So, I decided to eschew teabags what with the discovery of plastic in the paper of just about every teabag in the world. (Was it always thus?) I tweeted Yorkshire Tea to blackmail them with a public threat to desert them if they didn’t remove the plastic forthwith. Of course, they were cowed by my threat but I suspect about as much as my green credentials went up, which was probably not one iota. They did say they were working on it though, which was nice.
Anywhoo, I’ve spent the last few weeks endeavouring to get my shit together to brew loose tea which has proved an experience. First of all, I had to buy a tea strainer, which was not much of a problem, I already owned a teapot, what with never throwing away anything that might become a kitchen ornament (think old fashioned kitchen scales) but the preparations ground to a halt at the point of the first brew.
bulldog
I’d bought everything I needed, tea strainer, loose tea, cleaned the dusty teapot from the top shelf, etc. However, I was just about to open the packet of Yorkshire (loose) Tea when I realized that I’d have nowhere to keep the open packet. A repurposed bulldog clip will suffice to keep a packet of porridge oats fresh but for tea… that simply won’t do.
So, proceedings were delayed while I sourced a tea caddy.
Do you know how difficult it is to buy a tea caddy?
It’s about as hard as it is to buy a coffee caddy, and that’s damned difficult, believe me. I tried to buy one as a gift and failed miserably.
tempted
So, my only option was to buy some loose tea, in a caddy, which seemed reasonable. I’d not yet opened my packet of Yorkshire (loose) Tea so it would keep and trying something new is always a good idea. Who knows I might be tempted away from my usual brand. So I searched and found the English Tea Shop, fair trade and in a nice tea caddy.
Now I don’t know if I’ve forgotten how to make a pot of tea in the last 30 years; I warmed the pot, added one spoon per cup and one for the pot, left it to brew and all that. But I can honestly say I’ve never had a such a foul cup of tea in all my years! It says English Breakfast Tea on the tin, but the small print says Ceylon Black Tea. I thought breakfast tea was a blend? I’ve never been one for all that Lap Dog Ding Dong, Early Grey or all those other fancy types.
So I’ve now opened the Yorkshire (loose) Tea, and it made a fine cuppa, so it’s not down to my technique. There’s a bulldog clip on the packet (needs must when the devil drives) while I learn the ropes and figure out exactly how many spoons per cup, what the water level should be, when to stir, and all the other intricacies. Then I’ll try the tea in the caddy with the same technique. I’m prepared to be brutal, if it’s not up to scratch, it’s going in the bin (or possibly on the flower beds). Don’t buy any for the moment, I’ll keep you informed.