Tea is not usually the first beverage that comes to mind when considering love, but the song list below illustrates that the imagery of tea can capture many aspects of love, from romance to seduction, even the greatest love of all. My list includes links to my favorite songs about tea and love, an exploration of what tea represents in the song, and also a recommended tea to enhance your enjoyment of the music. Better put the kettle on. xx
- Tea for Two, Doris Day – There are older versions of this famous tune, but Doris Day’s silky voice is my ideal for this highly romantic song. Here a cup of tea is used to create an intimate image of two people deeply in love. First, they’ll share a cup of tea and then they’ll share their life. It’s a cliché in the best sort of way, supporting the idea that there is one person out there that can make our life complete. It’s a perfect match for Valentines day, so enjoy this tune with Harney & Sons Valentine’s Blend, a black tea blended with roses to enhance the romance and flavored with the sweetness of chocolate. Splurge and drink it with a dash of cream and let Doris Day’s golden delivery of Tea for Two set the mood for the fairy tale feelings of love.
- When I Take my Sugar to Tea, Nat King Cole – In this song, tea is a merry activity that allows you to court the one you love. Nat King Cole’s elegant and refined voice is a perfect match for this tale about an afternoon tea date at the Ritz. To enjoy this song I’d turn to the classic tea, Earl Grey. Drink it with the addition of lemon and skip the milk to accentuate the citrus flavor and save room for the cakes and sandwiches of afternoon tea. Most importantly share a pot with your sweetheart.
- Sugar in My Tea (Cream in My Coffee), Piney Brown – THE sexiest song about tea, this is a tune that cultivates Eros. Piney Brown is telling his lady love that she is indispensable, desirable and that she makes a good thing great. Play this song when you are well past courting and ready for some lovin’. This song calls for something spicy to drink so try Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea blend. Truly set the tone, by adding a shot of bourbon to your tea. With this hot toddy in hand and Piney Brown’s band’s sultry rhythms, tea becomes a drink of desire.
- Suzanne, Leonard Cohen – This is the song for when love is complicated. Leonard Cohen’s lulling Suzanne captures a state of yearning. It speaks to feelings of love that will never be acted upon. Dragon Pearl is the tea soul mate of the song Suzanne. A green tea which literally comes “all the way from China” that is scented with the ethereal flavor of jasmine. This tea has a floral sweetness that still carry’s the underlying vegetal bitterness of green tea. The sweetness and the bitterness represent the love and the longing. The tea is rolled by hand into little balls that unfurl gorgeously in your cup or teapot and give a physical presence to the eternal nature of the river that Cohen sings about. Gaze into your cup as you listen to Suzanne and ponder the purpose of love.
- Just by Myself, Greg Brown – In this song tea drinking represents loving yourself. The narrator is literally drinking tea and taking in the sites of an ancient city, and metaphorically reconnecting with who he is now that he’s left a relationship and is free to do things his own way again. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, listen to this tune while sipping a cup of smoky Lapsong Souchong. Drink it straight if you can, or with a hint of milk if you must, get out your journal and make a list of all the things you have a passion for and what you need most to be “happy, happy, happy . . .” by yourself. As they say, if you don’t love yourself who will?
