Ladies, Gentlemen, and their Tea

George Orwell is a man who knows his tea.

Here's his essay from the January 12, 1946 issue of Evening Standard, which gives the Tea Rules. You can't just drink tea willy-nilly. (My first year in college, after I admitted I missed making tea a professor suggested that I just make it in the microwave. I hope wild dogs ate him in the parking lot after class.) Making tea isn't just about getting a hot beverage. It's not a precursor to tea, it's part of the tea experience itself. Some things about which I agree with Orwell:

"Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities — that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. "

"Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water. "

"Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water."

And some points I'd like to argue:

"Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly. "
(Geez, what are you, some kind of Viking? I want tea, not a bushel of leaves in my cup!)

"Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup — that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one's tea is always half cold before one has well started on it. "
(Okay, I do like a good mug for tea--especially while writing/reading--but a teacup is a work of art and perfect for company since you get to pour multiple cups of tea.)

"Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round."
(Ew, cream/milk and tea. Remember when you were so hardcore about the leaves, George? Leave the milk out and take it like a man.)

Even while George and I disagree about points, I like the seriousness with which he takes tea. Sure, I'll ask for a grande tea at Starbucks, but nothing beats making a right pot at home.

Some favorite tea places:
http://www.tealuxe.com/
http://www.teavana.com/
(Any favorites you'd like to share?)