A Pondering Heart - Let's Have A Spot Of Tea, Shall We?

Nov. 27, 2006 - Let's Have A Spot Of Tea, Shall We?

Posted in The Nine Companions, plus Arwen

I suppose you’ve all read Mother’s post or Tigerlily’s post about our tea-time. So, I decided I should go ahead and do the same. Now being a Tolkien fan as also made me a England fan and I like reading about their customs, mostly just the things Tolkien liked. And everyone knows that the English like their tea. I did some researching and found some interesting stuff about tea. Have a look -

How many types of tea are there?
    There are four types of true tea: black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and white tea. The term herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit or herbs (such as rosehip, chamomile, or jiaogulan) that contain no C. sinensis.

How do people like tea
    English drink their tea with milk - People from around the world often wonder why the English always drink milk with their tea. The answer is that in the 17th and 18th centuries the china cups tea was served in were so delicate they would crack from the heat of the tea. Milk was added to cool the liquid and stop the cups from cracking. This is why, even today, many English people add milk to their cups BEFORE adding the tea! Australians drink tea with milk as well, probably because they came from England in the first place! LOL
    Lemon was introduced to British tea drinkers by Queen Victoria after a visit to the Prussian King. Lemon can complement the flavor of scented teas and brighten the flavor of some black teas. If both sugar and lemon are used, the sugar should be added first since the citric acid in the lemon may prevent the sugar from dissolving completely.
    Sugar or honey accents the flavor of most darker teas. Fruit-flavored teas are excellent served with sugar or honey since the added sweetness brings out the flavor of the fruit.

When did tea “start”
    The pastime of tea drinking has been recognized as an English tradition, but tea drinking has existed for centuries in Asia. By 780 AD, tea drinking had developed into a socio-religious rite of exquisite refinement in both China and Japan. There is some colorful lore attached to the world of tea, and you can read about it here. For instance, the legend of Earl Grey tea begins that a British diplomat, sent as part of a trade delegation to China in 1834 by Charles, the second Earl Grey, saved the life of a mandarin’s son who was drowning. Social traditions have also been connected with the custom of tea drinking.

What is eaten with tea
    AFTERNOON TEA (The traditional 4 o'clock tea) Now most ordinary British families do not have time for afternoon tea at home, but in the past it was a tradition. It became popular about one hundred and fifty years ago, when rich ladies invited their friends to their houses for an afternoon cup of tea. They started offering their visitors sandwiches and cakes too. Soon everyone was enjoying Afternoon tea.

How is Tea grown
    The tea bush is a hardy evergreen and its leaves are shiny and pointed with a wonderfully fragrant aroma. All the tea requires to flourish is acid soil and a warm wet climate with at least fifty inches of rainfall every year. Left to grow wild, the tea bush would blossom into a tree. However on commercial tea gardens the bushes are pruned to waist height for easy plucking. This is still performed by hand and is an extremely skilled process as only the bud and top two leaves from every branch are picked.

Where Tea is Grown
    Tea is grown in around fifty countries worldwide from Russia to Argentina, Brazil to Mozambique. The tea bush thrives in mountainous regions bordering the tropics and can grow at heights of up to 7,000 feet above sea level.

Can tea make you healthy?
    The Chinese have long considered tea to be a healthy drink. In recent years, we have become more aware of the health benefits of our daily cuppa. The benefits range from catechins (found in green tea) which may reduce the breakdown of cartilage to the presence of polyphenols, the compounds that can help prevent cancer and heart disease. Also, the flavonoids existing in green and black teas (the natural compounds that give tea its flavor) act as antioxidants to protect the lining of the blood vessels.

So, there you have it.
    When hot, I like my tea with milk or creamer (I guess I am English after all) and a little honey for sweetness. How do you like your tea or do you like tea at all? I think having a tea party every once in a while is a good idea. Having a nice china tea set and some cakes would be just lovely. Tea parties are also very feminine and not at all childish. Why not have a tea party instead of having girl friends over to watch TV? It might be lots of fun and your friends might actually like it.

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Nov. 27, 2006 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Narniagirl

Hey, thanks for the comment! I like it too!

thanks for stopping by!

*~narniagirl~*