Thursday 23 April 2009

A nice cup of tea does wonders for the soul...

Recently, I was feeling down; not depressed, not discontent...just, sort of, overwhelmed by a sense of melancholy. It happens from time to time...the cure? A nice cup of tea, of course. Nothing comes close to it...not beautiful shoes, fine wine, I've never been much of a champagne drinker, I like chocolate but I'd give it all up for tea: perfectly brewed, not stewed, a splash of milk...lovely. An old college friend of mine told me recently, that when she thought of me, she thought not my panache, my ability to seize the day nor my witty repartee; no, she was reminded of Yorkshire Tea. Tea, however, will do for me.

So, why should such a humble beverage , have such an uplifting effect? Beats me, but I do think it's time for tea drinkers of the world to unite and campaign... "free tea for all"...ahhhh, utopia!

6 comments:

and1moremeans5 said...

I 100% agree with you. when i feel down or overwhelmed with life a good cup of tea warms my soul. I like mine milky and sweet and my husband makes the most perfect cup in the world (even though he HATES tea!!) so i will join you on the 'free tea for all' yippeee! x x

Katherine said...

I used to love a really strong brew before I had kids...proper builders tea; since having the children my tastes have altered and now I have tons of milk. It can be quite painful for the maker of tea to pour out the required amount (unless I'm making my own, which I, of course, avoid at all costs!). I started making using a proper teapot recently (instead of just dunking the teabag in the cup), with a kettle of fresh water...I'm getting quite obsessed with making the perfect cuppa. Too much time on my hand I think? I really can't imagine anyone hating tea; coffee, yes (that's a once or twice a month drink) but tea??!!! Is he normal?!!!

Maternal Tales said...

Oh yes. I am with you girl. I need at least 3 cups of tea before I even wake up! Love it. The worst thing is if my husband brings me a cup of tea in bed (which he does from time to time) and he's bolied the kettle twice. It just doesn't taste the same and it means I have to get out of bed and make a cup myself!! Can't have it too late in the evening though - makes me need the loo all night!!

Katherine said...

Lol! Coffee has that effect on me; hence I steer clear of it: a latte to end an evening meal, always means a dash home to use the loo. I love tea in bed (a rare treat) especially on a school morning...makes the inevitable dash mad dash more bearable. The kettle boiled twice does make a massive difference, I'd never noticed it before but now I've become a bit more discerning my palette has improved. The job of tea taster, is a very tempting alternative career to consider!

kestrel said...

I have always read about the English and their tea. Am reading first hand experiences now. I guess its the culture and how one grows up with certain values. For me, I ca't tell the difference between any tea, I just dangle my tea bag. Have a lot more to learn about tea, I guess

Katherine said...

Yes it does seem to be a national obsession, transcending the social spectrum. Although I do think you have to drink a lot of it to tell the difference between one brand or another. I favour Yorkshire tea or Tea Direct (both fair trade so that gets a thumbs up). I used to see babies drinking it (cooled, of course) from bottles in a school I used to work in; that's taking it a bit far but I'm sure I drank it at quite a young age. The only thing that annoys me are builders who drink it instead of getting their work finished...grrrrr...had a bad experience with one of those recently!