A Nice Cuppa

Somewhere between lunch and dinner, I am sinking into the cozy cocoon science-minded folk like to refer to as the postprandial dip. My head nods, I reread the same passage of the same page over and over without grasping a shred of meaning, I look at the computer screen and find mysteriously miscast words and long skirls of letters — “monkey” and “pepper” and “sslkdflskdddddddddddddddd” — inserted in among the sentences I am attempting to type.

Clearly, it’s time for caffeine! I’ve spent the morning with my coffee mug, so now I switch over to my teacup, hoping the change, and the simple act of balancing a cup of scalding liquid, will perk things up a bit.

Happily, the tea in my cup today isn’t just plain old orange pekoe, which is good enough on a regular afternoon, but not invigorating enough on a day when one finds the word “monkey” incomprehensibly inserted in the body of a sentence whose subject is grammar. Today, I’m sampling another one of Mighty Leaf’s wonderful blends. This time, it’s a caffeinated elixir, a black and green tea brew called Orange Dulce.

In the cup it is as aromatic as a pomander; mahogany colored and inviting. The orange notes are surprisingly subtle; the taste is full of rich caramel and smooth vanilla, braced by the invigorating briskness of black tea from Ceylon and China. The finish is gently sweet, the lingering scent of jasmine faintly evident.

Now I’m not sleepy any longer; I’m distracted by this lovely cup of tea. I’m thinking how nice it would be poured over cracked ice, sweetened with a bit of orange blossom honey. Here’s to hoping that the caffeine kick arrives before my deadline does.