Sip of the Month: French Blue Lavender
As I watched President Obama say goodbye to the White House last month, I reflected back on his accomplishments and the things that made him truly great. Mr. Obama made many admirable choices during his 8 years in office, not least among them being his choice of tea over coffee - which caused quite a scandal early on in his campaign (Team McCain Slams Obama for Drinking Organic Honest Tea) and later when he entered the White House, defying years of Presidential tradition by drinking out of a tiny porcelain cup:
"In the end, Viser comes up empty-handed on the coffee's source but does uncover something far more shocking - Obama isn't a coffee drinker. That's right, any time you see the President holding what looks like a cup of coffee, he's really drinking tea. As the nation mourns this startling discovery, one can't help but wonder what else the White House is keeping from the American people." (Obama Drinks Tea While White House Refuses To Reveal Coffee Source)
Our first African American President faced adversity on many fronts, drinking tea was the least of the obstacles he had to overcome in office. So I thought I would dedicate our sip of the month to him, our favorite tea drinking President: Barack Obama.
Sources say Mr. Obama's go-to tea is Black Forest Berry (from Honest Tea) but I thought I'd do him one last favor and offer some context to an off-hand remark he made when a Missouri barista recommended the lavender tea (according the the Boston Globe).
Wet leaf of French Blue Lavender I ordered at the Bun Shop in Baltimore.
"I'm not confident enough to order that"
At first glance you may be thinking, perhaps Mr. Obama is playing on the fear that drinking a flowery "feminine" tea could come off as a sign of weakness (especially to Americans subscribing to patriarchal ideals of masculinity). Or perhaps he had concerns on a grander scale, as such weakness might send the wrong signal to other world leaders, and put our country in peril. But having myself ordered Lavender tea at my local coffee shop - I believe the president was afraid of something entirely different.
Exhibit A:
Hands down my favorite tea review on Steepster
This tea is so potent even the POTUS can't drink it with confidence. My own experience with French Blue Lavender has not been any kinder. While the little purple buds are attractive, the tea has a nasty habit of reaching up into ones sinuses and never letting go. Enough said.
Thank you President Obama for your service to our country: for shielding us from toxic masculinity, and toxic tea. We miss you already.