Memories of Tea

Memories of Tea

by Stuart Roland (@steepful)

The world of tea is full of variety, offering countless kinds of teas, each with distinct flavors and aromas. One can become familiar with each of these teas, forming specific memories and associations with each one. Since smell is such a powerful aid of memory and aroma is such an essential component of the experience of tea, this means there is a world of different teas one can make very specific associations with, which really is quite a beautiful thing.

Perhaps you associate a specific tea with an important person in your life. Maybe a certain tea reminds you of your childhood, or a place you used to live when you first started drinking it. For me, I am lucky enough to have a kind of tea that reminds me of my grandmother. I would go over to her house and have Red Rose black tea with her almost every week for a time, sharing wonderful conversations and connecting with one of the most important people in my life. And now, years after she has passed away, she is still just a cup of Red Rose away; the comforting smell and the sweet, gentle taste of the tea instantly brings me back to her dining room table. I didn't know it at the time, but I was building up a relationship with the tea at the same time as with my loved one. The wonderful conversations with my grandmother were steeping into the essence of the tea, and now the two are firmly linked within me. What a lovely gift that is.

You can also form more abstract connections with teas. For instance, I first tried Silver Needle white tea out in the woods on a cold, snowy day. I have since had it countless times, in different places and during different seasons. When I have a cup of silver needle tea now, sometimes it will still bring up memories of that time I had it out in the snow. Other times, I might remember another session when I had it. It might even remind me of the conversation I had with a friend the last time I drank it. And sometimes, I just take in the experience and am not particularly reminded about anything. But each time I am building up connections and associations with the tea, either reinforcing old ones by remembering previous sessions, or making new ones, or both. With each tea session with the same tea, our connections grow deeper, our associations grow stronger, whether we build these associations on purpose not.

Tea can be such a powerful connector of memories. The combination of the huge variety of distinct teas and the powerful, consistent sensory experience each tea can evoke means that there is a huge array of teas that each of us can make our own connections to. Beyond the direct benefits and pleasures of drinking it, its potential to bring us back to certain times, places, relationships, or memories is, to me, one of the deepest gifts of tea.