I turn on the water boiler and the ripples of boiled water soon fills my ear as I set a teapot and three mugs on the counter. I reach on my tippy toes to open my tea cupboard, grab pods of black and peach tea, and plop them into the teapot. I turn off the boiler and carefully pour the bubbling water into the pot. The spicy, fruity and vanilla aromas mingle together as tendrils of steam stumble out of the pot. The pods of tea float in an ocean of rich, brown-red liquid. I place the lid and begin the restless process of waiting for the tea to steep. The wait is quite worth it, because the end result is a warm cup of happiness.

Tea is an important part of my life. When I am tired and stressed out from academics and extra-curricular activities—a daily struggle for many teenagers—I know that I can make a cup of earl grey tea and ease myself into a late night of homework. Strong coffee tends to make me jittery as I am a tiny person, but tea has just enough caffeine to keep me awake and balanced. During moments of relaxation, you can find me curled up in a blanket, with my nose pressed into a thick book, with a mug of jasmine tea at my side. In that sense, I love how tea is something I can drink throughout all moments of the day and through times where I am feeling frazzled or content with life.

When people think of tea, they often picture British ladies in elaborate hats and gentlemen in dapper suits gathered around on a table laden with delicate finger foods, gingerly sipping tea from fragile china teacups, with their pinky-fingers pointed to the sky. In addition to being London’s beverage of choice, tea is significant in many cultures and produced around the globe. According to World Tea News, it is the “second most consumed beverage in the world after water.” Herbal teas such as green and oolong tea are often associated with Eastern Asia. Morocco is famous for their mint tea, mate tea in Southern America, and chai in India.

Tea is important to my Indian-American identity and family, as well. For example, my parents start off their day with strong cups of chai—made on the stove with milk, water, sugar, and loose leaf chai. Around sunset time, we drink tea as a family by mixing black tea with interesting flavors such as blackberry spice, peach, mango-saffron and more. After a wedding this summer, my family and I were invited to my aunt and uncle’s house, the parents of the bride, for chai time—at 11 pm. Tea brings people together and puts people in a relaxed mood.

It is safe to say that I am obsessed with tea. From relaxing, to relieving stress, to its cultural value and more, it is clear that tea is an amazing drink. Some of you may not like tea, but perhaps you have not found one that you enjoy or have not had it prepared to suit your taste. In that case, I recommend Peet’s Tea earl grey with bergamot and Celestial Seasonings country peach passion tea. As I grow older, my tea collection will continue to grow and I hope to continue living life one cup of tea at a time.