Admit it, you knew this blog was coming after last week’s love letter to coffee. I think it is only fair that tea be considered as a part of a Senior Ripper’s day. I, for one, treasure my morning cup of Joe but after that I am a tea girl, through and through. The varieties of tea seem endless and my tea drawer is full of many of them, but I never really knew what kind of tea was best for me and how to brew it properly. It was time to find out.
Coincidently, my favorite NPR interviewer, Terry Gross, conducted an interview just this week with Michael Pollan about his new Audible book, “Caffeine, How Caffeine Created the Modern World”. I listened with keen interest and immediately took advantage of an Audible February Deal, to get the book. What I learned left me in awe of the power of this stimulant, which is the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive drug.
To put it simply, 90% of all adults are addicted to caffeine. Its power lies in its ability to attach itself to the same receptors that adenosine would normally latch onto, thereby preventing adenosine from doing its thing, which is to cause drowsiness. Caffeine lives in the body for a full twelve hours and symptoms of withdrawal appear just when it is time to enjoy our morning cup, perpetuating a never-ending cycle. Pollan does list the many health benefits of both tea and coffee but he also gives proof that caffeine interferes with the body’s ability to go into deep sleep, which plays an important role in brain health.
Will this knowledge keep me from imbibing? I’m afraid not. It’s too embedded in the rhythm of my day. I look forward to both my cup of coffee in the morning and to my cup of tea in the afternoon, but perhaps I could make wiser choices as to what I drink. This quest led me to a small tea shop in the Sugarhouse neighborhood in Salt Lake, Tea Zaanti. The owner, who actually teaches a course on tea at the University of Utah, led me through the different kinds of tea in his shop. I got to smell and taste a few before deciding to bring home an Orange Oolong, a tea that lies halfway between black and green in its oxidation, and boasts a light crisp flavor, with a bit less caffeine. The loose leaves made my commercial tea bags seem paltry and the flavor was noticeably better.
So, Senior Rippers, give your daily addiction some thought. There may be a better blend or time to drink what we all love, and by all means, please do listen to Manhattan Transfer’s version of the classic, I Love Coffee, I Love Tea. I guarantee that it will bring a smile to your face while you wait for the water to boil!
Can’t remember the name of the tea shop we visited in SLC. Tea Grotto, maybe? It was very good. Closer to home, we love Little Woods Herbal in Ames Iowa. Tea Zaanti sounds delightful!