Tea and time have something in common. They both begin with letter “T”. There is a reason for that. Under that commonality also lies a lesson of life.
To enjoy tea, we need to take time.
First of all, even before the steeping starts, we observe the tea leaves. Leaves from different types of tea come in different shapes, texture and colors. The shapes are typically from the delicate hand rolling. The majority of the workers in a tea garden are women. Imagine how those beautiful girls and ladies pluck the leaves in a sunny spring morning. After the leaves are dried, they hand roll them to form a certain shape and sort them out at the end. Tea is no longer mere leaves but a form of art from beautiful hands.
Second, you pour hot water into the cup. You dont just sit and wait (and getting bored and even impatient). Watch the leaves unfold and dance up and down slowly. This agony of the leaves is necessary for the flavors and nutrients to be released.
Steeping is also about timing. Not too long, not too short. The timing depends on our individual preference in taste.
Finally, we dont gulp a cup of tea as we do with a can of soda. We sip....