So, I have this special cup

Murrmurr

Murrmurr

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Location
Sacramento, California
And it's carved out of wood. It's about ...idk... 4" tall, maybe. (I just measured it and I was right on the money. Of course, I look at it every day, but I still jotted down another point for me today.) It's a special cup made for really special tea; a loose leaf tea called yerba mate (but it's pronounced mahtay because it's from South America where I lived for a few years or so). So anyway, you take this tiny spoon, the special one with the tiny camel on the top, which did not come from SA, it came from Syria because I went there once and bought it. It's gold but I don't think I paid too much. Using this special spoon, you put some of that special tea into this special little wooden cup. Well, first a spoonful of sugar goes in it - you don't have to use special sugar, btw. It can just be ordinary sugar - but only I do that. Most SA people don't put in any kind of sugar.

While you're doing all that, you've got a tea pot with some (but not a bunch of) water in it heating up on this special little stove. It's small and really special because I bought it that time I lived in SA and parts of it are filigreed silver and other parts are ivory (without any filigree at all, but it still strikes a nice balance). When the water reaches about 170 degrees or thereabouts, you pour some of it onto the tea in the special cup, gradually, a bit at a time but not too slow, you just don't want to burn those leaves is all.

Then you get your special straw called a bombilla (bom-beeya, 'cause Spanish). I got that in SA too, because you can't very well just drink a cup full of hot, wet leaves (well, even if they're not hot, this isn't a good idea). The end of the bombilla has a very special shape...it is shaped like a spoon, but that's not the end that goes in your mouth (because neither are you going to eat those leaves). The bombilla's spoon shaped end has many, many holes in it. It's actually a special little strainer, you see, so you can sip the nice, hot tea without getting any leaf bits in your mouth. Except sometimes you do if the bits are very, very small.

Okay, take it away, Aneeda! :p
 

Well, my special cup was mass produced and placed at Walmart by some random employee. I had to travel to the store to buy it. I can put anything in it, mass produced black tea mostly with my mass produced medicine, mass produced fake sweetener, and a plastic spoon, mass produced, of course. 😂. Hot chocolate with whipped cream tastes especially good in it.

It can also hold jello, candy, soup, pop, and most anything else. But it’s a Christmas cup and the handle is a bit oddly shaped and the handle is colored like a candy cane. I use it every day and would be heartbroken if it got broke. It cheers me up. Reminds me no matter how bad life is in the moment-good things are coming.

Thanks so much for starting the thread. 😍 See it didn’t hurt you at all. Your description of your cup and the rituals involved was, well, extremely special. 😀. I hope the tea is great, but it’s too much work for me. I just plop in a tea bag, hot water, fake sugar, medicine, good to go.

Lets hear about everyone else’s special cups.
 
Aneeda72 said:
Thanks so much for starting the thread. 😍 See it didn’t hurt you at all. Your description of your cup and the rituals involved was, well, extremely special. 😀. I hope the tea is great, but it’s too much work for me. I just plop tin a tea bag, hot water, fake sugar, medicine, good to go.
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:love: You are most welcome, Aneeda. My tea ritual really doesn't take very long. I do it at least 3 times a day, more if the day isn't going so great. It's a relaxing ritual and a lot of times I'll put some music on before I start...depends on my mood. This will sound contrary, but while the ritual is relaxing the mate (mahtay) is energizing. I have several mate cups, actually; traditional ones that are made from small, dried gourds and a few made from various types of wood. They delicately impart their flavors into the tea.
 
Murrmurr said:
And it's carved out of wood. It's about ...idk... 4" tall, maybe. (I just measured it and I was right on the money. Of course, I look at it every day, but I still jotted down another point for me today.) It's a special cup made for really special tea; a loose leaf tea called yerba mate (but it's pronounced mahtay because it's from South America where I lived for a few years or so). So anyway, you take this tiny spoon, the special one with the tiny camel on the top, which did not come from SA, it came from Syria because I went there once and bought it. It's gold but I don't think I paid too much. Using this special spoon, you put some of that special tea into this special little wooden cup. Well, first a spoonful of sugar goes in it - you don't have to use special sugar, btw. It can just be ordinary sugar - but only I do that. Most SA people don't put in any kind of sugar.

While you're doing all that, you've got a tea pot with some (but not a bunch of) water in it heating up on this special little stove. It's small and really special because I bought it that time I lived in SA and parts of it are filigreed silver and other parts are ivory (without any filigree at all, but it still strikes a nice balance). When the water reaches about 170 degrees or thereabouts, you pour some of it onto the tea in the special cup, gradually, a bit at a time but not too slow, you just don't want to burn those leaves is all.

Then you get your special straw called a bombilla (bom-beeya, 'cause Spanish). I got that in SA too, because you can't very well just drink a cup full of hot, wet leaves (well, even if they're not hot, this isn't a good idea). The end of the bombilla has a very special shape...it is shaped like a spoon, but that's not the end that goes in your mouth (because neither are you going to eat those leaves). The bombilla's spoon shaped end has many, many holes in it. It's actually a special little strainer, you see, so you can sip the nice, hot tea without getting any leaf bits in your mouth. Except sometimes you do if the bits are very, very small.

Okay, take it away, Aneeda! :p
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Fun read! Thanks
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I thought High Tea was quite a complicated ritual but your little wooden cup has that beat.
It's Lipton for me all the way. Once in awhile I'll have Earl Gray that's about as fancy as I get.
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No aspersions intended - just my opinion - Lipton makes the worst tea ever. Red Rose and Tetly are far superior and Red Rose is usually a bit cheaper too. When I have tea-bag tea, I love to blend 2 or 3 kinds, like a bag of Tetly black, a bag of earl grey, a bag of ginger or herbal. Oh, so yummy! Takes a big cup, though...haha. Actually, I make like a quart at a time, bc you don't lose anything in the reheating, imo.
 
Murrmurr said:
Mint tea is good for your tummy. Seriously. In the medicinal sense. I've never liked the flavor, though it's okay mixed with some other flavors. I don't like lemon in my tea, either. I don't know why that's so popular.
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What about an actual lemon tea?

This time of the year I make lemon/ginger tea (Stash brand). I add a little honey and approx. 3/4 of a tablespoon of freshly ground ginger to.

So delish and so good for you, too.
 
Murrmurr said:
Nope. I just don't care for the taste. I've used orange slices in place of the lemon and I like that a lot. But I think lemons have more, or more efficient medicinal properties than oranges, though.
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The orange slices sound great!

Will be looking for orange flavoured tea next time I'm out and about. Can't wait to try the orange slices with it.
 
Murrmurr, I agree, reheating tea is fine. I do that with coffee also and people ask how I can drink it.
I guess I don't have a refined palette when it comes to beverages.
I even drink instant tea which I think a serious tea drinker would toss down the drain.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
Murrmurr, I agree, reheating tea is fine. I do that with coffee also and people ask how I can drink it.
I guess I don't have a refined palette when it comes to beverages.
I even drink instant tea which I think a serious tea drinker would toss down the drain.
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Yeah, not a fan of instant tea. But I think reheating tea (and probably coffee too) adds nuance if you do it right (like, don't burn all it's components). Might depend on the tea but a deeper second brew can be beneficial. Most people are probably in it for the caffeine though. The ritual of tea drinking is something my family did all my life and my ancestors did for centuries and, to me, that's different than "just" having a beverage. I like to have a nice tall glass of iced tea too, and I'll buy those off the shelf. They're quite enjoyable.
 
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