Jazz-Mint Tea

The wind from the east flutters through the chimes on the front porch. The tables are set, the chill in the air has come. The grin on Beatrix’s face is… whimsical. She’s got a special recipe in brew and she’s thrilled to try it out on her next human customer!

Autumnal Menu;

Jinx juice - warm vanilla milk, cinnamon spice, orange peel shavings, and a hint of whimsy. To ward off bad luck for the day. 

Camel-meal - chamomile tea (water or milk), allspice to sweeten, lavender and honey.  To attract a peaceful day.

Defeat-Me-Not; ground pumpkin seeds, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon and rosemary. For protection and courage!

Jazz-mint; blended winterberry, mint leaves, choice of tea, pinch of rock salt and honey. For an energy kick that will make you jazz hands. 

The morning passes by swiftly, her menu is painted on the chalked message board at the counter. Not one person has even glanced at it and she’s starting to get itchy. Her pointed ears and speckled cheeks light up like a jack-o-lantern. She wants to see if her recipes work! She liked them of course, but she liked anything and everything she brewed. 

How to persuade someone to test it?

The front door bell chimes and  a short man walks in. He’s dressed to the T, with a blazer and matching slacks. His hat stays on as he walks to the counter, his face is gruff and his voice is gruffier. “Hello, I require something.” 

“Oh yes, of course. Whatever can I make you?” 

The man scrunched his mustache and looked over the menu above Bea’s head. She bounced on her heels and willed her energy on the man to look down at the counter. She held her tongue for a few seconds but the energy bursting within her was far too great, “I have a new set of drinks! Would you care to try one? The Jazz-mint has got a great burst of energy.” Her smile was huge now and had she fangs out, it would have frightened the man. 

His blurry eyes looked down at her face and he simply nodded, “that’ll do.” 

Bea was so delighted she actually squealed and when the man moved to pay she refused him, “this one is on the house, sir! It’ll be right up.” 

And she turned in her little space and began her brew. 

The recipe was quite simple so she added a bit of green tea for caffeine and dandelion for softness. The man looked like he had a rough night, Bea wanted to do everything she could to make his morning just a bit better. 

When the tea was brewed and steaming, she poured it all in together, adding the honey last. She twirled to face the man again and he’d been watching her intently. 

“What did you say was in this?” He asked, his voice already sharper than before. He sniffed the cup and his eyes widened, “now that’s a cuppa!” He didn’t wait for Bea to detail the recipe, nor did he wait for the tea to cool, he gulped it down once and scorched his tongue. 

“Oh careful!” Bea flinched, but the man was unphased.

“This is amazing!” His cheeks turned rosy and his eyes a brilliant shade of green. Bea feared she added too much mint, but the man was elated. “The taste! The energy! This is magick!” He exclaimed.

All of Bea’s excitement drained from her. She didn’t mean to have such an intense reaction. On the one hand she was thrilled that her recipe was a success, but on the other… would everyone think differently of her if they thought she was potion-ing them? She gave a little nervous laugh and the man reached for her hand as it tapped on the counter, her nervous gaze fixing on him. 

“You’ve done a good thing, child. You’ve given this old man some spirit and perk. How can I ever thank you?”

Bea relaxed a little. She had done a good thing, hadn’t she? “Just come by tomorrow, er… what’s your name, darling?”

“Santos,” he says. His eyes twinkle a bit brighter after his second sip of jazz-mint and he thanks Bea again before walking out. 

“See you soon, Santos!” Bea waved goodbye to the old man and watched as the pep in his step persisted with every sip he took of his drink. The wind chimes on the porch sang happily and no one inside the café had seemed to be phased by the mans use of the work “magick.” Everything was as it was meant to be and that gave Beatrix some much needed peace of mind. Her jazz-mint was a hit!

A young woman came in next, her hair frazzled and her skin a bit dry from the coming cold. She shimmied her way inside the door, curling beneath her coat. “Hello, um, geez it’s cold this morning.”

“Hello!” Bea sang to her new customer.

“Ah, I noticed a man leaving with a rather perky complexion… do you think maybe you have some of that for me?” The woman asked, her hands rubbing on her arms almost anxiously. Bea could sense the wave of dread emanating from this women. 

“Well, the jazz-mint might elevate your anxiety.”

The woman straightened and looked beside herself, “how did you know that I was anxious?”

“Ah… erm, I get anxious too. I have some of the same, uh,” Bea proceeded to rub her arms with nervous hands, because now she was nervous too! She shouldn’t have said such a thing. “I’ve got just the thing! It’ll keep you warm and provide just a touch of energy to your day.” 

And I’m itching to make this new recipe! She sang in her head. 

Bea finished the brew and spun to her counter, “One Defeat-Me-Not! It’ll give you a burst of courage to face whatever the day may bring you.”

The young woman seemed nervous to take the cup, but the aroma must have taken effect before she thought of it for only a moment before the cup was in her hands and the drink down her gullet. She smiled softly, a delicate glaze of confidence fell over her eyes, “Now that’s good stuff.” She pays Bea and thanks her again, leaving swiftly out the door, the autumn chill no match for the warmth that now seeps through her veins. 

Beatrix was overall pleased with herself for the day. She didn’t even need to try to sell the other two flavors. She’d done her good deeds for the day and made her customers happy. The rest of the autumn day was rather slow and on her third cup of jazz-mint she started to hiccup. The hiccups racked her entire body so that she had to step outside of her coffee square and into the lobby of her little shop. She hiccupped and her hands came up. She hiccupped again her hands started to shake. The movement was involuntary and the patrons in her shop stopped to look at her She wasn’t embarrassed, this had happened to her before. Rock salt was a kick she couldn’t stop and the jazz hands were too wild to tame. She turned around to change the music on her register and the blast from the speakers made everyone cheer. 

Bea was elated with the winterberry and salt, her jazz hands would not be tamed today. 

So she danced one number and let the music slowly drift again. 

The patrons in her shop cheered her on and the rest of the day is history. 

Beatrix’s Brews, Café Shop on Main Street and Castle Hill.

Stop on by for your enchantment and coffee needs or wants.