An ode to tea

Let's put aside the winter blahs for a second, shall we, and talk about tea. Tea is marvelous. This time of year, tea becomes my default activity, the ritual I create for myself in the midst of winter's quiet emptiness.

There's the post-shower, pre-commute cup. The just-arrived-at-work-and-getting-ready-to-blog cup. The pre-dinner, dinner, and post-dinner cups. This is what it takes to get through winter, for me. Faced with the constant, never-ending question of "What do I do now?", in winter, the answer can always be tea.

Eventually, the quiet emptiness will get tiresome, and my chronically underwhelmed mind will begin to clamor for springtime. I haven't reached that point yet this winter. Right now, I'm all about the easy simplicity of herbs soaked in hot water.

(That's all it is, really. Amazing. Maybe there's a drizzle of honey or a little milk mixed in, but really, this life blood of chilly weather, this elixir of winter survival, is really just wet dead plants in a cup.)

To this end, because I have a feeling others may also be slightly enamored of tea, I'm proposing a tea celebration. An homage. Everyone, chime in and list your favorite flavors, for the furtherment of tea-drinking, the betterment of humankind, and the easing of chilly bones everywhere.

My favorite five:

Good Earth Green tea with lemongrass
Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice
Twinings Earl Grey
Celestial Seasonings Peppermint
Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime

What are yours?