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I want to love you but I better not touch (Don't touch)
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too much (Too much)
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison
You're poison running through my veins
You're poison, I don't want to break these chains
“Poison” by Alice Cooper
 As many of my friends know, I am a Coke addict. No, not cocaine, of course! Coca-cola! I’m a Coca-cola addict. It is acquired taste, I suppose, since I am a 3rd-generation Coke drinker -- my paternal grandma being the first to introduce the idea of drinking Coke during/after meals. This addiction became stronger when I was in college, where I was free from my mother’s consumption control and just drank Coke anytime it pleases me.
I cannot explain what it was about Coke that we like, but its distinct taste is what our palates are most accustomed to; more prone to crave for (as I’m sure Pepsi addicts will agree with me). There is not a day when Coke is not drunk. It was part of our daily existence. It’s as important as water and milk to our overall well-being.
Then sometime last year, I got back home to the Philippines to discover that my dad has stopped drinking Coke. Surprise, surprise! It was my mother’s doing, of course, and I was genuinely happy for my dad because there was someone at home to help him stop our chronic caffeine-consumption, while I was struggling all on my own. The truth is, I’ve gone as far as drinking three cans of Coke a day! I was just out of control! I did not need anybody telling me that I had a problem!
Although I was very much aware of the bad effects Coke has on my body with its sugar-high and caffeine-high contents, it didn’t really make the craving go away. And as much as I was aware of how diabetes runs in our family, even though I was already very scared that I may have begun to develop the disease beyond my knowing, the daily Coke consumptions didn’t stop. Therefore, I was desperate to find a solution for it. I’ve tried many different ways to put a rein on my appetite for my poison. The success was on and off, but really, I couldn’t last three days without wanting the thing so badly.
One day, when I was coming down with flu and had decided to lay off my poison for a while until I got better, I went to a café and decided I needed something hot. Coffee doesn’t do me good since I get all too wired and restless, and so I settled for tea. I liked the sound of Earl Grey Tea a lot and went for it (with milk)! Well what do you know? I liked it very much! I liked it so much, I even surprised myself because I don’t really like tea!
I’ve decided to go to the grocery store not soon afterwards to buy myself some Earl Grey Tea. Well, there were a lot of teas to choose from, but they didn’t have Earl Grey Tea! However, they do have Green Tea (which I didn’t like), Chamomile tea (which was okay but I wasn’t too fond of it) Jasmine Tea (not interested with it), Ginger tea (Ew! No way!), Chrysanthemum tea (really? A flower?), Lipton Tea (last resort), Oolong (the name wasn’t quite inviting for me), Darjeeling Tea (hmm…?), English Breakfast Tea (sounds great but was too expensive!) and Black Tea!
You have guessed right if you thought I chose Black Tea. Black tea was simple. The packaging was simple. It wasn’t expensive either. It was straightforward in its introduction. It didn’t brag of what kind of flower it was from, if it has a fancy-schmancy name, or whether it is English or Indian. It only boasted about the high-levels of antioxidants in it, and how it goes so well with milk and a cube or two of sugar. That sounded perfect for me. I love milk in my tea.
As soon as I got home, I boiled some water, poured some in my mug and then put the tea bag in place. Very quickly, the water turned into a dark shade of red – crimson, I think it’s called. I poured some milk in it and then, voila! It began to look very much like coffee with creamer. I gave it a cautious sip, and tadaa! I have found the cure for my Coke addiction! Of course, this happened very gradually – it helped a lot that I had coughs and colds because I had to discipline myself rigidly to stick to my present staple to get better quickly.
Every morning since then I would prepare a small thermos of Black Tea and take it with me to school. At night, I would make myself one after every meal just because I find pleasure in drinking it. Very slowly, my yearning for Coke ebbed. I no longer craved for it every day. I would have a can or bottle of it now and then, but at least I don’t have it very often as I used to. Pretty soon, I have learned to have it when I’m enjoying a sweet pastry. When I feel like I’m coming down with flu, I just drink Black Tea and my sneezing stops for a while. On a cold day or a rainy day, black tea keeps me warm all throughout. Since it contains caffeine too, but not as much as Coke or coffee does, it can also keep me awake for a while when there needs to be.
I learned that Black Tea comes from the same plant as Green Tea – Camellia Sinensis. The oxidation and fermentation process of these teas is what makes green tea and black tea different. However, of all teas there are in the world, Black Tea contains the most powerful antioxidants. There are speculations that Black Tea may help fight diabetes, arthritis, and perhaps even cancer. Apart from that, it is believed that Black tea also help fight heart diseases, and is certified to detoxify the body from harmful chemicals.
So thank you, Black Tea! I get to curb my appetite for Coke, and yet still get my caffeine in a much healthier way!
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