The Cup Of Tea
By Judith Schrut - email judith0777@gmail.com
Iconic edibles and drinkables may come and go; fish and chips, haggis, Newky Brown and sticky toffee pudding all have their place. But to the British, only a Cup of Tea is forever.
“If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you,” said Prime Minister William Gladstone, and Queen Victoria’s first words on ascending the throne were reputed to be “bring me a cup of tea and The Times!”
A ‘cuppa’ is the supreme cure-all, offered in all times and circumstances. You’ll find modern life here full of tea moments, from a groggy morning’s wake up drink, to that strong, sugary cup served with buttered toast to new mothers in maternity wards across the land. Want to meet your neighbours? Ask them in for a cup of tea.
Want to get on with work colleagues? Offer to make the afternoon brew. After a brisk autumn walk there’s nothing nicer than curling up in front of a log fire with a hot steaming mug of tea and a sweet biscuit, and in times of crisis a cup of tea will make everything all right. “Nice cuppa tea?” is as common a social greeting as “How are you?” Each day Brits get through 165 million cuppas— that’s 60.2 billion cups of tea per year— 98% with milk, 30% with sugar and 95% made from tea bags, with PG Tips the nation’s favourite brand. The average Brit makes his or her first cup of tea at 71/2 years of age.
Traditional afternoon tea served with a‘round’ of finger sandwiches, warm scones, clotted cream and a fat chunk of cake has long been top of must-dos for visitors to Britain and an immensely enjoyable special treat for the rest of us. And it’s no secret that we Americans have a particular soft spot and seemingly infinite belly space for English cream teas.
But for a long time tea was a beverage reserved for the rich— not surprising when a pound of tea might cost a worker’s annual wage. High prices meant tea was often adulterated with brick dust and other nasty stuff; in fact, some tea contained no tea at all. By the late 18th century the price of tea went down and its popularity shot up. The Victorian Duchess of Bedford, desperate for a pick-me-up between lunch and dinner, usually gets credit for inventing the ritual of afternoon tea.
Experts and amateurs perpetually argue over how to make that perfect brew, with especially hot debate focused on whether milk should go in the cup first or last. The British Standards Institute advises brewing loose tea in a pot, leaving to infuse six minutes for maximum flavour, adding milk to the cup before tea, while the UK Tea and Infusion Association insists tea first, as did George Orwell, declaring tea a main stay of civilization in his essay ‘A Nice Cup of Tea’. Essentially, it boils down to one simple fact: there is nothing more British than a cup of tea.
Further information: www.tea.co.uk and www.afternoontea.co.uk
