Warm Teas for Cold November Mornings

The last stretches of warmth from the autumn sun fade to mere memory, Halloween has come and passed, and now we are here, in the long limbo between holidays. For some, this is the most wonderful time of all – colourful leaves have a crunch as you walk, seeing your breath on the air in the mornings reminds you what a blessed thrill it is to be alive. These people do not need direction from this blog post.

I am talking to those of us who discover with startling acuteness that their bodies are slower to respond, their laugh at the punchline a little too late, their mornings more ‘trust the process’ to get out the door than usual.

Welcome, you are doing great.

Amongst the bustle gearing up for the most lucrative and busiest period in many businesses’ calendars, it can feel particularly difficult and isolating to be a soft winter soul. You may need to allow yourself a little longer to do things, some help slowing down in the workday long enough to bear last witness to a withered leaf’s great dance from branch to ground, a push to book that ticket to visit a relative even if it’s a long journey back on a Sunday evening, a reminder that it is important to exist as a human being rather than just a cog in your company’s machine. It is difficult, but it is worth the fight.

One small way that you can take steps to reclaiming this time is incorporating a ritual of drinking tea into your day. For me, this is a morning ritual that cannot for any reason be rushed or intruded upon, and which I have come to look forward to even on mornings when my bed is the absolute perfect temperature and softness and the wintering part of me wants to stay cocooned there forever. Slowly, unashamedly slowly, I leave my bed.

In my tea ritual, I have warm lamp lighting and a kettle, but other than that I try to avoid technology. I have twenty minutes carved out to select my loose leaf tea, boil the water, warm the teapot, brew the tea, and enjoy. Whilst drinking my tea, I either meditate on the flavour of the tea alone or, if my mind is more restless, I will watch the sky awaken and the birds frolic outside. Sometimes I am joined by a dog or two, sometimes a husband, but this is a time of readying for the day by greeting it at a rhythm that comes more naturally to you.

As some of you will know, green tea was used in the meditation practices of Chinese monks in order to help hone the senses and focus the mind for long periods. Green tea contains L-theanine, which can help reduce anxiety and boost alpha waves in the brain – the waves typically found in relaxed, wakeful brain states. This is why I recommend a green tea ritual to start your day as the darker months close in. My personal favourite at the moment is Genmaicha, as its grassiness makes me feel more grounded. That said, smoky teas like Smoky Gunpowder or Russian Caravan Smoked have a lot of comfort value as someone who grew up with stories told around the turf fire to pass long, dark evenings. Let your senses and experiences guide you with your tea choice and if you can, pop by our Winchester High Street shop and we will help you explore. For many of our customers, simply scheduling some time in Char and smelling the tea in the air helps them reground themselves. There is something profound in tea that seems to remind many people of the joy to be found in the quiet, which is becoming scarcer in the modern thrills.

Give it a go: you may find that incorporating intentional slowness and kindness into your day helps the dark months pass by with a bit more gentleness.