Would you care to sit with me, for a cup of English tea?
I must admit that I’m quite hooked on English tea. I really love this kind of drink. Maybe I like it because of this particular taste, it can be alone with sugar, honey or even malted with milk, my favourite of all combinations. I enjoyed this one in particular. It has an special smell, the best of those. Associated with the English tea you can find some kind of British behaviour. Above all there is an attitude; a good balance between the typical English manner and the old tradition from the long way back.
Even the young generations use that as a favourite drink.
Although it might be an insignificant thing it is particularly strong in so many ways. Firstly and most important, I think it’s an attitude, a way of living. I’m sure that without it England wouldn’t be the same. Secondly it’s a way to link generations, I mean you could see several generations of British people sharing a cup of tea in front of the same table. It’s a delicious thing… just contemplating them.
And lastly and a bit silly….it’s glamorous.
There are different types of tea, mint tea, breakfast tea, daily tea….they’re pretty much the same but the taste are slightly different. I suppose mine is the daily one, it helps me to beat against British cold! Is there anything better than a steaming cup of English tea? Absolutely not!
I’m not saying that as a compliment, I’ve been living in London almost for a month and a half and I’m getting used to it. I adore taking one cuppa or mug (original British slang) in the morning and another one during early evening. The best medicine to face another cold London day.
Historically the popularity of tea dates back to the 19th century when India was part of the British Empire and British interests controlled tea production in the subcontinent . It was, however, first introduced in Britain by Catherine of Braganza, queen consort of Charles II of England in the 1660s and 1670s. As tea spread throughout the United Kingdom people started to have tea gardens and tea dances. These would include watching fireworks (I’ve been watching or hearing it almost daily) or a dinner party and dance, concluding with a nice evening tea. The tea gardens lost value after World War II but tea dances are still held today in the United Kingdom. Tea is usually black tea served with milk (never cream) and sometimes with sugar. Strong tea served with lots of milk and often two teaspoons of sugar, usually in a mug (a nice slang of tea), is commonly referred to as builder's tea.
Much of the time in the United Kingdom, tea drinking is not the delicate, refined cultural expression that the rest of the world imagines—a cup (or commonly a mug) of tea is something drunk often, with some people drinking as many as 6 or more cups of tea a day. Employers generally allow breaks for tea and sometimes biscuits to be served.
“English tea please….small size, to take here”
