Learning life lessons by reading tea leaves

Some of the best things in life don't happen until you grow old enough to recognize them. I can say that about tea.

I didn't start to drink tea until I was 35. What happened before that? Well, it simply didn't seem necessary.

The first time I felt a genuine urge to drink tea was in 2003, when I stayed briefly in the United Kingdom. After a time of consuming local food, I started to really like strong black tea. Although it was too strong to my tongue, I felt it was a necessity because it was comforting to my body.