Cuppa

Here's the thing: White tea is the new green tea. At least, I think so. And remember, I'm half English, so I know.

Although I actually refused to drink tea until college. Black tea never did much for me tastewise—still doesn't—and I was a rabid coffee drinker from my überstressful prep school days through a few years ago. By rabid I mean a cup or so a day. But I never branched out into tea, especially herbals, except when visiting my wee Yorkshire grandma and other family members who constantly offer me "a hot drink." You want another hot drink? And then we can peel you off the ceiling at like 3 a.m.?

But during winter exams my sophomore year of college, a woman in my dorm who briefly dated my next-door neighbor stopped by to say hi. I growled at her from my dank, dark lair of essay composition. She brought me a big plastic travel mug of Tension Tamer tea with honey. It was glorious.

Now I drink it all the time. It's my panacea for any sign of illness, tension, sadness, and midafternoon. And I recently discovered that white tea is the bomb, because it has about the same amount of caffeine as green tea—so I can have a cup each morning and maybe even another half of one in the afternoon, and still get to sleep at night. But unlike green tea, which can be bitter and tends to complement food, white tea has a gentle, refreshing, nonblacktea flavor that's best enjoyed unadorned and unaccompanied.

You put on the kettle, luv. We'll have a nice hot drink.