Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen - Scott Cunningham 1990
Tea & Coffee
The magic of food
Tea and coffee are among the world’s most popular beverages. Cultivated in many far-ranging locations, these beverages have had a marked effect on contemporary societies.
Tea
(Thea sinensis)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Conscious mind, money, courage
Lore: Probably native to northern India,120 tea was introduced to China before C.E. 500.71,76 By that date, tea was already an established Chinese article of trade.3 In the tenth century, tea was considered the ideal drink; green tea was once called “liquid jade.”
Some tea-growers in China may still worship Lu Yu, who wrote a book known as Tea Classic before his death in 804 C.E.3, 76 The art of tea-drinking was introduced to Japan during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.3
There are many legends and myths associated with tea. According to one, a holy man who wished to continuously meditate was plagued with sleep. He cut off his eyelids, which fell to the ground and were transformed into the first tea plants.76
Tea was sacred to Buddha.
The beverage was brought to England fairly early, and by the 1600s tea-drinking had been condemned by English clergy. Why was this innocent drink linked with evil? Because, these ministers felt, it led to a lack of morality and injured the health. As usual, the religious zealots had little effect.120 Tea is still the most popular nonalcoholic beverage in England, though coffee is gaining.
Tea-leaf reading has been popular since at least the 1600s in England and elsewhere, and it continues to be a delightful act of divination.82 A cup of tea is drunk. Usually, the drinker leaves a bit of tea, just a few drops or so, in the bottom of the cup. She or he then places the cup upside-down on the saucer, turns it around three times, and turns it right-side up again. The reader uses the symbols created by the randomly scattered tea leaves to contact the psychic mind and to form a link with the drinker. Teabags prevent the reading of the signs; loose tea is necessary.
Magical uses: Drink tea to stimulate the conscious mind (its high caffeine content will assist you in this). Tea is also drunk to bring money (hold the teabag, or the leaves themselves, in your hands and visualize prior to brewing); it also promotes courage.
Tea is a highly addictive substance. Use it with care and in moderation, as with all drugs.
Coffee
(Coffea arabica)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Conscious mind, physical energy
Lore: Millions of Americans start their day with a cup of coffee. This ritual gives them a lift and prepares them to face the coming challenges. It also makes coffee growers, roasters, grinders, whole salers, and retailers happy.
Coffee probably originated in Ethiopia104 or some other tropical African area.71 The local people made the berries into wine, and also ate the beans as a stimulant.71 Around C.E. 1000, Arabs in Ethiopia began making a hot drink from the beans.71
Coffee quickly moved across the Mediterranean. The first commercial coffee house was established in Turkey in 1554; England’s first coffeehouse was opened in 1650.104 Coffee became wildly popular in parts of the Middle East (Turkish coffee is one well-known variety), but was never fully accepted among the tea-loving Brits.
Coffee is grown throughout the temperate areas of the world. Much is produced in South America; coffee is also cultivated in the United States, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The coffee produced there—Kona coffee—is thought by many to be the best.
Coffee’s wake-up effect has made it quite popular, but there are indications that caffeine alone doesn’t lend the beverage its stimulating effect. Once caffeine has been ingested, it takes from thirty or ninety minutes for it to affect our central nervous systems.41 Why does it seem that a sip or two of coffee will do the trick long before the caffeine can produce any physiological response?
There’s speculation that the scent of fresh coffee triggers the conscious mind. Smelling the rich aroma every morning while we’re trying to wake up sets a familiar pattern. After our morning routine begins, the smell automatically kicks us into wakefulness. Later, when this effect may have worn off, the caffeine does its work.
Coffee, tea, and caffeine remain controversial subjects. Some claim that caffeine is indeed a major health hazard. Others believe such reports are false. There’s no doubt that caffeine is a powerful drug and shouldn’t be given to babies or animals, who could suffer heart failure from large doses.41
Magical uses: Does coffee have “magical” effects? It can—if we don’t drink twelve cups a day. Many become addicted to this bitter brew; but whenever we need a substance to get through the day, it can have no magical effects. Remember: moderation is the key to the successful use of any food or beverage.
However, small amounts of coffee (or tea) can be drunk to stimulate the mind and to energize the body. Brew and drink with visualization.