What are you putting in your mouth, baby?

“There’s a growing sophistication in drink as there has been with food,” says Eric Seed, an importer of tough-to-find liqueurs. In a recent Atlantic Monthly article (“Spirits of the Dead,” April 2009), Wayne Curtis described Seed's business and the growing interest in cocktail liqueurs that have been long out of use -- liqueurs with flavors like walnut, apricot, and even violet.

The popularity of such drinks reflects a gradual change in the way we consume food and drink. It seems that, as people become healthier, they pay deeper attention to what they put in their mouths and consequently demand subtler, more flavorful food and drink items. This is precisely why I find the world of tea so (forgive me) delicious. The varieties of teas and blends are virtually endless and always intriguing and interesting.

Instead of grabbing a drink on the run, I love to sit with my tea, and allow it to be what it was intended: an experiential drink. I love to breathe it in, to taste it on every part of my tongue, to savor its goodness and uniqueness. After all, my next cup will afford an entirely different experience !

Remember -- always drink extraordinary tea!
- Chai, Baby!