Tea From a China Pot

Today I had the pleasure of spending an hour in the presence of one of the oldest men in the world. He will be 100 years old this year. My dad and I went to his home for a business meeting and the gentleman's son and grandson were there. I met them last week and we discussed our mutual fondness for tea. I told them that I had some experience working in a tea room at one point and they were somewhat shocked that I knew so much about how it is served and the numerous categories of tea, etc.

When I went to their house today, my host's son (a man well into his 70s, I'd imagine) welcomed me warmly and quickly informed me that the kettle was on the stove. I thanked him and told him he didn't need to go to any trouble and he shrugged off my attempts at politeness as he disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back out, he was carrying a beautiful tea set, prepared completely and totally for me. He then brought me seven different kinds of loose leaf teas to choose from and I happily settled on the Darjeeling, which has always been a long time favorite. He started to chuckle but wouldn't tell me why.

He had poured the boiling water into a gorgeous china tea pot and told me that tea should always be served in china tea pots. I didn't argue and I'm pretty sure the expensive container holding the tea managed to charm the flavor. It was so heavenly and I felt like a queen! Then, as I was sitting there drinking my Darjeeling with one lump of sugar thank you very much, he rushed over to me exclaiming that he had something he wanted me to look at. Once again he disappeared around the corner and came back with a copy of "Love in the Time of Cholera."

I couldn't stop smiling. While my dad was conducting professional business in the other room, I was sipping tea out of china with a fine linen napkin in my lap and a classic novel in my hand. I felt like I was in the middle of a Jane Austen made for tv movie. It just felt so good to take time out of the madness and business of the world to enjoy the finery of a cup of tea! And when I got up to leave, he helped me with my coat and said that the reason he was laughing about my choice of tea was that Darjeeling was his mother's favorite. He grabbed my hands and I thanked him for the lovely time. La la la la. I think I will always make tea.