The Tradition Of Drinking Tea

Tea is certainly the most English of drinks, and it therefore comes as a surprise to know that it was first fashionable in Portugal long before it came to England. Although the healing powers of tea was highly praised in the treatment of headaches, epilepsy, gallstones, lethargy and consumption, the first small consignment which came from Holland was received with suspicion. It was Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese wife of King Charles II (1660-85) who successfully introduced the cult of the teapot into the English Court.

Ch'a or T'e was made in those days by boiling a few tea leaves in water, sometimes for half and hour in order to bring out the flavour. It was not long before sugar was being added so that the tea didn't taste so bitter. At that time, wine was often made more palatable in the same way, and punch or fruit liqueur which was served hot was also very fashionable. It was another century before anyone added milk to their tea.

In coffee houses of the time, women were unwelcome. This was in line with the traditions of the gentleman's clubs of the day. It was for this reason that Thomas Twining opened the first tea house for women in 1717, and it immediately became a great success. The name Twining remains today as the mark of first class quality teas. This is particularly true of Earl Grey, a tea which is flavoured with the oil of bergamot, it is this which gives the tea it's unmistakable flavour.

In larger cities, exclusive tearooms were opened, often adjoining a lending library as well as less exclusive pleasure gardens where tea could be enjoyed and fireworks admired.

Tea was an expensive luxury because it was heavily taxed. It was for this reason that tea was often smuggled in from the continent along with brandy and wine. Unscrupulous salesmen would mix fresh or already used tea leaves with suitably coloured hawthorn, ash or blackthorn leaves to bulk up the quantity. Although this would have been detrimental to the flavour of the tea, it thankfully wasn't a health risk.

The damage to coffee beans was a serious matter which resulted in the price of coffee remaining high, and as a result of numerous crop failures, beer also became more expensive which resulted in more tea being drunk.

When the tax on tea was lifted shortly after, the well known English tea clippers surpassed themselves in speed each year to bring home the first products of the new tea harvests. In around 1830 the cultivation of tea spread from China as far as India and from there to Ceylon. Kenya also made it's mark as a supplier of tea.

The custom of drinking tea has become world famous through High Tea. It is here that the English ceremony of enjoying tea reaches perfection. Heavy silver pots and containers crafted by hand, preferably in the Victorian style, hold the tea, the milk and the sugar, and shallow porcelin teacups are used to serve the tea in.

High Tea is an excellent opportunity for a small snack between meals, which is the reason why cakes, biscuits and strawberry jam are served with it. Other parts of High Tea are sandwiches and always something baked, such as Tea Scones, Eccles Cakes, Dundee Cake or Shortbread. These recipes are mainly Scottish.

Only black tea is real tea, herbal teas do not come into this category. This is the reason why herbal teas are sometimes called infusions. Real tea is an infusion of dried and fermented leaves of the tea plant, whose origins go back to the Imperial Chinese Courts of over 5,000 years ago. The tea plant has yellowish white flowers and small hard shelled walnut-like fruits. The plant is cut back through regular pruning to create a bush of about three feet (one metre) high. The evergreen young shoots are harvested at strictly determined intervals, and according to a very specific technique. Only the tips and the first two to three leaves are cut off, they are then cut up, fermented and dried to produce what is eventually sold as tea.

Teas often have long strange sounding names such as Darjeeling Flowery Orange Pekoe or Ceylon Broken Orange Pekoe. These descriptions include the two important distinguishing features, firstly the country of origin and secondly, the leaf size.

A particularly aromatic tea comes from Darjeeling, the Northern Indian district on the Southern slopes of the Himalayas. Darjeelings are relatively light and delicate in flavour.

In the Northern Indian province of Assam there grows a particulary heavy tea. It is strong and full flavoured, dark in colour and has a very distinct aftertaste. Assam tea is so strong that it can be brewed with any water without losing it's taste.

Ceylon tea is aromatic and has a slightly sharp taste. The colour lies between that of a Darjeeling and an Assam tea. (Ceylon is now known as Sri Lanka.)

Teas from Africa have developed well in recent years and Kenya harvests the best quality teas during the dry season.

Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea, the only difference is that it isn't fermented, or to put another way, it isn't changed chemically. Green tea is preferred in Eastern Asia and forms the basis of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Tea can be flavoured in a number of ways. Small pieces of fruit and flowers, spices and aromatic agents assure us of variety. The most famous of aromatic tea is Earl Grey which was already being made in the 19th century according to a recipe named after the British Foreign Minister Edward Grey. The oil of bergamot plant is added to this tea which gives it it's characteristic flowery and slightly sharp taste.

Other popular aromatic teas are flavoured with vanilla, jasmine, orange, wild cherry, blackcurrant, mango, lemon or apple.

It isn't only where a tea is grown or which aromatic additives have been used which determines the taste and smell of the tea. It is also the grade of the tea and the type of leaf used. Tea is sold as leaf tea, broken tea, fanning tea and dust tea. Though the difference between leaf tea and broken tea scarcely plays a role any longer as both are tea leaves which have been cut into small pieces.

Fannings arise when uncut leaves are sorted and consist of very small particles, which is why fannings are suitable for tea bags. Dust tea is also used for tea bags as well, and is made up of the smallest particles left behind after sorting.

With regards to the quality of leaves, there are significant differences. The term Pekoe Tip or Flowery Pekoe describe teas which only contain the finest leaf buds. Orange Pekoe consists of the tender leaves directly underneath the leaf buds. By Pekoe we understand the teas that have come from the second and third leaf below the leaf bud. Souchong First comes from the third leaf when it is coarse and long. Souchong are other large leaves.

These names define neither a type or grade of tea, but rather the type of leaf used.

An essential part of the English tea ceremony is knowing the correct way to prepare the tea. There is only one way to do this. The dispute which has raged for a long time in England is whether it is the tea or the milk which should first be placed into the cup. This seems to now be settled and it is the milk, which must be cold since warm milk ruins the aroma of the tea, that should be added first.

• Fresh cold water is placed in a kettle and the kettle is placed on the cooker.
• When the water boils, the teapot is warmed by pouring in a small amount of hot water which is then disgarded.
• The tea is then placed in the warmed teapot. The rule to follow is one teaspoon of tea for every cup served, with an additional teaspoon for the pot.
• The pot is taken to the kettle, never the other way around. The water should not have been left to boil too long.
• The tea is left to infuse for 5 minutes, because in this time the aromatic elements best unfold without the tea becoming bitter.
• The tea is then stirred before being poured.

Of course, an electric kettle is the more convienient and widely used method to boil water today. This makes no difference to the tea, but the boiling of a kettle on the cooker is the traditional method.

Each tea plantation as well as the large tea companies have their own tea tasters. It is their job to assess the quality of each harvest and to produce blends in accordance with their respective house styles. Tea tasting happens in the following way:

1. The tea sample is spread out onto a sheet of white paper so that the tea can be examined with both the eye and nose.
2. The tea is brewed in a special vessel known as the tea taster's pot. The same amount of tea is made every time, exactly 5.6 grams. To measure out this amount, the traditional standard weight is an old sixpenny piece.
3. After exactly 5 minutes, the brewed tea is poured into a cup without handles, known as the tea taster's cup. The tea leaf remains on the inside of the lid which is turned upwards and laid on the pot, so the tea taster can look at and smell the leaf.
4. The tea is then removed from the cup with a large spoon, sampled and (as in a wine tasting) spat out.

Thanks to this expert tasting it is possible to create teas which are suitable for blending. This is how the large firms succeed in selling tea of a consistent quality and flavour unaffected by fluctuations in climate and production in the countries of origin.

For about 12 scones:

300g flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

50g sugar

80g butter

2 eggs (1 with the white and yolk seperated)

125ml milk

sugar for sprinkling

• Preheat the oven to 425 F (225 C).
• Grease a baking tray and put to one side.
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
• Add the butter which should be broken down into flakes. Rub them into the flour mixture to create a crumble like consistency.
• Beat the egg and egg yolk until frothy.
• Stir egg into the milk and pour into the crumble mixture.
• Work the dough into a firm ball and roll out on a surface that had been covered with flour to a thickness of 2cm.
• Cut the scones out with a pastry cutter or glass, the diameter of each should be about 5cm.
• Place on a baking tray 2.5cm apart.
• Beat the egg white and brush the tops of the uncooked scones with it.
• Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes on the middle shelf, until the scones have browned lightly.
• Serve immediately.

Scones are best served with butter, clotted cream (though you could use whipping cream) and jam.