Not too long ago, I got home and thought I’d have some ‘me’ time snuggled up on the couch with a snack and drink, when I suddenly remembered my sister’s tea stash. Despite being a more coffee kinda gal, I thought “Well hey! Why not try one of those fancy teas that my sister seems to love?” So off I went over to the pantry to explore the assorted types and flavours when I came across some ‘Lipton’ teas; now, I’m no tea expert but judging from the box, it looked like it would be nice so I picked out a Red Fruit tea after being enticed by the description (I’m a sales person’s dream).
Back into the kitchen, flicked on the kettle, mug off the stand and in goes the tea bag. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil I was examining the tea bag and from what I could see, there didn’t seem to be any actual tea in the bag, but what seemed like just dried and preserved fruit. Nevertheless, I passed it off as my lack of tea knowledge and when ahead with preparing my bevarage. Kettle’s boiled, now into the mug- at this point, I was rather excited and tingling for a taste. Watching the tea steep was incredible in itself, like when you first put in the water and redness just begins to emerge and swirl from the tea bag…hypnotising almost…it reminded me of the special effects in Harry Potter.
I like to leave the tea bag in for quite long, to make the tea bag completely worthwhile- value for money, and all! So by the end of that long-winded process, my tea looked like this:
I think the blood-red colour just made it all the more exciting
Switched on the telly, snuggled up on the couch now finally ready to drink my tea! The smell from the blue-hot mug was divine and so despite it being so hot still, I daringly took a sip…and nothing. “Maybe it’s just too hot?” So I left it a few minutes and in the meantime was flicking through the recorded programmes to find Hawaii Five-O. Right let’s take another sip…again, nothing. “Have I made this right? Maybe I was meant to put some sugar in it or something?” Off I go to the kitchen and in go two sugars. “Take a gulp this time, I’m probably just not getting enough from a sip!”…And still nothing! It tasted of nothing! My mind was baffled at the result of something with such a build-up. “One more sugar, perhaps, as a final attempt?” And what do you know- nothing. What a shocker, eh?
The flavour of the tea floats just above your tongue that you can never actually reach it. So it neither provides you with taste, nor quenches your thirst- if anything, makes you thirstier! So what is the function of it? Personally, I think it’d be better left on the window sill as a household fragrance- your thoughts?
An acquired taste, or merely glorified flavoured water?
colossalvitality 