It is a frigid wintry Friday in January. Break is over, exam week approaches rapidly and exhausted students trudge from class to class. But in room 115, warmth and laughter pervade. Students sip steaming cups of tea: the Tea Club is officially in session.
This week’s tea is a specialty called rose tea, which comes in the form of tiny rosebuds that must be crushed and steeped for a delicate and delicious flavor. Every week, another member brings a different type of tea for the club to sample, and fun facts about tea are read.
According to club vice president senior Robin Banerji, Tea Club allows him to drink tea more than he usually would, but it’s also about more than that. It is a way to learn about tea from other cultures as well as to share one’s own culture through tea.
“I wanted to share with other people the way I generally have tea, which is in the Indian way, with cream and sugar and biscuits,” he said. “People said, ‘Wow, I’ve never had tea like this before.’ That was really inspiring.”
Tea Club was founded, as a joke, in the middle of second semester last year, by then-juniors Banerji and Eva Morgun, and sponsored by the late Karl Savage. Despite its recent beginnings and less-than-serious origins, Tea Club has evolved into something more than just a club. According to club president Morgun, Tea Club is a tea community.
“It’s an environment where we get to do something we wouldn’t get to do otherwise in school,” she said. “We’re ultimately united by the fact that we’re all drinking tea.”
Tea Club brings together students over a love of tea, an interest in culture and a warm and inviting atmosphere. There are no strict requirements or goals, other than enjoying a cup of tea and having a good time. According to Banerji and Morgun, anyone and everyone is welcome to stop by Fridays at lunch for some tea.
“Tea club has become a tradition,” Banjeri concluded. “We just have tea and that’s what it means to us. It’s nothing complicated.”
Morgan concurred.
“This club is about relaxing,” Morgun added. “It’s cozy.”
