Tea means, home, security and comfort (Black Tea - Comments & Comparison)

Member Name: Sexy Kay

Product:	Black Tea - Comments & Comparison
Date:	14/03/01 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Picks you up and makes life seem all worthwhile.

Disadvantages: Absolutely none

There is something special about a traditional cup of British Tea. It's not just the taste, it is something much more than this to me.

For me tea is a symbol of home, security, comfort and how everything in the world isn't quite as bad as it sometimes seems. It reminds me of being young and drinking tea with my mum and dad and of the love and security they gave me. Even now, though I have been in search of other sorts of love, when I pop in to see my parents its, "Want a cuppa love?", and everything in life is as it should be.

After I have been travelling either here in Britain or abroad the first thing I do when I get back to my flat is to have a cup of tea and then I know I'm home, safe and secure.

Us British love our tea. We mostly drink the black variety and it is said that we import about one third of the world's production. We can't grow it ourselves, unfortunately, as the plant is more suited to the tropics with their high rainfall and acid soil. So, like we have done for hundreds of years, we import tea from China, India, Sri Lanka and other such nations that have the right growing conditions.

Black tea is from the same bushes as the green variety but is processed differently. It seems that there are two main types of shrubs (camellia sinensis). The Chinese one is hardier and has narrow leaves whereas the Indian Assam tea has larger leaves.

The best quality is from the two newest leaves on each shoot but normally the top four are picked for general use. Most tea is still plucked by hand every 7-14 days in the growing season.

Tea is full of history and it must have been a wonderful sight to see the Tea Clippers sailing into London port in the 19th century after having travelled from China. Ships similar to the Cutty Sark which is now on display at Greenwich. Then there was the trouble with the Boston Tea Party back in 1773 that I still remember learning about at s
chool.

Nowadays I love going to smart restaurants and hotels but there is no tea like home tea. I just like the normal supermarket kind, nothing special. The nicest I think, or perhaps I've been brainwashed into thinking it, is Asda's own tea. There isn't a store near me but my boyfriend's parents always give me packs of it when I have to visit them. It's a small consolation!

I like my tea just right, not too strong and not too weak. It seems that everyone's taste differs. I always think that tea gets stronger as you travel north. Yorkshire Tea is too strong for me and the Newcastle tea (I think it's Ridgeways) is also not to my liking, it's a bit bitter. But if you head south and drink tea in the posh London suburbs it's like .... well let's just say it's weak. This may be OK if taken black or with lemon but I like a bit of milk in mine, a 'proper' cup of tea.

I use two tea bags and add three-quarters of a litre of boiling water. I pour the water on to the bags while it is still bubbling. I pour the water slowly in circles, in a clockwise direction, so the bags dance about in the teapot. (I tell everyone that this is because we are in the northern hemisphere - it's funny what people will believe!). I then give the bags a squeeze with the back of a spoon, 12 times each, and it's ready for drinking. This gives three large steaming mug fulls. You have to drink it as hot as possible, don't you think?

I prefer to drink the tea from a white mug or cup and never from dark coloured crockery, it spoils the flavour.

Yes, the world's a better place after a cup of tea, especially with a dark chocolate digestive (or two).

;-> Kay

Summary: