As a people group, Persians are genetically predisposed to like tea. And even though I was only half Persian, I had inherited a full-strength tea-loving gene sequence from my mom.”
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Though Darius often feels disconnected from his Persian heritage, his love for tea mends that gap. He works at a mediocre tea shop called Tea Haven but dreams of working at the distinguished Rose City Teas store. Darius brews tea multiple times each day and has mastered the art of making Persian tea. While Persian tea is his specialty, Darius knows a great deal about all teas and even introduces his Persian relatives to diverse teas that they come to love. When Darius reveals that he prefers to drink tea black so as not to muddle its natural flavor, he further enforces his adoration for pure tea. As much as Darius questions himself and his Persian identity throughout the novel...