Steeping Drinks

My tea is saffron. It is red. It is brown. It is a shade that is altogether too lovely and too difficult for me to describe.

I have not loved tea forever. I do not know anybody that does. It is bitter and herbal. It is not refreshing and sweet like soda or lemonade or childhood drinks. It scalds your lips and tongue if you are not careful like a dangerous woman. It burns down the throat like whiskey and leaves a very faint, unpleasant aftertaste.

I have never appreciated tea until now. Never appreciated how comforting it is, how warm it can be. I never appreciated the worlds of flavor, the worlds that it comes from. The different strains of green that make water brown. How close to home it is. How familial and familiar.

My favorite is lychee tea. I have only had it once, in China. It tasted like spring. It tasted like how I imagine first kisses to be. It was the first tea that I ever liked. I wish I could have it again.