TEA-TIME

In this day and age when people are evolving to be more health concious, and not to forget the market mantra of being innovative to sell new products, the markets are flooded with a horde of Tea varieties.

The brands vary from Twinings to Teltey to Organic to what not. I am a collector of Tea and have almost had all flavors and types at one point of time. At any given point I keep at least 5 flavors, excluding the normal day-to-day one that am presently using. Whenever I go to a supermarket, I always pick up a new falvor on the shelf, or even a different brand. I like to give it a try at least once. The latest to addition to my stock are straight from the Tea Estates of the breathtaking Munnar. One is dust tea, which is a day-to-day Tea but a very satisfying one, and the other two are lemon grass and jasmine flavors (both of them smell heavenly).

I like to hold the cup in my palms and feel the heat flow from the clay of the cup to the palms of my hands - this feels specially good during winters.....and then I smell the tea and let the flavor flow through my nostrils into my system. I feel that tea could add to your mood, i.e, the way you are feeling. There are times when its a lazy Sunday morning, we prefer a fruity Tea, either mixed or Cherry, or Orange. When down with a cold of a sore throat, I always extend my hand to pick up the Ginger or Tulsi or the "Good Health" Tea. On a nice breezy evening, I pick up the Jasmine flavor (without Sugar). After a heavy dinner, its always the "kaava" brought from Dehradun's my MIL's maika (mom's home). For a more filling drink I use the daily tea with milk, and I add my own flavors - sometimes its saunf, or ginger, or tulsi, or cardamom or all of it.
I am giving below a recipe for a good Tea that serves as a cold and cough remedy. Its a little difficult to drink though, but once you get used to the taste a bit, you will find it really soothing. And the funny part is that you dont have to add any tea in it, but still its tea......

Ing -

5-6 cups - water
10-15 leaves of Tulsi
2-3 cardamoms crushed
1 stick of cinnamon
1/2 ginger - crushed
2 Bay leaves - crushed
about 2 tsps of Mishri
5-6 peppercorns crushed
1/2 tsp - saunf / fennel seeds
2/3 - laung / cloves

Method -
Boil of these together till the water reduces into half. Strain and sip hot. You can alter the sweetness by adding more mishri if the pepper really burns your throat. If you dont have mishri you can use honey, but then add it in the cup and not in the pot where you are boiling this tea.
I generally dont replace the ingredients after one drink. I add more water and reboil the whole stuff to make more, and if required, add a bit of all the ingredients.

Best way is to sip this before getting into bed at night and by morning you'll be very relieved.