[Sca-cooks] Re: Tea

[Edouard de Bruyerecourt]

Louise Smithson wrote:
>
> Can't keep quiet any longer.
> As a native of Britain living in the US there are several things
> different about Tea service:
> #1: The tea itself.  It doesn't matter how you brew it Lipton will
> always be the most disgusting dregs of Tea ever foisted on an
> unsuspecting public.  It is nasty nasty nasty, high tannin and yucky
> bitter.  It has to comprise of the lowest leaves on the bush.  In the UK
> if you just ask for tea you generally get PG tips or Tetley.  Both of
> which are yummy and made from a much higher grade tea.  Tetley is broken
> orange pekoe and I can't remember what PG tips is but they use only the
> top two sets of leaves.

My brother, who was USAF stationed in York, had a cute story about a
British man married to a US service woman. In his office, they took
turns buying the office tea supplies. When his turn came up once, he
purchased a box of Lipton from the base PX, unaware of the quality of
what Yanks call 'tea.' It made for a memorable, if quite short-lived
experience, in the office.

I recall my British piano teacher dumping in four teaspoons of sugar
into his cup....then giving it one quick stir. There was usually a
quarter inch of undisolved sugar in the bottom.

Okay, the Siberian Field School method of making tea: 1) Boil water in a
two-gallon bucket over the fire. 2) When in a rolling boil, toss in an
entire 50 gram packet of 'chai Indianskaya' in first, then 3) remove
from fire and let steep. 4) Add four to six enamaled camp cups of sugar.
If the odd Amerikanski are with you, skip step 4). Afer the tea has
steeped and the leaves have settled, dip out with your cup and enjoy.
What you don't drink for breakfast, you can drink tepid for mid-morning
break.....

Edouard