A Cup of Zen is a series that began on the blog September 2014 to share tea moments from tea enthusiasts around the world. The following is The Cup of Life’s tenth post for the series featuring Andy Hayes, from Plum Deluxe.
I’m the founder, creator, and teamaker at PlumDeluxe.com. I live in Portland, Oregon, and when not in my studio, I am out hiking or relaxing with a book and a cuppa.
When I lived in Amsterdam, I was working a very fast-paced job and yet found myself surrounded by locals who were having no problems finding plenty of quiet moments. I decided to start a weekly tea ritual. Every Sunday, I’d fire up the kettle and pour the biggest pot of tea I could make – I had this huge glass pot that made several cups, and it sat on top of this beautiful wooden circle that held a tea light to keep the tea piping hot for hours and hours.I sat next to this pot and relaxed on the soda with some magazines, or a book, or perhaps a hobby or project like a puzzle. The only rule was no work (and thankfully, at this time, I didn’t have email on my phone). It all sounds so cliche and simple, and yet, it was exactly what I needed. Perhaps the things many of us really need are quite simple.
Over the years my Sunday tea moment expanded to include a couple of friends who were feeling jealous (and we added some DVDs and baked goods into the mix), but always the steaming hot pot. The tea of choice was usually a peach and pear white tea (a blend I recently recreated in my own teashop), something with a hint of caffeine but not too much.
How did I feel? Even thinking about makes me smile – in a world that is go – go – go, taking it slow, even just for one day a week, is my Cup of Zen.