A Tea Drinking Sequel

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I see that Mr Johnson dug himself into another quagmire yesterday when he was quizzed on BBC Breakfast TV about his tea-making skills. There is a video clip that has been doing the rounds on social media, where he drops a tea-bag into a mug, fills it with water from a tap, adds milk immediately and then leaves the kitchen, mug in hand with the bag still floating in there somewhere. Unsurprisingly we don't actually see him drink any of it.

Nevertheless, in response to Naga Munchetty's questioning, he stuck by his tea making method, declaring it to be delicious!

I raise this only by way of sequel to my previous blog post, because at our village Pop up Café  I was asked if I wanted milk in my green tea and/or the tea bag leaving in. Personal taste perhaps, but no thank you.

Before I retired, teatime was a custom carried out shortly upon arrival at the office and then again at 3.30pm. Yes it was made in mugs with teabags, but only with water from the kettle and the bag was never left in for drinking. For goodness sake, tea is meant to be a delicate infusion!

Call me pernickety but my morning and afternoon ritual no longer involves a three year old, stale tasting teabag. An aromatic leaf tea is required, a warmed pot and water heated to the correct temperature which varies depending on the colour of the tea ("the darker, the hotter," is my rule of thumb) and finally, for pouring into after 3-4 minutes of brewing, a china mug. Yes, it could be an age thing but in retirement I want to enjoy life, not put up with a builder's brew in a receptacle the thickness of a flower pot.

I recently enjoyed a cup of camomile tea in a delightful little bistro in Boston Spa. It was served to perfection with an egg timer, so that I knew exactly when to remove the infuser from the pot. It's the small details that count, now I have the time to notice.


Comments

Bob Lowry said…
I find the British relationship to tea so fascinating. The "proper" way to prepare and drink tea is nothing to be taken lightly.

I do have one question, though. Several of the more recent British crime shows I watch have characters asking for and drinking coffee. Tea isn't in evidence. Does this indicate a generational shift, or are the TV people playing to American tastes (pun intended) with the focus on coffee?
16 November 2019 at 19:03
Caree Risover said…
Interesting question, Bob. Every now and again there’s a newspaper article suggesting coffee drinking is increasing and has overtaken tea drinking. We certainly have had a phase of coffee shop chains with proper barista coffee opening on our high streets. Personally I (and I know many people who follow a similar pattern) usually favour a coffee mid-morning and drink tea the rest of the time.
16 November 2019 at 20:13
Stephanie Jane said…
I'd second that on the timing. Coffee for me is a morning drink with strictly tea only after noon. This is mostly because since we switched to proper coffee, it takes half a day for my body to lose the caffeine! I can't understand how I used to like instant coffee - after the real stuff, it's awful!
I'm finding the same with tea now I buy loose leaf in order to avoid the plastic content I discovered loiters in tea bags (ewww!). Loose leaf Earl Grey, albeit brewed up in a filter basket in a mug, is my favourite
19 November 2019 at 18:35
Caree Risover said…
With you all the way, except for the filter basket in the mug. Pouring from a pot with a tea strainer over the mug is one of my highlights!
19 November 2019 at 22:11
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