, get dressed and scoot for the dairy. 

This is my earliest tea memory, and my first tea ritual.

In my work as a Western Medical Herbalist, I’ve spent years working with herbs in tea form, and I’ve served hundreds and hundreds of cups along the way. 

One thing became clear to me: Everyone carries a story about tea. A memory, a daily habit, a small ritual of care.

What is your Tea Story? How has tea nourished you or shaped your life in some small way?