It's "quarin-tea time", featuring Sariwangi aromas

Photo credit: Unsplash

I've always considered myself more of a tea than a coffee person: this is mostly because whenever I drink coffee, it gives me the shakes ... and some occasional heart palpitations. Tea has always been a regular in my life, and as of late (especially with the lockdown measures in place for the current COVID situation), I've set an hour before work as my all-important 'quarin-tea time'. Yes, you read correctly -- a sixty minute slot just for you to sit back, relax, and take in the remnants of liquid black gold leaves to leave you full of vigour to begin your day. This morning ritual has been a much needed self care for me, during what can be only called a peculiar time.

I know you're all aching to know so, I present to you, the tantalising 'tea time' agenda:

1. Boil hot water 
2. Select your tea option (in this case, the Indonesian brand 'Sariwangi' because it's the only one you have in the pantry) 
3. Pour hot water into cup 
4. Place tea bag into cup 
5. Let sit for about 2-3 minutes
6. Sit on bed 
7. Enjoy that hot cup of goodness

My go-to tea flavour option  has always been 'Sariwangi' - an Indonesian black tea brand packaged in bags. I didn't purposely choose this particular flavour for my tea bags. It kind of just happened.

When I moved away from home, my endearing mum put five packets of 'Sariwangi' brand teas in my suitcase. Even though the bag was right up to the brim, she persisted, "you'll need these when you're there!". Still to this day (now three years after leaving), I have one last package of that original bunch.

It's not surprising that she packed that many and egged me to pack more. The aroma of the tea always lingered in the air when I was a child - when my grandma Umbah Putri was watching sinetron (a tv version of Days of our Lives), 27-ish year old mothers giggling about their past lives at the dining table, my uncle Om Iwan and Om Ito sitting on iron clad chairs outside my house smoking cigarettes and having a laugh about politics. The tea livened conversations, and with every sip, history cascaded through their words.

As one who abstains from alcohol, I like to think of tea as my own dainty version of wine. With friends, secrets and untold stories can spill out onto the table like a running stream. Alone, the drink's calming nature can encourage inward reflections, creating a mirror of one's self.

Typically Indonesians always add alot of sugar to their teas, but my mum always enjoyed it without sugar. That bitter black tea aftertaste I despised as a child is now something I revel in. The aroma encapsulates all things familiar, simple and usual.

What's your 'quarin-tea time'? What does self care look like to you?