The Shades Of Tea
Dear Diary,
How do you take yours?
A very common and very British question.
Quite a nice icebreaker question as well.
The fact is, no two cuppas are alike.
We all have our own quirks and this is serious business, believe me.
Of course, I’m talking about our national drink - tea.
By the way, when I say tea, I mean black tea. Because that’s what you’ll get if you order ‘tea’.
And there is always time for a good cuppa, but how did this obsession start?
A Short Tea History
The history of tea goes back a long time, around 2000 years. The Chinese were the first to drink it. Its discovery was apparently an accident when tea leaves fell into hot water. Well …
Tea then first came to the island in the 1650s. However, it was only affordable to the nobility. Coffee, on the other hand, was much more popular at that time.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that tea slowly became a commodity available to all classes.
The first tea shop in London opened in 1706 by no other than Thomas Twinings. Now one of the most popular tea brands.
Bad news for our tea-drinking nation. We’re beaten by the Turkish when it comes to the highest tea consumption in the world. They drink about 1,300 cups (3.16kg) of tea per year! We only have an average of 1.9kg.
The Different Tea Shades
As you can see we take our shades of tea very seriously. The devil lies in the detail, or rather in the milk in this case.
I take mine black. No milk, please.
And I usually brew it for a good couple of minutes. You might also refer to this as builders tea, a cup of strong black tea.
According to this chart, I’m a well-done girl. I like that.
Some Common Tea Myths
There are a couple of old-age debates around tea.
1) Is it milk or tea first?
Traditionally, it would be milk first to prevent the delicate china cups from breaking when the hot tea was poured. Not an argument any longer.
Though, research agrees. It should be milk before water.
If you add the milk last it will heat unevenly which can cause the protein to denature. In simple terms, the milk loses its structure, it starts to clump and forms a skin on top of your tea.
2) What is the ideal brewing time?
Is 2 minutes enough? Or should you rather go with 5? Or even more?
Forget about your 30 sec dip. Science says it should be at least 2 minutes, but best to leave it for 5.
But each to their own, I’d say.
Also, to get the best taste, make sure your water is boiling hot.
3) Teabag or loose-leave?
You can probably guess this one. It’s loose-leave tea.
It simply comes with a more complex and deep flavour as the leaves can circulate freely in the water.
4) What about adding salt?
Forget about the sugar. Believe it or not a wee pinch of salt can enhance the flavour and reduce the bitterness.
At least that’s what an American scientist has recently revealed. Up for debate but I’ll definitely give it a try.
And because we’re so in love with our tea, Richard Orwell has written a whole essay on it. Including his top tips for the perfect brew. Give it a read!