Confessions of a tea-drinker

by Nejla Matam-Finn

For the longest time, I was solely a tea drinker to the point where my family used to tease me on my tea obsession. Wherever I went, I will end up in a tea store, or the tea aisle of the supermarket. I even read alot on the subject. My curiosity was piqued mostly when the beauty industry started to incorporate rare kind of teas into their offering.

Every September before heading back to boarding school, I would stock up on all my favourite teas in order to get me going till the next trip home. I still remember my tea cup and my electric kettle from back in the days. And yes, no study time was complete without tea.

Funnily enough, coffee only made its way into my life pretty late. To be precise, it was during my first year of business school after few all nighters with my group study that I finally caved in and had my first cup of coffee. Let's just say the brew worked, and it got us going till we delivered the project.

I continued drinking coffee, of course, but my approach was very medicinal, it was never an acquired taste. 20 years later and, yes, I need a cup of coffee first thing in the morning and sometimes two depending how short the night was but then I’ll stick to teas for the rest of my day.

I always found that there was something a bit magical and mystical about a simple cup of a tea. Tea has the power to make you feel good in an instant. So whatever the days throws at you, there is a tea for it.

A simple cup can sooth you, reset you and sometimes cure you from a little disagreement
When traveling, my tea pouch is never too far, it makes any hotel room more pleasant at the end of a long day. I prepare my snacks, tea and it's some TV time while catching up on my emails, and yes I am the passenger who goes for refill of hot water when I can’t sleep on long flights.

When it comes to purchasing my teas, I have to say that I love going to speciality stores online or offline as I enjoy my teas as much as I enjoy discovering them. I always start by purchasing in small quantity before moving to a full canister. When it comes to herbal teas I think less is more. In Europe, you can find very decent ones in any supermarket so I often stock up when I am there.
We are roughly 6 weeks to the end of 2016 and I am sure sure that like me you have lots of projects to finish and lots on your plate, so before we despair its time to brew a cup and get it done.

Here are some of my favourites teas depending on the time of the day.

Morning Teas
Green Tea: Find one Green Tea that you like and stick to it, Green Tea offer such a variety that it is hard to advice one over another, I personally love when they are very light in taste, I have few favourites and keep them on rotation. Green tea is amazing for you, its one of the healthiest tea out there, I highly recommend splurging on a good one.
Russian Morning No 24 by Kusmi Tea: I love how light and at the same time scented is this tea goes super well with Apricot or Fig jam on toast

Afternoon Teas
Marco Polo by Marriage et Freres: This is a classic from the French tea house, for me it screams friend at home and cake. I still have not met someone who dislikes this tea mix.
Lapsang Souchong: For the cold days yes even here in Singapore, I am referring to the days where AC is blasting and it’s raining outside and you are wearing a thick sweater indoor and socks on. This particular blend is black smoked tea, it is not for everyone but for me it is such an appeasing tea, I will also sometimes have it for breakfast with soft boiled eggs and toast.
Rooibos: When you need some energy to get you going but want to stay away from the coffee jitters Rooibos is your tea of choice. Its one of the rare tea that naturally does not have any caffeine. On top of that the taste is very mild, mixes well with some honey in it.

Night Teas
Chamomile Tea: One of my favourite herbal tea in the evening, for some reason just smelling a cup of it will automatically relaxes me.
Fennel Tea: Ideal after a big meal, hello festive season. It helps with your digestion some give it to little ones when they are bloated.
Peppermint Tea: If you don’t like to taste of camomile or it feels to wintery for you then Peppermint is a great alternative.