Sultry Summertime Tea
In Tucson, Arizona summer begins earlier than in most places. We actually have 2 summers here. The first is hot and dry with temperatures well into the 100’s and the second is the Monsoon season, a time of moisture, rain, magnificent cloud formations, and thunder and lightening. It is this life giving water that once again revitalizes the high, Sonoran desert; succulents and cactus swell in size producing buds and flowers, desert plants thrive and the animals, bird life, and insects are abundant. This is the source of that wonderful Prickly Pear that so delights the ice teas blends that we enjoy.
The summer is not my favorite time of year because it means negotiating with high heat and sometimes humidity that creates some physical discomfort. But over the years I have learned to adapt and even appreciate this creation of nature. Summer here is like winter in other places, you stay indoors in the daytime and come out in the morning and evening. The city quiets down with so many people leaving on vacation, the “snow birds” are long gone, and the University is at a very minimal enrollment. The streets are empty and traffic congestion eases, this is grand.
So I make the best of those early mornings that are filled with dragonflies and hummingbirds hovering over my back yard garden as I slowly sip and savor the light green, bud abundant, elegant, Lung Ching green tea (pronounced lone jin) from China. Green and white teas are energetically cooling to the body according to Traditional Chinese medicine. So even if you drink them warm they still have this cooling effect. Anyway I am very partial to hot, brewed tea unless it is late afternoon and I need a cold pick-me -up. So I sit outside and watch the sights, I close my eyes and listen to the lyrical song of singing birds, and smell the amazing scent of the Chaparral bush emanating its distinct, pungent aroma aroused by the rain.