Teas for Drinking, Teas for Thinking

Teas for drinking, yes, because that’s what you do with teas: You drink them. But teas for thinking, too, because of how much more contemplative a hot cup of some botanical infusion (as opposed to coffee) can make a person.

It is by will alone, we fill the cup ...

No, no, we’re not forgetting that some teas can have more caffeine in them than some coffees do, and that caffeine is how, as with the juice of Sapho, thoughts acquire speed. We’re just disregarding a few contrary details for the more general reality, and acknowledging the power of the whole “coffee is jitter-juice to make your hands shake and your mind rev like some overclocked Tesla vehicle still in pre-production” myth, and agreeing with everybody and their dog that tea, otoh, is traditionally more about chilling the fuck out.

[Note: Not necessarily a good idea to give tea to your dog, though.]

Now, if you want to have yourself an excellent cup of tea right here in Austin, we’ll tell you that two of the best places to do that are Zhi Tea and The Steeping Room. We’ve experienced both – and we wish it was the Before Times again so we could linger safely among friends and strangers in those elegant venues for hours, sipping tea and rummaging aloud through shared memories – and we recommend them highly. And of course the many teas you can get via the internet right now from those exemplary local companies are a treasure you’ll long cherish.

But, you know, our Film section reviews more than movies that were made in Austin, right? And Music doesn’t boycott albums from beyond the Lone Star State. Similarly, here’s a glimpse of three far-flung tea companies that are worth looking into. That are well worth drinking, to be sure. And worth considering, even, when you’re lining up gift options for your naughty-or-nice list …

Tea Drunk

TEA DRUNK No, there’s nothing alcoholic about this. “In Chinese culture, the term drunk doesn’t have a negative connotation. Instead, it is a romantic expression used to describe one’s indulgence in true passion. For example, a poet would describe himself being drunk by starlight, the gaze of a lover, or the intense beauty of the sun setting over a mountain range.” With most other companies, that sort of lyricism might sound a touch hifalutin’, tbh. But with Shunan Teng’s Tea Drunk, which harvests all its leaves from old varietals of tea trees grown in mainland China, the explanation is spot-on. “Most of our teas are actually harvested from trees planted by generations before us, before machinery and modern agriculture, in deep mountains among a diverse vegetation.” Yes, this New York-based company provides the high end of contemporary tea culture for the serious hedonist. This is the unadulterated, deeply traditional sort of herbal artistry that’s why, for instance, the Metropolitan Museum of Art collaborated with Teng to present a temporary teahouse in the museum. Fact: We tried a few of the teas before we knew any of this information, and we were wondering why the subtle flavors were so different and, could it be, even better than any teas we’d had before? Now we know, and it makes perfect sense; and we’re glad to pass the word along to you.

JAF Teas

JAF TEAS Here are a variety of teas from the highlands of Sri Lanka, where “the unique climate results in 365 days of peak growth and teas that range from robust and full-bodied to floral and delicate.” The leaves are hand-plucked at the height of tenderness and packed locally, and tea from over 600 estates is tested weekly for quality control. The tea connoisseurs of JAF – the Jafferjee Brothers and their associates – have been doing this sort of business since 1944, which is why what winds up in your cup (after proper steeping) is an experience of liquid pleasure, with each growing region represented producing a distinct flavor. Another thing that’s distinct – and this is the season to keep it in mind, n’est-ce pas? – is the loveliness of the gift boxes available.

Stash Tea Company

STASH TEA C’mon, you know these guys. Portland’s Stash Tea have been around since 1972 and they’re represented in so many tea shops and coffeehouses, found on the shelves of so many grocery stores, and are well known to sell teas of such high quality and flavor variety that … why are we even mentioning them here? Because – although it might be hard to recall, the way this year’s timesense has gone all fluid and protean – 2020 is coming to an end, and with that end comes the usual gift-giving holidays and, hallelujah, does Stash have some primo gift boxes ready for you. They’ve brought back their limited-edition holiday teas (those White Christmas, Christmas in Paris, Christmas Morning, Holiday Chai, and Christmas Eve blends), and they’re offering them up in packages with tins of Dewey’s Sugar Cookies and boxes of Belgian Boys’ Dutch Caramel Stroopwafels and holiday-themed mugs and, yeah, this will all work well with everyone’s annual generosity and decorating sprees. (But charity does begin at home, as they say, so if you’re sheltering in place all by your lonesome? Never mind all the tinsel, friend, and maybe treat yourself to a Stash Signature Tea Chest of 80 teas in various assortments.)