This post is my ode to Roam–a loosely compressed Dian Hong black tea blend sold by Crimson Lotus Tea. (This post is NOT sponsored.)
Some teas are beautiful (to me) in ways that are easy to explain–heady floral bouquet, deep minerality, silky texture, notes of cream, chocolate, or berries, and so on. By contrast, other teas win my heart and it’s much harder to explain why. Roam is one of those teas!
Taste, Aroma, and Form
I want to be clear: Roam tastes and smells very good to me. I get the aroma and flavor of sweet mixed oats, deep maple syrup, leather, and more. (Interestingly, my tasting notes are different from the seller’s! Maybe it’s West Coat/East Coast water?) But, my appreciation for it is greater than the sum of those things.
I love the loosely compressed form of this 200g tea cake. That first piece is a challenge to remove. (IYKYK) But, after that, it’s very satisfying to break off a chunk of tea leaves–no sharp tools needed. And, it’s lovely to behold the compressed and contrasting dark and caramel brown colors of the dry, compressed leaves. I also admire how they open during the steep.
Roam’s Nostalgia and Body Feel
Another element that contributes to my desire to write an ode to Roam is the effect of the aroma on me. It reminds me of happy childhood memories. (I’ve written about that here.)
And, the tea feels very good in my body. It’s deeply comforting. (More on this later.) This tea just keeps giving, too! So many delicious steeps!
As I write this, I know I’ve given lots of reasons for why I love this tea. Somehow, though, I love it even more than these individual reasons suggest. I don’t know how to explain it.
Heart Teas
Some teas are “heart teas” to me. Jade Rouge / Red Jade (Ruby 18) is one such tea to me. That tea makes me feel sentimental and tender. Balhyocha is my “happy heart tea.” It somehow magnifies (and even generates) a sense of happiness.
Roam, I realize as I am writing this, is another heart tea for me. It makes me feel comforted somehow, and in an even deeper way than teas generally make me feel comforted.
I suspect that my heart teas so far are all black teas–although I drink and enjoy a wide range of many kinds of tea–because I grew up drinking black tea. So, black teas have a familiarity and nostalgic dimension for me.
Musical Ode to Roam
To go completely ’80s nostalgia here, I almost never drink this tea without thinking about the B-52s song, Roam. I think of that song as a musical ode to this tea! The chorus really stands out to me, particularly the heartfelt line at the end.
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without wings, without wheels
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without anything but the love we feel
One last sweet fact. I recently reached out to Glen, the owner of Crimson Lotus Tea. This tea was named after his son’s favorite buffalo stuffed animal, “Roam.” I also have a buffalo, or luff, stuffed animal. So, this completely melted my heart. These aren’t the only buffalo in my tea universe either! My earlier post, “Tea Mascots,” highlights tea educator Being Tea’s super charming (buffalo) luffs, among other tea mascots.
Where Does Your Heart Roam?
Do you have any heart teas? I’d love to know if this designation makes sense to others. And, if so, which teas are in that category for you?