Author Jason Witt says, “There’s Peace of Mind for the health of your mind. Then tea is the Fountain of Youth for your body. And your spirit? That’s where tea is the Tree of Life. It’s healing for your whole person.” In his new book, The Spirituality of Tea: God’s Blessing for your Mind, Body, and Spirit, Jason explores these three inseparable concepts.
An Interview with Jason Witt, Author
Jason, an avid reader of AQuietTeaSpot.com, sheds some light on his passion for tea and the experiences he has had on the journey to becoming one of the most knowledgeable and spiritual tea aficionados. Here’s the interview:
A Quiet Tea Spot: Jason, What prompted you to write the book?
Jason Witt: I once drank alcohol to excess and when I became a teetotaler I eventually wanted to give up caffeine too. One of the things I did was study its effects on the mind and body in order to encourage myself that I didn’t need any more caffeine. After a couple months I was back drinking tea again but this time armed with in-depth knowledge about what it does neurologically.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What message about tea do you hope your readers will get from reading the book?
Jason Witt: Coffee with its caffeine alone causes the fight-or-flight response, and that stress can lead to a lot of common diseases. Tea has L-theanine to balance off the caffeine in it and therefore causes the elusive but desirable relaxation response. In simple terms, coffee causes stress and tea takes it away.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What’s the history behind your love for tea? How many years have you been a tea aficionado?
Jason Witt: I have been interested in tea for about 17 years although along the way I’ve favored other beverages at times. I found from the beginning that people liked the attitude and mindset I had as a tea drinker. They didn’t like me when I drank coffee.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What’s your favorite tea?
Jason Witt: My favorite tea is black tea and right now I think I favor Nilgiri, though this is subject to change from time to time. (Nigiri Tea is produced in the Nilgiri district of South India. The soil and climatic conditions there produce very distinctive teas with great aroma and exquisite taste—A Quiet Tea Spot).
A Quiet Tea Spot: How often do you drink tea?
Jason Witt: I drink up to 20 cups of tea a day, sometimes less. I don’t go over an ounce of tea leaves for a single day. At home I’m able to drink tea most of the time, preferring it cold.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What advice would you give someone who is just starting to drink and enjoy tea?
Jason Witt: Go loose leaf right away, and watch steeping time and water temp. It all might seem to be extra work but it really pays off in the results of steeping the best cup of tea possible.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What tea activities do you enjoy (i.e. tea parties, tea-tastings, etc.)?
Jason Witt: I really just like my tea steeped and served in sterling silver. Even my cups are silver, and it quickly conducts heat so I can’t drink any of the tea hot. I make it twice as strong and dilute it with water so it’s always cold to drink. This is like a classic tea service but done modern-style serving cold tea.
A Quiet Tea Spot: What are you famous for when it comes to tea?
Jason Witt: I’m known for the same as the concept of my book–the spiritual aspect of the whole tea experience. Tea is not only a social activity; it’s also a personal inner experience.
Want to learn more about the spiritual experience of tea from Jason? Contact him: Jason@spiritualityoftea.com.
The Spirituality of Tea: God’s Blessing for your Mind, Body, and Spirit is available on Amazon.com and is specially priced for you to be able to buy two and pay no shipping charges. Consider getting another as a gift for whoever is your cup of tea.
Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview.