Afternoon tea — afternoon tea break
A proper pot of tea (black tea with milk, made properly)
DrinkDocumented☕facile8 min
A teapot of strong black tea, brewed hot and served with a splash of milk. The tannic, slightly bitter drink, softened by milk, that punctuates every British day.
Afternoon tea — afternoon tea break
A teapot of strong black tea, brewed hot and served with a splash of milk. The tannic, slightly bitter drink, softened by milk, that punctuates every British day.
One cannot insist too much: tea is prepared with care, or not at all. I first scald the teapot, put in a spoonful of leaves per cup, and pour the water at the precise moment it boils — not a second later, else all is ruined. You let it steep a few minutes, strong and honest, then each adds milk to their liking — and you will argue long, believe me, about whether to pour the milk before or after. It is around this teapot, more than any other table, that my best conversations have been held.
Ingredients
- •Black tea leaves (Assam or Ceylon) — one spoonful per cup plus one for the pot (tannic infusion)
- •Freshly boiled water — according to number of cups (infusion)
- •Milk — a splash per cup (softens bitterness)
- •Sugar — optional, to taste (sweetness)
How it was made : In the 20th century, loose-leaf tea brewed in a teapot was the norm, long before tea bags. George Orwell, in his essay 'A Nice Cup of Tea' (1946), codified eleven rules, including the use of genuinely boiling water and the eternal debate of milk-first or milk-last. Strong tea with milk was the national drink, consumed several times a day.
Sources : George Orwell, 'A Nice Cup of Tea', Evening Standard, 1946 · Constance Spry, The Constance Spry Cookery Book, 1956