To me, tea is not just the beverage. It is everything else I associate it with: the time of day, the room it is taken in, the service set, the snacks it is served with, the table, the cart, seating, the company, the conversation.

Unlike other snacks and meals, tea is best served in silence, never with music, for it is a solemn ritual of rest, of regeneration, of comfort, of solace. It is taken only to the music of the heart.