History:

Tea was invented in China around 350 BC. It reached Japan in 590 AD. Brought from Asia into England, the first mention of tea in English literature actually came from a monk in 1557. There is another, more famous mention in 1559. During the seventeenth century in England, coffee was extremely popular, tea was hardly anywhere to be found. When Charles II took the throne with his tea-drinking Portuguese wife, tea suddenly spread through the English Court to become the rage in London. This custom spread to the American colonies until members of the Boston Tea Party urged a boycott against tea and all things British, for that matter. For this reason, British citizens still drink several cups of tea a day.


There is, therefore, a proper way to brew English tea.

1. The teapot itself should be warmed in a stove or in a tub of boiling water before the tea leaves are placed into its bowl.

2. Then boiling water should be poured over the leaves to step for five to seven minutes. Sugar cubes should be added after tea is prepared; milk before the tea enters the teacup. An infuser can be used to extract a richer taste from tea leaves.

Note: Water should never be boiled twice, as this creates a flat taste. Water may be added to the teapot to allow the tea leaves to steep fluidly while the first cup is drunk, and a tea cozy is necessary for keeping the teapot warm.


It follows naturally that there is a way to serve English tea. No cup of British tea is ever served simply in a saucer.

Important: There must be a small teapot, a tray, a sugar holder, a milk pitcher, tongs for sugar cubes, a saucer, a cup, and the tea itself. Tea should be poured with one hand carefully on the top lid so that it does not fall forward. English four o'clock tea should be served with cakes or cookies.

Very Important: Dipping things into tea is never acceptable in polite company. (self-confessed biscuit dunker)

It is possible, in this day and age, to use an instant tea bag to make a cup of tea. The use of these bags is becoming popular in Britain, but only in the use of pots of tea. The British have no use for smaller teabags and cups. Tea by the potful is the proper way to do things.


Therefore, for the converted British tea connoisseur, the following is a list of the five most popular British teas and a description of each:


Darjeeling: An Indian tea. Contains a slightly exotic flavor with hints of darker spices.


Orange Pekoe: A tea with Indian roots. Flavored orange with a hint of spice.


Imperial Gunpowder: The dried leaves have the color and texture of old Gunpowder. A strong, slightly bitter taste.


Earl Grey: Refers to London Fog, and a very haughty tea. A full, rich taste without much spice.


English Rose: So called because roses are steeped to flavor it. A musky, full taste that is good for tea parties.



In conclusion, English tea is a ritual that demands respect. Take care to follow the rules of British presentation, and you'll never languish for a proper tea party again.

Sex Oh yeah..Sex. Drinking tea while performing this other ritual may lead to spillages. Be warned



Sources: Google
[This message was edited Mon Jan 13 14:12:37 PST 2003 by Lleena]
[This message was edited Mon Jan 13 14:27:08 PST 2003 by Lleena]

Don't forget to MICROWAVE it frequently, so's that it keeps its tea-y flavor.

i'm not a big tea drinker, but this is interestin...

2the9s said:

falls off chair

YAAAYYY You didn't forget!

2the9s said:

That's it 9s... You're getting a spanky!
[This message was edited Mon Jan 13 13:58:15 PST 2003 by applekisses]

applekisses said:

No.

Did somebody edit sex?

I'm not a tea drinker!

Lleena said:

Ironically, "Imperial Gunpowder" is a Brittish slang term for sperm...


Really... :O

2the9s said:

Love that avatar!!

2the9s said:

The sex part is there, at the bottom!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Thankyou Plastik

Lleena said:

The 'proper' way to brew 'masala (meaning spice)' or 'indian' tea:
-Place the various spices such as cardamon pods, cinnamon, cloves, and something called soanwfe (I dunno the english name for it) in a saucepan along with the loose tea leaves (usually PG tips as it has a picture of an indian lady on the box..lol) and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes.
-Then add the milk; as much or as little as you like
-bring to the boil again and serve immediately adding sugar to taste.

Lleena mentioned not to boil the tea twice, but with all those spices in there, there is no chance of the tea tasting flat.
As for dunking biscuits into the tea, that is fine. Toast also goes well with this aromatic tea. Plus we asian/indian/brown folks are not really followers of english ettiqutte(sp?) :p

RandomDuck said:

Thankyou Duckie!!

nevermind
[This message was edited Mon Jan 13 15:26:01 PST 2003 by Lleena]

i love tea! i'm a big fan, especially in winter.

oh, yeah, sex: tea has few sexual side effects, to my knowledge

sex?

although, come to think of it i believe you can get tea in some sex shops. so, maybe tea DOES have sexual side effects.

teller said:

Mmmhmm.. I think it has something to do with tea-bagging... I'm not sure though, as Llee hasn't elaborated on that yet.

I'm waiting to hear what she has to say...

Yes,Tea is wonderful. Jasmine is Wonderful as is Chai and Green.

AzureStar said:

I didn't know what that was until I saw "Cecil B. Demented"

applekisses said:

I only found out a few years ago when some putz that I know kept sending me pictures of this in e-mail! Grrr...

AzureStar said:

Someone was sending you teabagging pics?? ewww...

applekisses said:

yeah... ewww... he would change the name of the pictures/e-mail and make it seem like it would be something I was interested in so I would open them. He finally stopped when I scoured the internet for some pictures he didn't find too appealing.

The best cup of tea I have ever had was at an Ethiopian restaurant. The tea is sweet -- it has no sweetener in it -- and it tastes like cinnamon...like a Red Hot candy, really.
It's delicious!

AzureStar said:

You are so funny! Way to go!