The Art of Tea

I have been a tea drinker for as long as I can remember. Given that I was born in California and grew up in a little ski town in Colorado, plain tea was the thing. Usually Lipton.

Sun tea was a thing, so my step-sister would put a bunch of Lipton tea bags into a pitcher and sit it out in the sun. I didn’t know what the big deal was. Using boiling water brewed the tea so much faster. I still don’t have patience for sun tea.

I’ll never forget the first time I had sweet tea. I was in Atlanta for an academic conference just two months post-9/11 and was one of the few academics who had been invited to a special taping of Crossfire at CNN. Because one of the officers of the Mass Communication Division, of which I was also an officer, previously worked as a correspondent for CNN, he was able to get special admission for us despite the recent anthrax threat the network had endured only weeks earlier.

The taping finished and I walked back to the convention hotel. It was November in Atlanta and the hot, soupy air was kicking my butt. I stopped in at a little café and asked for an iced tea with extra ice. What I got was this sugary, syrupy concoction that tasted nothing like tea and wasn’t refreshing in the least. I literally choked.

I asked the lady behind the counter if they had any unsweetened tea. She laughed and said, “Oh honey, you’re in the South. All tea is sweet tea!” Gah! I honestly couldn’t drink it. I still can’t drink sweet tea.

I made it back to the convention hotel and drank all the water I could find and then enjoyed a cup of freshly brewed hot tea from a tea bag while I sat in my air conditioned room and waited for the next panel I planned to attend.

Over the years, my passion for tea has expanded. I prefer loose leaves to teabags, which usually just have the dust remaining from the actual tea leaves. I tend to prefer herbal tea to caffeinated tea, though I do love me some jasmine green tea.

I especially love teas that have healing properties, whether that healing is physical, emotional, or spiritual. Turmeric tea and Dandelion tea are two of my favorites for that. I drink Hibiscus tea when I need to feel grounded or my Root Chakra is out of balance. I drink Elderberry tea for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it enhances my Third Eye Chakra and enables me to better tune in to my intuition and my inner wisdom.

In addition to the energy healing I offer (chakra and reiki), I also read tarot and am part of a thriving and welcoming metaphysical community on Instagram. One of my favorite people, Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady, was hosting a giveaway for her Tarot Coloring Book. She partnered with an artist who creates the most fabulous tarot coffee cups, as well as a tea artisan.

I was surprised when I won the giveaway. I love the coloring book; coloring is one of my favorite past-times. When my son was young, my favorite thing to do was to sit with him and color. It gave me an excuse to color. I no longer need an excuse. I do what I want. I love the mug. It has the Empress tarot card image on it. But I especially love the tea that I received: Queendom Reign by Modestine, a sultry completely organic blend of chamomile, saffron, ginger root, fennel seed, rose bud, rose hips, spearment, lemon gras, tulsi, and orange. Honestly, drinking it makes me feel like a queen.

Modestine Tea, created by Laura Trumbull, is based in New York City with locations in Harlem and Brooklyn, as well as locations elsewhere in New York, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, and Texas.

What I love most about Modestine Tea is Laura’s passion for tea and for the tea ceremony. She regularly posts about her tea rituals on Instagram @modestineteas and about how her love of tea evolved.

Modestine, Laura’s grandmother, first introduced her to afternoon tea ceremonies and other tea rituals (like breaking a scone into pieces rather than biting into it). But her favorite memories, which she shares on her “About” page and about which she posts regularly on Instagram, is the reverence her grandmother had for tea, the tea leaves she grew in her backyard, and her spiritual connection to the plants themselves. As she writes on her “About” page, “My first lesson in tea blending was at my grandma’s backyard. It was fascinating to watch her commune with the plant before she plucked its leaves. She grew sage and lemongrass tea bushes.”

Despite the fact that she once shunned everything tea, especially the etiquette part, she has devoted her life to creating the most sumptuous teas. I’m sure I will eventually sample every one of her blends.

Modestine Tea carries the spiritual healing and empowering properties of the different ingredients into all its blends. Drinking a cup of Modestine Tea is an experience not to be missed. Even without all the etiquette (I honestly don’t know any of the etiquette; I drink tea to soothe me, to uplift me, and to inspire me), the tea is magical.

I don’t have a tea infuser, so I use my French Press to brew my tea. I mentioned that to Laura at one point and she said she had never heard of anybody doing that. It works, though, and I get more than one cup of tea from the process. That’s my favorite part. I am not satisfied with only one cup of tea.

The best part of Modestine Tea is that Laura has created it as an homage to her grandmother. All too often, we forget the journeys our ancestors took that allow us to be where we are now. At least, many whites forget. The Black Experience is very much a part of the Black community and influences every aspect of it. That Laura celebrates her heritage and imbues all her creations with her grandmother’s magic is, to me, what makes her products so special. She especially celebrates her grandmother’s ability to bring women together in community. “Grandma Modestine was a connector, a facilitator. She had a gift of bringing women together through TEATIME ceremonies. She celebrated the women around her, and taught me how to do the same.” Women in community are an unstoppable force.

At the same time, Laura is an activist, an outspoken advocate for the rights of women and minorities, and a spiritual healer. In addition to teaching about tea, her blog, Evolving Wisdom, offers guidance for mindfulness, self-love, Ayurveda, and more, all with a focus on women’s well-being.

I am honored to be part of the Modestine Tea community and to celebrate the magic that Laura has brought into the world in honor of her grandmother. Although my inclusion is, at present, only virtual, I look forward to the day that I am back in New York City and can enjoy one of Laura’s tea ceremonies in person.