Sunday, January 25, 2015

Hot Tea Month


Although it’s a little late in the game, January is National Hot Tea Month. I’m not sure how many writers have taken a strong stance in the coffee v. tea debate, but I’m sure it’s a hot one! (Get it? Strong, hot coffee and tea! Hehe!)

Let me make my position perfectly clear. I am a tea-drinker, although that’s not always been the case. I used to drink coffee, but stopped during my second pregnancy with my son. Coffee didn’t make me sick, but for some reason, the mere mention or smell of it was just wrong. So I switched to tea. Now that my son is older, I can and do enjoy a cup of coffee occasionally, but my natural instinct is to drink tea, and lots of it.

Turns out, I’m in good company. George Orwell also enjoyed his tea, and wrote an essay titled “A Nice Cup of Tea” that was first published in the London Evening Standard on Jan. 12, 1946, in which he outlines the 11 steps* necessary to brew tea:

 1.  Use Indian or Ceylonese tea

 2.  Brew tea in a china (ceramic) or earthenware pot
 3.  Warm the pot before adding the loose-leaf tea
 4.  Use strong tea
 5.  Place loose-leaf tea directly into the pot without a strainer, muslin bag, or other device to   'imprison the tea.' Take the teapot to the kettle to pour water that should be boiling
 6.  Stir or shake the pot
 7.  Drink the tea out of a cylindrical cup
 8.  Decant any cream off of the fresh milk before using
 9.  Pour tea into the cup, then pour in the milk
10. Drink tea without sugar

So you still have a few days left to read the entire essay (see link below) during the wintry January weather that is perfect for enjoying a steaming hot cup of tea.

Write soon,
Mary

*Steps from: http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0709/tea.htm
Read the entire essay online at http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm
Image from: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0077/8972/files/George-Orwell.jpg?2985

George Orwell: 'A Nice Cup of Tea' reprinted in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell 1968



8 comments:

  1. This was interesting. I do most of his points other than shake the pot. I used to but now I use a open mesh infuser and it is pretty good. Better than digging out leaves from the spout! Miss the straining in a silver strainer but ah, this Moon and Stars infuser is close to best.

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    1. You are definitely a better tea drinker than I am!

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  2. I do none of that. I microwave water, pour it in a cup, and throw in a bag. I guess I'm either lazy or not very particular...

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    1. I prepare mine the same way, although I insist on having a tea kettle sitting on my stove at all times!

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  3. I went to a tea room once and had the most delicious tea ever. Now I just select a tea bag out of a variety box, microwave my water and sip it every morning.

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    1. Sounds good! I usually stick to black or green tea. I have boxes of flavored tea in my pantry, but, again, I rarely use them!

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  4. I'm a social outcast who does not like coffee. A nice cup of hot tea, however, is another story!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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