Kusmi Tea

Written by Wendy Joy

Tea is the new candle!!!

I would love to say that I was ahead of my time...that I always loved tea.  That I'm so excited that the rest of the world has finally caught on and that I was so smart and so cool!  But that is not true...  I always hated tea!!!  The only time I ever craved tea was when I had a sore throat coming on....I wanted tea and Voila!....a sore throat would appear.  Craving tea was not a good thing but it sure felt good on my sore throat when I was sick.  But then I would kick it to the curb the moment I felt better.  I had no time for tea or it's close friendship with my sore throats!  It's safe to say that there was no love lost between me and tea and that I had good reason.   When people ordered tea after dinner instead of coffee I looked at them as if they were strange.  Why would anyone order tea after dinner or ever for that matter?....unless maybe they had a sore throat coming on that I wasn't aware of....I shouldn't judge.  Then green tea came onto the scene.  It was the healthy tea filled with antioxidants and it would help me live longer and look better!  Well if anyone was ever going to jump on that band wagon, it's me.  I didn't like the taste of green tea anymore than my old fashioned Lipton tea, but this tea was different.  In a way it was young and cool.  It was not your grandmother's tea.  I drank it every time that I went out for sushi and even brought it into my home.  I could never drink enough to make a difference in my life, but I tried.  Strangely enough I started to enjoy my green tea.  I didn't love it...but I didn't hate it.  I was maturing.

Then one day I was shopping for a gift to bring to a friend's house.  I was in the process of looking for my nine hundredth candle.....I mean how many candles can you buy?  Everyone knows that if I'm coming to their home there is probably a candle in their future.   As I was walking down Third avenue I noticed this great looking tea place!  I thought how new....how different.   What I didn't know was that tea shops, tea cafes and tea menus were popping up all over the place.  I walked into Kusmi Tea like such a newbie.  The store was modern, clean and well stocked with all kinds of fabulous teas from Paris.  I was walking through the isles and checking out all the different teas and tea products. I was deciding between the "Assortment of 5 tins" and the "Presentation box".  I went with the "Presentaion box"  but the decision was not easy.  This beautiful tea shop had wellness teas, herbal teas, flavored teas and classic teas.  With names like "Sweet Love" and "Be Cool"  and flavors like "Strawberry Green Tea" and "Orange and Cinnamon Rooibos" my experience with tea had just changed.  As I paid, the salesman gave me the history of Kusmi Tea and a sample as well!  With my bag in hand I stood there talking about tea and sipping it slowly.  I didn't want it to end.  I realized just then that tea had become sexy!  Tea had become the new candle!  

Anyway, I have to go now and make myself a soothing cup of caramel tea....and there is not a sore throat in sight!