Love Of My Life. A Unique Tea.

There are some people who see Valentine’s Day as a crass commercial cardfest, and I guess it can be.

But I think it’s a memory pin; it’s a thing that reminds you to stop wasting synaptic electricity washing the car, watching TV or researching a controversial blog you’ve been promising for ages, and think about your significant other.

If you want to do more than just buy a card and a bunch of petrol station flowers on the way home on February 14th, then there are endless opportunities.  There’s dinner and a movie, a night out at jelly-wrestling, a sandwich on the pier or a lecture on the use of paleo-orthodontics in defining the 6th century Gallo-Roman diet, depending on your shared interests and budget.

After almost 30 years with Lady Devotea, I find it’s just too easy to go over old ground, Valentine’s-wise. Of course, I’ve  organised some afternoon teas to mark Valentine’s Day – no surprise, as afternoon tea is my default way to mark any event. Apart from chocolates, home-cooked meals, restaurant meals and flowers, there are a bunch of things you can do. 

Writing songs or poetry for the one you love, for example.

Even though as a young man I intended to make my living from poetry and/or songwriting, it’s fair to say that that didn’t work out. I have, however, taken the opportunity to do both for Lady D over the years. Possibly not to a high standard.

There are other art forms, such as oil painting or interpretive lyrical dance. However, I don’t do either of those well enough to pay a fitting tribute to Lady D, and even attempting the latter is likely to get me locked up for my own protection.

But over the last few years, I have adopted a new art form: tea blending.

It may be an art, it may be a science, I actually think it’s both. But I decided to use it as a pure art form, and create a one-off tea to drink on Valentine’s Day. Less science, more love.

I decided to start with a fine, single origin, first flush 2013 Darjeeling. In fact, I drank it a few times to really make sure. That’s the kind of dedication you get from me in the throes of an artistic endeavour.

Roses were, of course, essential. It’s Valentine’s Day. Raiding our warehouse stocks, I added some delicate Chinese rose buds. I don’t think they add a lot of flavour, but they are pretty.

And some more roses: the mild summer has meant we still have plenty. Lady Devotea is a wonderful rose grower and so I picked Angel Face, Freesia and Double Delight roses, and put them in the dehydrator. I fended off some awkward observations about the roses seemingly disappearing. 

While I was at it, I picked some English Lavender which was in full bloom. I also added that to the dehydrator.

So far so good, we have a floral blend.

But romance is more than flowers. It needed some fire, some passion, so I swiped some English Marigold (calendula officinalis) petals from our garden that Lady D had been air-drying since spring. Shhhhh.

So I had lavender, roses and calendula. Time for a cautious taste.

Yes, it had fire, and complexity, and love. But it wasn’t quite sweet enough.

I experimented by making a little honeycomb brittle to add, but that really didn’t work.

So I made a sugar syrup, and grabbed some more fresh Double Delight petals, and dipped them in the syrup. Then I dehydrated them.

After adding them, I knew it was right.

And there is was, No measuring, no analysis, no documentation. Love and art, by the cup.

“Love of My Life” is the name it now has. I think I might do this every year.

Now I want to go further. Art should be enjoyed, not just in private.

I decided to make this tea available for Valentine’s Day. After all, having made a sizable quantity of it, I feel that there are others who might wish to do something really special for their tea-drinking other halves for the big day.

I have created 20 tins of just 10 grams each – that’s basically one or two pots. Five cups. I have hand-numbered and signed each tin. Number 1 is already spoken for.

So 19 tins are available here as I write this. I anticipate them all being sold in Australia, though you can contact me if you want to try an overseas shipment.

I’ll be personally inviting those people who purchase this to email me photographs of them enjoying it on Valentine’s Day.

I’d love to see how people celebrate with Love of My Life.

Art is a big part of heart. And tea is in there too, with a little shuffling of letters.