My heart, my backbone, my lake-full-o-fishes, the tea that gets me through the day.

I start with about 15 balls, far more than my wee cup can bare, and fill it with hot (not boiling) water from the cooler. 2 minutes to steep, and the first cup is bitter. But it wakes me up, and pushes me head-first towards the second.

Cup two (same leaves) looks less like cat pee, smells floral, and is full of delicate bliss.

Sometimes, it takes cup three to reach the sweet spot.

From there, things slowly fade into a lightly scented, warm-water lull. I don’t notice when all the flavour is gone; just cupping the warm ceramic cup is a treat.

Which is good, because at $6/oz, restraint is a word worth learning.