Ten on Tuesday – 25

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Ten Things about My Idiosyncrasy for Tea
Wikipedia describes idiosyncrasy as an unusual feature of a person. It also means an odd habit. The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. People around me believe that I am very fussy about my tea. While commenting on a post by Destination Infinity, the idea of this blog post took shape and form. So here we go with my idiosyncrasy for tea!
  1. I am a tea person. When I say, that I am a tea person, it does not mean that I like drinking tea all the time or I can have tea anytime and anywhere. Of course, I love my tea, but in my own special style and process.clip_image001
  2. While I don’t mind at all (in fact love) somebody cooking food for me, tea is something that I like to make myself. Even, if somebody volunteers to do the honours of making the tea for me, I firmly decline the offer. The tea that I make tastes exactly the same almost all the times (sometimes the quality of milk changes the taste), as I follow my self designed tea ceremony religiously. I add all the ingredients as per the specific measured proportions. Also they are added after a certain interval of time or temperature to give that perfect cup of taste.
  3. I drink only 2 cups mugs of tea… one in the morning and one in the evening. Sometimes when I am at home, after finishing my work, I do indulge myself with another mug. When I am out of home at somebody’s place, and it’s time for the evening mug, either the tea is made as per my instructions or is made by me or missed altogether so that I can rush back home and have my tea in my own way and mug! Having a bad tasting tea is not my cup of tea!
  4. There are so many varieties and flavours of tea. But my all time favourites are Brook Bond Red Label and Wagh Bakri!!
  5. I like masala tea only. So, with the variations in the seasons, my masalas for the tea changes too. Masala for the tea includes anything from ginger, tulsi, mint, cardamom to black pepper, cloves, fennel, cinnamon sticks, I also sometimes use the readymade tea masala that’s available in the market.
  6. I like having tea in my large mugs and these are some of the mugs that I use frequently. My current favourite is the last one in green.
  7. I do not like separate tea that is served in star hotels, CCDs etc. When I am travelling for workshops, the hotels serve tea with tea bags, I prefer going without tea and take a cup of coffee instead. Since I am a cleanliness freak, I never have tea from the roadside thadis or trains, railway stations, bus depots … Though I am told that some of these road side tea shops make amazing tea!
  8. I like my tea sweet and milky. Milk, I have realised is a big factor in making a nice cup of tea. Since we use Amul pasteurized milk. I have found that using the whole milk (Amul Gold)makes the tea very heavy and using the toned milk (Amul Taaza) does not taste that good. So, I use milk which has half proportion of Amul Gold and half of Amul Taaza. Tea made from the freshly boiled milk tastes the bestest and that from the a day old milk is not all that great.
  9. And now that the winters are setting in, I do enjoy Kashmiri Kahwa after meals.
  10. I like to have my tea in total peace. During this time, I like to sit with either my book/newspaper or laptop. I hate interruptions by means of phone calls or ringing of the door bell etc. Tea time is my time, which I cherish and love completely. I associate my mug of tea with relaxation and rejuvenation. Gladstone said, “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you” and I agree completely with him!

Are you a Tea Person or a Coffee Person??
Image Courtesy : Google Images

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