J.D. Tea (A tributetea to J.D. Salinger)

A dark, contemplative infusion—smoky, bitter, and quietly complex, like a thought you can’t quite shake. This tea lingers like an unfinished sentence, a memory you don’t know what to do with.

Ingredients:

• Lapsang Souchong – Deep, smoky, and unapologetic, like a truth you weren’t ready for.
• Hawthorn Berries – Tart and slightly bitter, like longing for something lost.
• Sarsaparilla – A mellow, earthy sweetness, grounding the sharper edges.
• Black Peppercorns – A quiet burn, slow and persistent, like unresolved anger.
• Licorice Root – A lingering complexity, bitter-sweet and unsettling, like something left unsaid.

Brew Upon Your Favor:

1. Heat water to 205°F (96°C) – just hot enough to draw out the depth without scorching the bitterness.
2. Steep for 4–6 minutes, letting the hawthorn berries and sarsaparilla sink into the smoke.
3. Strain and sip—unsweetened, unless you want to soften something that wasn’t meant to be soft.
4. Optional: Drink in solitude, in a half-lit room, while contemplating what it all means.

Tasty Notes:

First Sip: Heavy smoke, curling into the air like a sigh.
Mid-Palate: A sharp tang from hawthorn berries, softened by the mellow depth of sarsaparilla.
Finish: Licorice root lingers with a haunting, slightly bitter sweetness—warm but questioning.

Best Enjoyed When:

• Walking aimlessly through the city, thinking about people you used to know.
• Rereading The Catcher in the Rye and realizing it hits differently now.
• Letting yourself sit in the quiet, not trying to fix anything, just feeling it.

A tea for those who dwell in the spaces between, who question everything, and who know that some stories don’t have happy endings—but they’re still worth telling.