Proppa British Brew-up

[Doc Average]

Tea up!

No Kit-Kats I'm afraid. There is a war on you know!

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

Smithy: If you're drinking black (and depending on the tea) then you should take milk or lemon at the very least.

I don't drink black tea anymore due to the acidity. I just stick with herbal, green (preferably Sencha), white (preferably White Peony), and 'red' aka Rooibos. I'm terribly fussy with tea for a number of reasons...

I can't stand milk in tea, but then again the teas I drink typically don't take that in them (aren't supposed to be drank with it in them). I do love a slice of lemon in tea though - whether it be plain green tea or white.

 

[Miss sofia]

No Kit-Kats I'm afraid. There is a war on you know!

Thanks sir, Seeing as there's a war on, pass round the rock cakes then!

 

[L'Onset]

Re:A Nice Cup of Tea By George Orwel

Not intended, but I'm following almost the eleven precepts stated by Orwell, with a couple of exceptions: My teapot is not china or earthenware, but rather a cheap sort of china and probably made in China too And I've always poured the milk before, but I recon I don't have a reason to do it that way, so I can easily change my barbaric habits lol
In my defense I must say that in Spain we don't use to have that "cuppa". That doesn't mean that tea is not consumed here, but not as such an atavic and familiar habit. It is indeed becoming more popular, but in some "exotic" manners like herbal and parfumed teas, wich IMO is a very different beverage.
The best I can find in my town is Twinnings, but whenever I have the occasion I try to get some Barry's or Lyon's. I'm not well aware if these are good or bad teas, but they bring me those familiar and comforting sensations some of the loungers (from England) described before, probably learned while living in England and in Eire long time, ago or when sailing on the ship of my avatar. But this is another story for another tread.

That "tea break" here used to be with wine from a "bota" a leather recipient which pours a fine dribble. Quite common among workers, peasants, shepherds, soldiers, etc... people in general specially in the old times

 

[/|\]

Not intended, but I'm following almost the eleven precepts stated by Orwell, with a couple of exceptions...

To address Mr. Orwell's points:

Indian or Ceylonese tea: I agree. To me, Indian tea just tastes better than Chinese tea; and Ceylonese tastes better.

The teapot: I think what he was trying to say is to use a crockery pot rather than a metal one. China or earthenware holds heat better than metal.

Warming the pot: Agree. No one likes lukewarm tea, and warming the (crockery) pot keeps the heat in the tea instead of using it to heat the pot.

Strength: Many people make their tea strong by steeping it longer. I agree with Orwell that if you want strong tea, use more tea. Steeping too long makes a bitter brew.

Let the tea float free: The best tea I've made is done with the leaves directly in the pot. I feel that letting the tea float around in the pot exposes more surface area of the leaves to the water, making for more efficient extraction. But I'm also lazy, and don't like to bother getting the spent leaves out of the pot. If I'm going all out, so be it. But for a casual pot, I use a mesh basket that allows the tea some room to float. When I use the cheap Assam CTC, it really does sink to the bottom of the pot. Very handy. (Other teas do as well, but I've noticed that in my case the CTC settles nicely.)

Boiling while pouring: Erm... Yeah. He might be getting a little obsessive there. I'm not worried about the water cooling two much in the two seconds it takes to begin pouring it. Of course, hyperbole makes for a better narrative.

Stirring the leaves: When I let the leaves float free in the water, I pour the water such that there is a current. No need to stir them up, in my opinion. This step seems like people who press the crosswalk button repeatedly and rapidly, and when the light finally changes in its own time they say, 'See? It works!'

Breakfast mugs: Again, better heat retention. Also, it holds more tea. Both are points Orwell stated.

No cream: I don't know about a 'sickly' taste, but cream does impart a nasty mouth-feel.

Milk in last: I've heard his argument before, that you can better regulate the amount of milk if you put it in last. I'm not buying it. One learns how much milk one wants, and it's not that difficult to put in the right amount. I think it's easier to add the right amount, actually, since you can see how much is in the cup. Also, I'm a weirdo. And lazy. If I use a spoon, it will have to be washed. Put the milk in first, and it will 'stir' as you pour in the tea. Same goes for the sugar, by the way. No need to dirty a spoon.

No sugar: You don't like sugar? Well, then. More sugar for me! Yes, tea is meant to be bitter. I drink my iced tea without sugar or lemon, because I like the taste of the tea. (Imagine my shock the first few times I ordered iced tea in Alabama and other Southern states!) I prefer my coffee strong, black, and bitter -- like my heart. Earl Grey, Russian Caravan, Green, and other teas are drunk without sugar. But 'a nice cuppa' made with a robust tea is nice with a bit of sugar. Not too much, mind; just enough to excite the receptors and bring out the flavour.

 

[Doc Average]

Thanks sir, Seeing as there's a war on, pass round the rock cakes then!

I just got back from the Quartermaster's Store, and I'm afraid they're right out of rock cakes too! (You wouldn't believe what they do have down there though...

Anyway - back to tea!

Recipe for Sergeant Major's Tea from the book "The Mortdecai Trilogy", by Kyril Bonfiglioli:

"Jock was brewing up 'Sergeant-Major's' which is the sort of tea you used to relish when coming off guard-duty in a January dawn: it is the cheapest Indian tea boiled-up with sugar and condensed milk. It is not like tea as you and I know it, but it is very good indeed. I gazed at it longingly..."

Sounds disgusting to be honest, but I really think I should try it out for the sake of scientific enquiry. *yucky*

 

[Smithy]

I just got back from the Quartermaster's Store, and I'm afraid they're right out of rock cakes too! (You wouldn't believe what they do have down there though...

Gingernuts,arrowroot or digestive biscuits then, and if down this way, ANZAC biscuits.

You can't have morning or afternoon tea without biscuits, it's not on!

Anyway - back to tea!

Recipe for Sergeant Major's Tea from the book "The Mortdecai Trilogy", by Kyril Bonfiglioli:

"Jock was brewing up 'Sergeant-Major's' which is the sort of tea you used to relish when coming off guard-duty in a January dawn: it is the cheapest Indian tea boiled-up with sugar and condensed milk. It is not like tea as you and I know it, but it is very good indeed. I gazed at it longingly..."

Sounds disgusting to be honest, but I really think I should try it out for the sake of scientific enquiry. *yucky*

Condensed milk was not an uncommon addition during the war and especially out in the sticks. Today if you go to Singapore they have a bit of a thing for it as well.

 

[Miss sofia]

Fig roll anyone? Yes i agree, it's the law to provide good no-nonsense biscuits with morning tea, none of those poncey continental offerings mind.

Actually i have got some cheapy tea leaves in the larder and a tin of condensed milk, so i might have to give it a whirl too now. You chaps have piqued my interest (and i have grandpas enamel mug and plate), will post results asap.

 

[Smithy]

Fig roll anyone? Yes i agree, it's the law to provide good no-nonsense biscuits with morning tea, none of those poncey continental offerings mind.

Too right! The plainer the biscuit the better. The good old squashed fly biscuits aren't bad with a cuppa either.

The talk of rock cakes above made me think of my Mum's which - obviously - were the best rock cakes I've had.

 

[Miss sofia]

Actually my Mum used to make those when i was a kid too, handsome! And my Granny used to make them during the war apparently, although with rationing i can't imagine that they were all that tasty, or nice and light for that matter, (you certainly wouldn't have won the race down the garden for the top bunk in the Andersen shelter with a couple of those stuffed in your pocket)!

Yes a squashed fly biscuit is a nice treat with a cuppa too, might have to buy some to add even more authenticity to the condensed milk brew up tomorrow. Good call

 

[Smithy]

(you certainly wouldn't have won the race down the garden for the top bunk in the Andersen shelter with a couple of those stuffed in your pocket)!

Now that made me chuckle!

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

Nice thread! We ran the YMCA canteen at RAF Twinwood Farm for about 5 years on the Glen Miller Festival Weekend, you'd be amazed at how picky people are about tea. So we used tea leaves, enamel ware and an original YMCA spoon with a chain attached and bolted to the counter (as they were during WW2) It was hard work but great fun.

We've even run a WVS tea stand in a tent, in a storm! Two days in June when it felt like December! Amazing how much better a cuppa can make you feel!

 

[MPicciotto]

Thanks everybody for the postings about how to make a cuppa and then the replies with your own insights as well.

Matt

 

[Puzzicato]

Earl Grey, Russian Caravan, Green, and other teas are drunk without sugar. But 'a nice cuppa' made with a robust tea is nice with a bit of sugar. Not too much, mind; just enough to excite the receptors and bring out the flavour.

But you are supposed to have a spoonful of jam with a cup of Russian Caravan, aren't you?

 

[Doc Average]

But you are supposed to have a spoonful of jam with a cup of Russian Caravan, aren't you?

Wow, really? I didn't know that! I'll give it a go with my breakfast cuppa tomorrow morning! I take it you just eat the jam, then sip the tea? Or do you actually add it to the tea???

 

[Miss sofia]

Oh i didn't know that either, interesting.

Kitty Sheridan - lovely photos, love the enamel teapots, jolly good show Madam! :eusa_clap

 

[Spitfire]

Come to think about the good old TV series "A Family at War" - how many times didn't we here that famous remark: "I'll put the kettle on"
The answere to everything - a nice cuppa.

 

[Puzzicato]

Wow, really? I didn't know that! I'll give it a go with my breakfast cuppa tomorrow morning! I take it you just eat the jam, then sip the tea? Or do you actually add it to the tea???

I always thought that you ate the jam as you drank the tea, but Wiki thinks you add the jam to the tea. But there is definitely jam involvement. I've never tried it, because I think Russian caravan tea is 'orrid.

 

[Miss sofia]

Actually i just gave the condensed milk cuppa a whirl. I boiled some water in an enamel boiler on the stove, added the tea leaves, (some Sainsburys own brand), boiled it up for a few minutes, until the tea looked nice and strong, strained and served with the condensed milk in an enamel cup.

Results = If that was all that was available for a brew up, then actually it was more than adequate, (although my teeth were screaming and i could hear my dentists hands rubbing his hands together somewhere in the distance)! Aside from that, although too sweet and milky for my tastes, it would have been more than welcome i would have thought, to get a steaming hot cup of that given to you with a nice Woodbine to help wash it down with!

 

[Smithy]

Come to think about the good old TV series "A Family at War" - how many times didn't we here that famous remark: "I'll put the kettle on"
The answere to everything - a nice cuppa.

My family is very much like that. My dear Mum would put the tea on whatever the crisis, big or small. Lost in your cricket match - put the kettle on. Somebody has kicked the bucket - put the kettle on. I think it's perhaps the familiarity of the ritual and what it represents. As I mentioned on the first page of this thread if you come from a British Commonwealth country, tea making and family members bustling about in the kitchen putting the tea on several times a day is one of your earliest memories. There's comfort in it and continuity. Life goes on.

Puzzicato, I read a Bartle Bull novel a few years back about White Russian refugees in China after the revolution and they were plonking spoonfuls of jam (blackberry, boysenberry or blackcurrant if memory serves) into their tea. Can't say I've tried it nor particularly want to. Acquired taste I'd say!

Miss Sofia, the condensed milk would have probably been very useful for the troops giving extra energy after a hard day marching and/or fighting. Goodness knows they needed it.