Uppity Tea

I am an ardent tea drinker. Sure there was a time in my early twenties when I adored coffee. However, I noticed over time that, being a slightly — shall we say — high-stress person, coffee became almost too much for me.**

When I was younger I remember my mom making cup after cup of Lipton. She would make it rather strong with about as much sugar as she could scoop, in good conscience, into her cup. I have never been one to put either sugar or milk into my tea (or my coffee, for that matter), which may be part of the reason I have become so very particular about my tea. When you can really taste it, it makes a difference.

When we were in London a handful of years ago, my husband and I wandered into a Sainsbury's to buy a few needed provisions for our hotel room. Other than being astonished by how much cheaper Evian water is in the UK than in the states, I was mesmerized by the tea. There were so many more to choose from — reaching far beyond the Lipton, Twinings, and Celestial Seasonings to which I had become accustomed. I bought a box of London Cuppa, Taylors of Harrogate, as well as Sainsbury's own brand — all derivations of the strong British cup of tea I had sought. (I also got a few delicious [and heavy] jars of marmalade for my suitcase. Who even knew course-cut was an option??)

Nowadays I order my British teas on-line — most recently from http://www.bluemoontea.com/, which is a very good sight, and http://www.britishtea.com/. I no longer buy my erst-while favorite London Cuppa — instead I opt for Yorkshire Gold, Brodies 'Famous Edinburgh', and Bewley's. Bewley's makes an excellent afternoon tea. It is strong — but clean and crisp — and it is beautiful to look at once brewed.

Most recently I nearly broke the bank by ordering some very fancy tea from Dean & Deluca. It is called Mariage Frères and comes from France, naturally. I got Marco Polo and French Breakfast Tea. The Marco Polo would be marvelous if I didn't so dislike fruit in my tea. (Honestly, they made no reference to blueberries in their description on the website!) But for the blueberry aromas it is a lovely tea — just not my thing. The French Breakfast Tea, on the other hand, is the one after my own heart. However, I do not have it for breakfast because it is just not strong enough. In the morning I need my strong British teas (in rather large mugs, thank you very much!) to kick me in the pants. Whereas the Mariage Frères is perfect for the afternoon — in a much smaller (and proper-sized) tea cup.

Today my mom does not drink much Lipton because I have converted her to my Fancy-Pants-Tea ways. She was buying London Cuppa (from T.J. Maxx of all places!) but has discovered that she prefers PG Tips — a little too strong and bitter for my liking. However, it should be said that Lipton still makes the best bag. After all, they were rather revolutionary with their 'Flo-Thru' technology. None of the other tea companies seem to do this — and I'm guessing it is because it doesn't look as pretty as a little uppity muslin ball of tea.

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**My husband tells me that this sentence is a grammatical disaster and just pulled out Strunk & White to point out my many offences. He is clearly a coffee drinker and does not get Uppity Tea. I apologize in advance for my unsightly infractions.