How to Make a Cup of Tea, the Proper British Way
While there is tea, there is hope
It is a truth acknowledged by all but the most stubborn Brits that there is is very little that a cup of tea can’t fix, or at the very least make slightly better. And since most of us are in need of soothing at the moment, might I recommend this ancient remedy?
Most of us, let’s be honest, boil some water, pour it over a bog standard teabag in a mug, top up with milk and possibly sugar, and voila. But even we Brits would guiltily admit that that’s not a Proper Cup of Tea. As with many rituals, there’s something special about slowing down to make a Proper Cup of Tea. So here’s how to do it.
Boil the water.
Do you own an electric, shuts-off-automatically-when-it-boils kettle?
If not, since times preclude rushing out to buy one, order one online. In the meantime, make do with a stovetop kettle (which nobody in Britain uses unless they are camping or time travelling back to the ’60s), or, if absolutely desperate, to boiling water in a saucepan until the water is jumping around furiously to indicate it has reached the required temperature.
Do not ever, under any circumstances including extreme desperation, microwave your water. It won’t taste anything close to right. There…
