Ahhh! A nice cup of tea (Image: Reach PLC)
“Let’s put the kettle and ” is usually the first thing English people say to make all things better.
It’s a huge part of the social culture and it’s a coping mechanism for when they are not sure what to do in any given situation.
It brings people together, morning, noon and night – but there can be nothing worse than a brew that’s wrong. and the moment is ruined.
Britain is one of the world’s largest tea consumers. In fact we drink approximately 100 million cups daily, which is almost 36 billion per year.
The average tea drinker has around 2.7 cups of tea a day, although serious tea fiends will drink a lot more than that.
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Since the 17th century, the United Kingdom has been one of the world’s largest tea consumers. Originally an upper-class drink in Europe, tea gradually spread through all classes, eventually becoming a common drink, and the most popular drink in the country today.
English breakfast tea is our favourite variety. This is a black tea, which is more oxidised than other types such as oolong or green tea and tends to have a stronger flavour. Typically English breakfast tea is made from a blend of black tea leaves from countries such as Sri Lanka, Kenya and the Assam region of India.
To make the perfect cuppa Dr Chau-Jean Lin, a judge at the Leafies, the Oscars of the tea world, and a tutor of tea sommeliers at the UK Tea Academy, is best placed to advise.
Her family has a tea farm in Taiwan so she has grown up with Britain’s best brew.
She said: “Because the water is very hard in the UK, filtered water is better. Other non-breakfast teas can get really muted because the water is so hard.
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“Breakfast teas are designed to brew quickly so you want very hot water.” (Green teas require a longer brew and so you don’t want the water to be as hot apparently)
Purists may be surprised to learn that Dr Lin makes her tea in a mug at work, rather than in a pot.
“I like it very strong, so I will always use less water and more tea.”
And while the average Brit brews their tea for 45 seconds. Dr Lin explains it is better to go by what it looks like.
“Nobody has time to wait by their cup with a timer. You’re looking for a dark glossiness on top, and a clarity.” she recently told the Sunday Times.
“That’s the sign of good breakfast tea. You want a layer of what looks like oil-film on top. That means the tea has been brewing for long enough.”
But however impatient you are for your brew she definitely doesn’t approve of mashers – people who press their tea bag against the side of the mug to speed things up.
She said: “You would get a more intense flavour but it also risks increasing the bitterness of your tea.”