Adagio tea

“tea leaves/tea loves/loves tea/lives tea/leaves tea?/never.” – Uniek Swain

“Adagio” can refer to the section of a pas de deux in which a dancer and her partner execute steps combining lyrical grace and technical prowess. One rarely thinks of tea as “powerful,” but it is precisely this combination of serenity and strength that earn Adagio Teas their top rankings by organizations ranging from The Wall Street Journal to Progressive Grower. In our animal comforts we are all the same. A Pakistani site called Tea Break also demonstrates the universality of feminist concerns: one blogger posts Cheris Kramerae's observation, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.” Throughout U.S. History, tea has been a gendered beverage, establishing the tradition of disparaging political females as “tea drinking.” Whether your goals are to foment a tempest in a teapot, or are more diplomatic, Adagio teas offer flavors for fervor and repose.

In addition to energizing black, smooth oolong, white, green, and rooibos teas, there are flavored options such as apricot, chocolate, cinnamon, passionfruit and tangerine, tropical and mango. Their seasonings hold as solidly in the decaffeinated as the conventional versions. Over a dozen assorted assisting contraptions are also available at the site—mugs, cups, pots, infusers, diffusers, steel carafes, diaphanous paper bag filters—and a global guide to over 2,000 teahouses. So even if you don't have one of their myriad and nuanced selections seeping in your porcelain bowl, they'll still help you get a nice cuppa. Quickly or slowly. “Adagio,” is, after all, from the Italian “ad agio”—at ease. The world might be a better place if we all drank more tea.

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