How do you like your tea?

A fresh cup of English Breakfast tea is truly something to behold. It is the liquid of the Gods and the chosen tipple of this great nation. Make no mistake; to sip a piping hot mug of English breakfast tea after a parched stretch is to know true pleasure. In the last few years I have picked up a few tips on how to best prepare ones cuppa, regardless of which type of breakfast tea you drink. So, laid out before you is a handy cut out ‘n’ keep guide to optimising your brew, if you are interested.

Firstly, try your private best not to add sugar. With sugar, tea is reduced to a sweet solution not fit for man or beast. To those of you who add sugar: I used to be like you. But one fateful day my mother helped me see the matter in its proper light. She told me “Try your tea without sugar for a week and then make up your own mind.” This maternal counsel wasn’t just diplomatic; it was downright wisdom. After only a few short days, virtue had triumphed. I implore you to try this for yourself.

Secondly, pour the boiling water into the cup before the milk. Here I am assuming that everyone puts the tea bag in before anything else. Some find that the addition of milk detracts from the taste of their tea, but most people are inclined to reduce the strength and bitterness of their cuppa with a modest splash of milk. When it comes to adding milk, always do so after you have poured the boiling water, with the tea bag already in. I cannot stress this point enough. Tea, you see, is a dried herb. And in order for tea to release its intrinsic qualities, it requires to be infused. This infusion will only occur if the water is boiling when it hits the tea. So if you put the milk in the cup first you have removed all possibility of genuine infusion, not to mention that you will almost certainly pour too much. It’s difficult to gauge these things. As an aside, I would also recommend using the least creamy type of milk available in order to prevent the tea from acquiring too much of a sickly taste.

But for heaven’s sake pour the boiling water in before the milk and don’t add any sugar. Grasp only this, and the time I’ve earnestly frittered away on this article will have been worthwhile.

So there you go, the perfect cup of tea. Apart from everything else, what could possibly be more important than that? Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t cover the big issues here at Felix.