Refinement over resolutions

Learning through tea, tending, and process

In creating with plants and herbs, I’ve tried my best to lean into refinement, not perfectionism

I finally began to see the results of this after years of practicing it. And it’s been nice to be able to put a word to it.

I received a good reminder on a recent morning as I ground up some warming spices in my grinder to add to my morning Irish Breakfast black tea (made oh so creamy with lots of milk - my favorite part is the milk addition, see video below showing that fun swirly part). 😋

I’d gained the taste for Irish Breakfast earlier in the year after I picked some up at a market on the Oregon Coast. I found my mouth watering as I smelled the tea – it was so good and I found myself craving it, my body really wanting it.

Back in the fall, I started to add some spices to the bulk Irish Breakfast tea I had picked up, in hopes of re-creating that market blend.

So in an effort to just get started, I took some of the whole spices I have in my apothecary and added them to my loose tea in my infuser, poured over the hot water and let it infuse —an early experiment I wrote about in Cloves & Curiosity last November.

Whole spices with the black tea - in my french press (L) and in my favorite current mug and infuser (R).

Even being an experienced herbalist and knowing that this wasn’t the “ideal” way to get the spices into the tea, I did it anyway.

Why?

Because in this instance done was better than ideal or perfect. Because at least I was moving forward with my idea – trying it out, seeing what I thought, experimenting, observing & learning

It feels like there is such little space or grace given any more for trying things out and seeing what we like.

Being perfect right out of the gate seems to be the expected norm.

No space for play, experimentation and simply trying.

So, how have I refined - while still not seeking perfect?

After a few months of whole spices, I was craving a richer flavor and taste, and it just kept bubbling up that maybe grinding would mean stretching the spices just a bit further. Honoring them and using them to their fullest potential.

And I was going to be traveling – so would not have access to my full jars of whole spices. Here was an excellent opportunity to experiment with my morning tea ritual.

I toasted some spices to bring out the flavor (because that was shared by a participant during a fall class we taught for the herb farm) – I nearly burned the cloves! Ha!

Then I ground them up (after they cooled), and I found a jar with an old spice + cacao blend I was gifted a few years ago (still smelled good, so we’re rolling with it). Made it portable & convenient.

Two Irish Breakfast tea bags (went with those for convenience too, rather than my loose tea), and a ½ tsp of the ground spices in my cup. Good enough and convenient for travel, but still not quite what I was looking for. I probably use more black loose tea when I infuse, creating a stronger flavor, and since I didn’t have a strainer, I had some cardamom pod chunks end up in my mouth (yuck).

Continuing Down the Path of Refinement

Once home, I was able to go back to my loose leaf Irish Breakfast with the ground spices – oh yes, that was delicious! And much closer to what I was looking for (without the chunky bits!).

Following that, I decided to dedicate a bit of time to grinding some more and refilling my jar, since it was empty (no toasting this round, saving energy for other things).

Grinding a bit more spices to refill my jar. You can see those chunks of cardamom seed pods that gave me a yuck response.

I’ll see how I feel next time my jar is empty (which is coming up pretty soon!). Maybe I’ll toast before grinding then. If I don’t though, I won’t be too concerned, there is always next time.

Holding myself to perfection rarely gets me anywhere good mentally.

Upon finishing writing this originally in my notebook in early January, I noticed synchronicities popping up in the weeks that followed. I view these as little messages from the Universe, gentle reassurance that I’m on the right path. I really enjoy making connections between what I’m exploring and what others are creating & reflecting on.

As I’ve been pondering the new year and all the messages that go out about goals and resolutions, choosing refinement instead has me realizing I’ve got lots of quiet experimentation in progress in other areas of my life too.

I’m grateful to the plants for showing me this path - and for reminding me that experimenting, adjusting, and tending are ongoing. I’m excited to keep traveling along it, refining as I go, and see what else pops up along the way.

More refinement as I found these lovely fill your own compostable tea bags I was gifted for Christmas (thanks mom!). They worked perfectly with my huge purple mug, for those days when I need an extra big cup of tea.