Tea Time

In Britain, you will notice that people drink a lot of tea. It normally comes with milk, so if you don’t want it, you should say so. Traditional afternoon tea, which apart from the tea, was actually a small meal with scones, sandwiches and cakes. Nowadays, the British have replaced their afternoon tea with a quick treat in a café, coffee or tea shop or a less formal at-home tea with a snack or a biscuit.

Use freshly drawn cold water. You should allow the water to run for a few seconds before filling the kettle and then bring it to a boil. It is also recommended to preheat your tea cup before you start brewing your tea. If you use a teabag, you should place it into your cup, if you want to use loose tea leaves, use 1 tsp. per eight oz. of water. Then pour the boiling water over the tea. Stir well and leave the tea to steep for 3 – 5 minutes. Don’t exceed 5 minutes, to avoid a bitter taste. The tea bag or leaves should be gently removed from the mug with a teaspoon. The tea might be served with milk, cream, lemon or sugar on the side. Now, enjoy a perfect cup of tea!