Where There Is Tea...
What I want to talk to you about today is tea. Yes, that’s right; the beverage that has been deified in British culture.
Despite having its origins in the Eastern world (not actually reaching Britain until the 16th century and not even being widely consumed until the 19th century); Tea is a British institution, and generally perceived as a symbol of Britain, its inhabitants, and its history. And do we mind? I certainly don’t.
I am a self-proclaimed tea lover. I don’t remember a time when I have not drunk tea. Back when I was a child I used to have a lot of sugar in my tea which, obviously, only served to mask the taste of it. Over time, however, my taste for sweet things waned and with it the number of spoonfuls decreased. I am now quite happy to drink tea with no sugar whatsoever, but have also established how much works best with different types of tea (for example; I take Earl Grey with practically no sugar, if at all, but I take ‘regular’ tea like PG Tips with one teaspoon of sugar).
As a child I attributed almost ambrosial properties to it and saw it as a rather grown-up drink. So when I started drinking it I felt like I was being mature. The first mug I ever bought was a Mr Bean Movie mug. It was designed to look like a mug that he had owned, with the print appearing to be paper stuck onto the mug, which had doodles on it (also saying “MY TEA, HANDS OFF!” in big letters). Inside it had a scale from top to bottom that you could read while drinking. The list was as follows:
? Hot (Be careful)
? Warm (Just right)
? Luke Warm (Best to dunk)
? Cold and yucky
At the very bottom, on the inside base of the mug, it said “All gone (Well done!)”
I have always loved this mug, and am very pleased that it has survived all these years. Because, you see, I’ve always had my favourite mug (as most people do), and this was one of them for a very long time. As I got older, though, this mug preference spread to other people.
While I was in High School and Sixth Form, I would regularly have visitors come to see me at home which was, back then, my parents' house. Because of home being my parents' house, there was always a large collection & variety of different mugs that had been collected over the years. Different people had different mugs ‘applied’ to them, depending on their personality, relationship to me, physical appearance, and other attributes. Sometimes one mug would be ascribed to more than one person, and so back-ups were decided on. Whenever these people came to my parent’s house I would only ever make them tea (or, sometimes, coffee but not that often) in the mugs that were assigned to them.
Now that I’ve moved out, I have a lot less different mugs and this mug-assignment habit has all but disappeared. I’m starting to get more and more odd mugs, but I don’t have mugs for people anymore, really. Apparently mugs are fairly important to the whole tea experience.
My prized mugs are my two “coffee shop mugs” (or bucket mugs), the black and blue huge mug and saucer I got from my son for my birthday, and the most special of them all: my TARDIS mug, complete with lid, and affectionately dubbed the TeaDIS. (I’ve also ordered a mug and tea strainer this evening, both of which have “Where there is Tea there is hope” emblazoned on them in some way, shape, or form!)
Some time ago, when I was running out of teabags, I made the hideous mistake of buying decaffeinated teabags. I’ve no qualms with my tea not containing caffeine, as I don’t buy it for the caffeine (if I did, then I’d just buy coffee or energy drinks). The problem with this decaffeinated tea was that it was practically tasteless. I had to have two teabags in my cup for it to be satisfactory. Around this time I think everyone heard about my displeasure, most notably my mother. Soon after I bought some ‘proper’ tea to replace the decaffeinated teabags of shame, I spoke to my mother on the phone. She told me I should keep the shamebags “in case of emergencies”. I liked the fact that I am the sort of person who could have a tea-related emergency (or “Tea-mergency” as I’ve taken to calling them!), and was rather proud of this.
As I get older, more and more is my tea obsession showing itself. Whether it’s going to a bar and ordering a cup of tea instead of the beers, ciders, wines, or shots that my friends are ordering, being noticeably upset when I discover that the bar I’m in no longer serves hot drinks (so the previous is no longer possible), or wanting to bring a flask of tea into the cinema to drink whilst watching a movie I am very much a tea person.
Recently I was shown a music video for a song which praises tea, called Cup of Brown Joy by a chap-hop musician by the name of Professor Elemental (watch the video above).
One of the lines in the song illustrates the interesting taboo on coffee as a rival to tea in the eyes of Brits. I’m not sure if anyone remembers the Twinings advert with Stephen Fry drinking coffee? It shows him sneaking into a storeroom, and covertly drinking the Twinings brand Coffee, subsequently being ‘caught’ and looking distinctly guilty.
Anyway, back to Professor Elemental. He is a major figure in a relatively new musical trend called chap-hop, where artists use upper-class English ideals and apply them to hip hop. Another main proponent in the chap-hop scene is Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer. Although he doesn’t have a song about tea his songs often contain references to tea, usually in the form of lapsang souchong. I had heard of this tea already, in Spaced, where it has a passing mention, but thought nothing of it. I’d never tried it, and didn’t know anything about it. When I heard Mr B talking about “a grilling that’s taking place before a brew; a lapsang souchong and a slice of Lanark Blue” in his song Straight Outta Surrey. I decided I wanted to try it. So I went to the shops and bought a box of it, along with a box of Assam. I am fairly sure that I shouldn’t have been as upset as I was at not liking lapsang souchong, it reminded me of bonfires (described as being very smokey I can’t say I’m surprised, and anyone who has tried it will know what I mean!).
Of all my friends, and family, and colleagues, I’ve not really met another person who I quite feel loves tea as much as I do. I’m sure they do, but it just doesn’t come up as something worth saying. The majority of people I know love tea, but I am still seen as loving it to an abnormal extent by a lot of them. Personally I don’t see what’s odd about bringing a flask of tea into the cinema!
23 Comments – Post a comment
SamuelPatterson
Commented 60 months ago - 24th May 2011 - 12:56pm
Haha! Brilliant! Tea is cool!
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 60 months ago - 24th May 2011 - 13:03pm
ROOIBOS 4 LIFE
Tom_Bevan
Commented 60 months ago - 24th May 2011 - 15:59pm
Rooibos IS my life Sam- I have a cup here now and am eyeing it up admiringly.. we'll have to start a revolution at the next SEG..
hermholland
Commented 60 months ago - 24th May 2011 - 22:49pm
Guess who'll be bringing his Assam/Earl Grey then...
DeadAngelLover22
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 10:44am
I think this is an awsome peice of writting :) Tea is awsome and glad to hear about the Tardis cup :p i love tea to and can't wake up in the morning without a cup, thou i can't live without my Twinings :)
Sprout Editor
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 10:53am
I always drink fruit and herbal tea. It's delicious and good for you. I've always been really bad at drinking water and was once told that herbal or fruit teas can be drunk as part of your daily water in take. I sometimes drink fruit tea out of a pint glass (well plastic actually for health and safety reasons, but 'pint plastic' doesn't really have the same ring to it!), I figured if I drink four of those a day, I'm on my way to getting my recommended water intake.
Wow, I just re-read that and realised how boring I sound. How crazy Arielle is, drinking pints of fruit tea! ;)
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 11:07am
Come on guys the first rule of Tea Club is that you do not talk about Tea Club.
neilramsden
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 13:36pm
I'm just putting this out there but... I don't like tea. Anybody with me? We are a small bunch. I haven't tried fruit teas though, maybe I should try it. All of the stuff I hated as a kid I've grown to at least tolerate now, except two things: tea and swede.
hermholland
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 13:51pm
Personally; I find fruit teas to be a bit of a let down.
The idea sounds great. Nice and simple, too. And the sorts of flavours you get always sound quite tantalising.
And then you add hot water, and they smell fantastic. Really. Quite a striking memory is that of the smell of a fruit tea brewing!
But then I tasted it, and it just tasted like chemicals...
The way it struck me was that they were designed for smell over taste. The smell was important, and so all the work went in to that, and then however it tasted is just what they were left with...
That's just personal opinion, though. They wouldn't sell so much if they weren't at least remotely nice!
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 13:54pm
I agree with you about swede, the only rubbish element of a Sunday roast, but regards your stance about tea... well I don't know what to say.
neilramsden
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 17:08pm
Haha just don't associate my dislike of tea with a general mistrust of my opinions otherwise my film reviews will have one fewer reader!
SamuelPatterson
Commented 60 months ago - 25th May 2011 - 22:35pm
"Wow, I just re-read that and realised how boring I sound. How crazy Arielle is, drinking pints of fruit tea!"
I literally laughed my head off. I had to attach it back on with balsa wood and glue! Arielle, that was so funny =P Unintentionally I realise, but still I was in stitches!
And back on the great tea debate, I love a traditional cuppa every now and then. I also like Strawberry, Raspberry and Loganberry tea =)
769
Commented 60 months ago - 26th May 2011 - 10:31am
@hermholland - great article - for a true tea lover, waterloo gardens tea house is the way forward...
hermholland
Commented 60 months ago - 26th May 2011 - 14:28pm
I'm rather shocked that I didn't know about this place!
I'll be going there as soon as I get the chance! Which should be over the next few days, if I'm lucky.
I expect, in the SEG meeting this afternoon, to see a few different teas circulating, now! I know I'll have my Earl Grey & Assam...
Tea became a source of heated discussion in the Stitches Comedy last night, which I was very pleased with. Especially when my lone teacup was surrounded by so much Beer, and Wine.
If only I'd had biscuits...
emb789
Commented 60 months ago - 26th May 2011 - 22:39pm
I have to say, my personal favourites are Ceylon and English Breakfast, but I'm rather fond of Earl Grey too
hermholland
Commented 60 months ago - 27th May 2011 - 14:27pm
I must say; I was very proud of the effect this article had on the Sprout Editorial Meeting yesterday...
Such an array of teas.
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 60 months ago - 27th May 2011 - 15:59pm
Who won tea wars yesterday?
acatris
Commented 60 months ago - 28th May 2011 - 16:00pm
I would seriously like to embed the youTube video that I posted to Herm today, but there are expletives involved so I think it best not to. I will provide the link but leave it to the editors discretion (because it is hysterical).
Instead I will leave you with this. This is exactly what I am like whenever people come over my house - yes, I have this much tea.
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 60 months ago - 28th May 2011 - 16:37pm
As with everything on theSprout, click a link at your own risk. It is funny though. But naughty. So you shouldn't. But it is funny.
hermholland
Commented 60 months ago - 28th May 2011 - 18:24pm
It is a hilarious link. I loved it.
And the tea wars, as it were, seemed more widely represented by the fruit teas...
Despite my coming with two different types of Earl Grey, and some Assam (combined with the 'normal teabags' that are mostly made from Assam, anyway); it did seem like the fruit teas had a stronger side.
That said, I think the Earl Grey/Assam side got more hits (mostly from me... having about 3 mugs throughout the meeting alone...!)
But I didn't think of it as a competition at the time.
"Where was the Rooibos," I ask of thee.
SamuelPatterson
Commented 60 months ago - 31st May 2011 - 14:19pm
I LOVE SCOTT PILGRIM!!!
IT's my favourite film!!
Sambow
Commented 60 months ago - 31st May 2011 - 21:59pm
I'm just going to throw it out there and comment on the traditional Japanese tea, the stuff they serve at Yo Sushi- it's fanatastic. It's nice and simple but as an obsessive tea drinker I probably would have liked it either way.
@hermholland I completely agree with you about fruit teas, I always get one expecting it to be really tropical and exotic but the taste is always like hot medicine- a real let down.
Findingawesome
Commented 38 months ago - 16th March 2013 - 00:31am
Does anyone know where I could purchase one of those Mr. Bean Movie mugs described in this post? I have a friend this would be perfect for! I searched the web and nothing to show for it. Any help would be mint.