The Perfect Cup Of Tea

I made one yesterday.

I know it's not world shattering news, but anyone who drinks tea will recognise the event for the small miracle it is. It doesn't happen very often, you see.

On occasion, a cup of tea can be pretty awful; I've made some shockers in my time.* Most of the time however, a cup of tea is a cup of tea. Nothing spectacular, tastes okay, satisfies the thirst, and the teaspoon doesn't dance around the cup and saucer (ala Gene Kelly) singing some catchy tune about the glory of tea. But every once in a while, when the planets are aligned in the right sequence, you produce a masterpiece. Everything about it is perfection. The colour, the taste, the temperature, all blended just the right way to make the mundane fantastic.

I can't say how this marvel comes about. Maybe it's in the way you hold your tongue, the length of time the water boils, how long the tea is left to draw, how the cup was last washed, the way you stir it, perhaps the cow produced a particulary fine blend of milk. Who can say? All I know is that, every now and then, it all comes together for a brief moment of bliss. One of those moments we always cherish, until the next time.

The perfect cup of tea.

Did I mention I made one yesterday? Just thought you'd like to know.

* Interestingly, even though some cups of tea I've created have been absolutely awful, not once have I entertained the notion of throwing the offending substance out and starting again. For some reason, which no doubt Freud would somehow manage to blame on my mother, I accept my failure and suffer the process of drinking it anyway. Weird, huh?