(totally borrowed this pic from my b-day post, but it was too perfect to not use!)
I grew up in a very British family. My late Grandpa hailed from Scotland, so he brought over the tradition of tea into our family. At my Grandma's house, tea is always steeping on the countertop, waiting to be poured into delicate china cups and sipped as we visit with each other.
At my parent's home, tea is synonymous with comfort. Whenever we had a bad day, or just a long day, coming home and hearing the teakettle singing on the stove was like having a weight lifted. After dinner, we would sit around the table, nibble on shortbread, drink tea, and chat about the day before we went our separate ways for the evening. Tea was more than just a beverage, it was a way of life.
I have to point out though, that for me "tea" is not the fruity, herbal tisanes that you can buy (Celestial Seasonings? Ick). It has to be good old black tea, preferably loose-leaf, that can handle milk and sugar. My absolute favorite is PG Tips:
- Boil water.
- Add 2 heaping teaspoons (or two teabags) to teapot and pour in boiling water.
- Cover with teacozy and steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove tea/teabags.
- Pour into cups, adding a dash of milk and sugar to taste.
- Enjoy!
- Repeat process as many times as needed throughout the day...
I must admit that I'm not much of a tea drinker, Diet Coke is my vice. Your tea drinking does seem very sophisticated though so maybe I will put my Diet Coke in a tea cup. Love the cup with the strawberries on it.
ReplyDeletewell, I should point out that I definitely don't always drink out of a teacup! It's fun sometimes, but they only hold like 3 sips of tea and it's annoying to have to get up constantly for a refill! Diet coke in a teacup? Interesting idea. =) I think teacups have the ability to make anything taste better, so why not?!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of it has to do with how you're raised. . . because I was raised with Celestial Seasonings always in the house, and so that was my preference for like ever. But now I have started to really enjoy black teas and green teas, and I do like milk in my Earl Gray or Lady Gray teas.
ReplyDeleteBut in the morning, I'm a coffee girl.
Oh, and those cute little china tea cups and saucers? Useless for me! I need a big ole fat mug of tea. :)
Mmmmm, I love how you make tea. You seriously have it down to an art. : ) I keep meaning to pick up some of the PG Tips but still haven't! Next time I'm at Cub....
ReplyDeleteMmm...tea. I love it too! I add milk and sugar to all of it though. I like a good strong black tea (your family first introduced me to PG Tips) but I have recently fallen for a few of the Celestial Seasonings options - Perfectly Pear and Madagascar Vanilla (a red rooibos tea). I definitely drink it out of a coffee mug though, can't handle going back for second, thirds, and fourths every few sips.
ReplyDeleteI'm a ridiculous tea addict, too, but I'm more into the herbal side of things- cinnamon tea, ginger tea, chamomile tea... peppermint tea... Good earth original is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteoh man, i hate tea. detest. abhor. flavored or not, it smells like tea and tastes like tea. being the anglophile i am, people always say i MUST like tea. but i don't! i love the thought of you all round the table sipping tea, how nice!
ReplyDeleteJane- So true! How you are raised definitely has an effect. =)
ReplyDeleteChloe- So fun to see you here! I just found your blog and became a follower. I'm glad my family introduced you to PG tips! I have tried the madagasgar vanilla, and I loved it too! I guess I shouldn't have said that Celestial Seasonings is icky... =)
Meri- I love Good Earth! I think they have Stevia or something in their tea that makes it naturally sweet, it is SO good as iced tea too.
Cape on the corner- Aw, so sad! But of course, we all have those things that we just can't stand. Do you like coffee though?
I love tea! I like just about any kind, black, herbal, green, hot, iced, you name it! Chamomile is probably one of my all time favorites, with honey of course. Not traditional, but it's good
ReplyDeleteYou would have LOVED the afternoon tea I went to in London! The black tea was excellent!! It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Followed closely by sipping tea at Hyde park, soaking in the morning sun and munching on a warm scone. Yep. That's the life!
Tea's good in ordinary life too! :) It's the perfect cure for a long day!
I like my tea to taste like dirt =) Hold the milk and sugar! hahaha! <3
ReplyDelete