A favorite mug from a very close friend to my heart, my Hermione.

Beverages at work can recharge you or give you a pick-me-up in mood. Tea and/or coffee can be soothing not only because of their aromas, but also due to their warmth, the conjured-up memories & associations with people or places that you love. As you know if you’ve read my other posts, tea and England are near & dear to my heart. So, for example, collecting mugs is kind of a thing for me. Most introverts should have a pretty solid mug collection, whether for tea or coffee or both. Just ask them, & they will happily expound on all things coffee- or tea-related. Trust me.

Tea service at Highclere Castle, the home of “Downton Abbey.”

When in England, as recommended, I do as the English do, & I treat myself to a “high tea.” Sometimes, at the farm, I will translate that enjoyable experience to a hosting of formal tea services, replete with homemade jams and preserves, Spode china, and sterling silverware.

Black tea blends always are paired with milk and sweetener, along with scones, clotted cream or butter, jellies & jams. If going “all out,” I’ll include finger sandwiches like cucumber dill or chicken salad on white with crusts trimmed & cut on the diagonal. Friends seem to love the cucumber sandwiches the most, likely because it’s the more unusual & tightly associated with the authentic English teatime!

A tea caddy can be a very helpful service tool when hosting a tea party.

Perhaps it’s the history tea carries with it, formal ceremonies in both the East and West, political contexts (e.g. the East India Company or the Boston Tea Party), health benefits, shared moments with others, etc., that gives it so much cultural value.

Writing often accompanies drinking coffee or tea, most often at a coffee spot that serves tea as a secondary offering.

Coffee, too, carries with it similar associations; just think of those complicated coffee orders at a local Starbucks or a hipster coffee shop. There’s a coolness factor in being a connoisseur of tea or coffee, how it is processed, how one takes it, & what rare or obscure blends one can find. How you order it can become a revelation of your social polish.

The fact that there’s a Starbucks at the SNHU millyard is a dangerous thing.

At work, my choice of tea or coffee can reveal a lot about my mood. If I’m drinking coffee, you can count on my being sleep-deprived or under stress, where I need to gather focus & concentrate on problem-solving for the day. Conversely, if I’m drinking tea, you can rest assured I’m a bit more relaxed an in a chipper mood. Get to know the preferences of your fellow introverts or introverted friends, and you can pretty much gauge their moods & act accordingly!

A tea taken in the Cotswolds, England.

An English tea in Vermont.