Tea in the United Kingdom: Difference between revisions
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{{Quote box|width=29%|align=right|quote="By putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk, wheras one is likely to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round" |source=—One of [[George Orwell|Orwell]]'s eleven rules for making tea from his essay "[[A Nice Cup of Tea]]", appearing in the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'', 12 January 1946.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/25/science.highereducation "How to make a perfect cuppa: put milk in first"]. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2014</ref>}} |
{{Quote box|width=29%|align=right|quote="By putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk, wheras one is likely to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round" |source=—One of [[George Orwell|Orwell]]'s eleven rules for making tea from his essay "[[A Nice Cup of Tea]]", appearing in the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'', 12 January 1946.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jun/25/science.highereducation "How to make a perfect cuppa: put milk in first"]. The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2014</ref>}} |
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Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea has been a matter of debate since at least the mid-20th century; in his 1946 essay "[[A Nice Cup of Tea]]", author [[George Orwell]] wrote, "tea is one of the mainstays of civilisation in this country and causes violent disputes over how it should be made".<ref>George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg</ref> Whether to put tea in the cup first and add the milk after, or the other way around, has split public opinion, with Orwell stating, "indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject".<ref>George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg</ref |
Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea has been a matter of debate since at least the mid-20th century; in his 1946 essay "[[A Nice Cup of Tea]]", author [[George Orwell]] wrote, "tea is one of the mainstays of civilisation in this country and causes violent disputes over how it should be made".<ref>George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg</ref> Whether to put tea in the cup first and add the milk after, or the other way around, has split public opinion, with Orwell stating, "indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject".<ref>George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg</ref> |
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Another aspect of the debate are claims that adding milk at the different times alters the flavour of the tea (for instance, see [[ISO 3103]] and the Royal Society of Chemistry's "How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea".<ref>"How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea" (PDF). Royal Society of Chemistry. 2003.</ref>) Some studies suggest that the heating of milk above 75 degrees Celsius (adding milk after the tea is poured, not before) does cause denaturation of the lactalbumin and lactoglobulin.<ref name="Heat Denaturation" /> Other studies argue brewing time has a greater importance.<ref>Kyle JA, PC Morrice, G McNeill, and GG Duthie. 2007. "Effects of Infusion Time and Addition of Milk on Content and Absorption of Polyphenols from Black Tea". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 55, no. 12: 4889-94.</ref> Regardless, when milk is added to tea, it may affect the flavour. In addition to considerations of flavour, the order of these steps is thought to have been, historically, an indication of class. Only those wealthy enough to afford good-quality [[porcelain]] would be confident of its being able to cope with being exposed to boiling water unadulterated with milk.<ref name="Dubrin2010" /> |
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⚫ | There are opinions as to the proper manner in which to drink tea when using a cup and saucer.<ref name=Sapsted>{{cite news|last=Sapsted|first=David|title=Tea room outlaws biscuit dunking|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559761/Tea-room-outlaws-biscuit-dunking.html|accessdate=28 May 2014|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=8 Aug 2007}}</ref> If one is seated at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the teacup only, placing it back into the saucer in between sips. When standing or sitting in a chair without a table, one holds the tea saucer with the off hand and the tea cup in the dominant hand. When not in use, the tea cup is placed back in the tea saucer and held in one's lap or at waist height. In either event, the tea cup should never be held or waved in the air. Fingers should be curled inwards, no finger should extend away from the handle of the cup.<ref name="Infographic: All About British Tea" /> |
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A further point of discussion on when to add milk is how it affects the time taken for the liquid to reach a drinkable temperature. While adding milk first will cause an initial drop in temperature which leads to a more shallow [[Newton's law of cooling|cooling curve]] (thus slower cooling) while also increasing volume (which would slightly increase the surface area through which the tea could lose heat), one study noted that adding milk first leads to the tea retaining heat out of all proportion with these effects. The major mechanism by which hot tea cools is not conduction or radiation but [[Evaporative cooler|evaporative loss]] which is affected by the physical properties of the milk. The study concluded that lipids in milk prevent water evaporating so rapidly thus retaining heat longer. |
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⚫ | There are opinions as to the proper manner in which to drink tea when using a cup and saucer.<ref name="Sapsted">{{cite news|last=Sapsted|first=David|title=Tea room outlaws biscuit dunking|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559761/Tea-room-outlaws-biscuit-dunking.html|accessdate=28 May 2014|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=8 Aug 2007}}</ref> Historically, during the 1770s and 1780s, it was fashionable to drink tea from saucers. Saucers were deeper than is the current fashion and so more similar to bowls like their Chinese antecedents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.americancenturies.mass.edu/classroom/curriculum_12th/unit3/lesson8/bkgdessay.html|title=Tea: A Brief History|last=Titus|first=Susan|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=25 April 2016}}</ref> If one is seated at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the teacup only, placing it back into the saucer in between sips. When standing or sitting in a chair without a table, one holds the tea saucer with the off hand and the tea cup in the dominant hand. When not in use, the tea cup is placed back in the tea saucer and held in one's lap or at waist height. In either event, the tea cup should never be held or waved in the air. Fingers should be curled inwards, no finger should extend away from the handle of the cup.<ref name="Infographic: All About British Tea" /> |
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== Tea as a meal == |
== Tea as a meal == |
Revision as of 11:06, 25 April 2016
Since the 18th century the United Kingdom has been one of the world's greatest tea consumers per capita, with an average per capita tea supply of 1.9 kg (4.18 Ibs) per year.
In Britain, the drinking of tea is so varied that it is quite hard to generalise. While it is usually always served with milk, it is not uncommon to drink it black or with lemon, with sugar being a popular addition to any of the above. Strong tea served with milk (and usually one or two teaspoons of sugar) in a mug is the most popular combination.
History
The first record of tea written in English came from English merchants abroad. In 1615, Richard Wickham who ran an
In 1662, Princess Catherine of Braganza of Portugal married Charles II and brought with her the preference for tea, which had already become common in Europe. As tea was her temperance drink of choice, it gained social acceptance among the aristocracy. Catherine of Braganza's choice of tea was also instrumental in the popularization of tea in Britain. Because tea was introduced primarily through male-frequented coffee houses, there would have been far less social acceptability for women to drink this beverage had it not been for her example. Catherine of Braganza's use of tea as a court beverage, rather than a medicinal drink, influenced its popularity in literary circles around 1685.[8]
The British East India company made its first order for the importation of tea in 1667 to their agent in Bantam, and two canisters of tea weighing 143 lbs 8 oz arrived from Bantam in 1669.[9] In 1672, a servant of Baron Herbert in London sent his instructions for tea making, and warming the delicate cups, to Shropshire;
"The directions for the tea are: a quart of spring water just boiled, to which put a spoonful of tea, and sweeten to the palate with candy sugar. As soon as the tea and sugar are in, the steam must be kept in as much as may be, and let it lie half or quarter of an hour in the heat of the fire but not boil. The little cups must be held over the steam before the liquid be put in."[10]
Black tea overtook green tea in popularity in the 1720s when sugar and milk were added to tea, a practice that was not done in China. The growth in the import of tea parallels that of sugar in the 18th century.[11] Between 1720 and 1750 the imports of tea to Britain through the British East India Company more than quadrupled.[12] Fernand Braudel queried, "is it true to say the new drink replaced gin in England?"[13] By 1766, exports from Canton stood at 6 million pounds on British boats, compared with 4.5 on Dutch ships, 2.4 on Swedish, 2.1 on French.[14] Veritable "tea fleets" grew up. Tea was particularly interesting to the Atlantic world not only because it was easy to cultivate but also because of how easy it was to prepare and its ability to revive the spirits and cure mild colds:[15] "Home, and there find my wife making of tea", Pepys recorded under 28 June 1667, "a drink which Mr. Pelling the Pottecary tells her is good for her colds and defluxions".
The earliest English
Between 1872 and 1884 the supply of tea to the British Empire increased with the expansion of the railway to the east. The demand, however, was not proportional, which caused the prices to rise. Nevertheless, from 1884 onward, due to new innovation in tea preparation, the price of tea dropped and remained relatively low throughout the first half of the 20th century. Soon afterwards London became the centre of the international tea trade.[16] With high tea imports also came a large increase in the demand for porcelain. The demand for tea cups, pots and dishes increased to go along with this popular new drink.[17] Now, people in Britain drink tea multiple times a day. As the years passed it became a drink less associated with high society; people of all classes today drink tea, which can be enjoyed in many different flavours and ways.
British-style tea
Even very slightly formal events can be a cause for cups and saucers to be used instead of mugs. A typical semi-formal British tea ritual might run as follows (the host performing all actions unless noted):[18]
- The kettle is brought to a rolling boil (with fresh water to ensure good oxygenation which is essential for proper diffusion of the tea leaves).[19]
- Enough boiling water is swirled around the teapot to warm it and then poured out.
- Add loose tea leaves (usually black tea) or tea bags, always added before the boiled water.
- Fresh boiling water is poured over the tea in the pot and allowed to brew for 2 to 5 minutes while a tea cosy may be placed on the pot to keep the tea warm.[20]
- The host asks guests if they want milk and sugar with their tea.
- A tea strainer is placed over the top of the cup and the tea poured in, unless tea bags are used. Tea bags may be removed, if desired, once desired strength is attained.
- Fresh milk and white sugar is added according to individual taste. Most people have milk with their tea, many without sugar.
- The pot will normally hold enough tea so as not to be empty after filling the cups of all the guests. If this is the case, the tea cosy is replaced after everyone has been served. Hot water may be provided in a separate pot, and is used only for topping up the pot, never the cup.
"By putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk, wheras one is likely to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round"
—One of
Whether to put milk into the cup before or after the tea has been a matter of debate since at least the mid-20th century; in his 1946 essay "A Nice Cup of Tea", author George Orwell wrote, "tea is one of the mainstays of civilisation in this country and causes violent disputes over how it should be made".[22] Whether to put tea in the cup first and add the milk after, or the other way around, has split public opinion, with Orwell stating, "indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject".[23]
Another aspect of the debate are claims that adding milk at the different times alters the flavour of the tea (for instance, see ISO 3103 and the Royal Society of Chemistry's "How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea".[24]) Some studies suggest that the heating of milk above 75 degrees Celsius (adding milk after the tea is poured, not before) does cause denaturation of the lactalbumin and lactoglobulin.[25] Other studies argue brewing time has a greater importance.[26] Regardless, when milk is added to tea, it may affect the flavour. In addition to considerations of flavour, the order of these steps is thought to have been, historically, an indication of class. Only those wealthy enough to afford good-quality porcelain would be confident of its being able to cope with being exposed to boiling water unadulterated with milk.[27]
A further point of discussion on when to add milk is how it affects the time taken for the liquid to reach a drinkable temperature. While adding milk first will cause an initial drop in temperature which leads to a more shallow cooling curve (thus slower cooling) while also increasing volume (which would slightly increase the surface area through which the tea could lose heat), one study noted that adding milk first leads to the tea retaining heat out of all proportion with these effects. The major mechanism by which hot tea cools is not conduction or radiation but evaporative loss which is affected by the physical properties of the milk. The study concluded that lipids in milk prevent water evaporating so rapidly thus retaining heat longer.
There are opinions as to the proper manner in which to drink tea when using a cup and saucer.[28] Historically, during the 1770s and 1780s, it was fashionable to drink tea from saucers. Saucers were deeper than is the current fashion and so more similar to bowls like their Chinese antecedents.[29] If one is seated at a table, the proper manner to drink tea is to raise the teacup only, placing it back into the saucer in between sips. When standing or sitting in a chair without a table, one holds the tea saucer with the off hand and the tea cup in the dominant hand. When not in use, the tea cup is placed back in the tea saucer and held in one's lap or at waist height. In either event, the tea cup should never be held or waved in the air. Fingers should be curled inwards, no finger should extend away from the handle of the cup.[18]
Tea as a meal
Tea is not only the name of the beverage, but of a late
There is a tradition of
Industrial Revolution
Some scholars suggest that tea played a role in British
Tea cards
In the United Kingdom a number of varieties of loose tea sold in packets from the 1940s to the 1980s contained tea cards. These were illustrated cards roughly the same size as
A related phenomenon arose in the early 1990s when PG Tips released a series of tea-based
Tea today
In 2003,
See also
- A Nice Cup of Tea
- Brown Betty (teapot), an iconic type of teapot made from British red clay, known for being rotund and glazed with brown manganese
- Cube teapot, a heavy-duty type of teapot invented for making tea on ships
- Earl Grey tea, a classic English blended tea, flavored with bergamot citrus oil
- English breakfast tea
- Gunfire (drink), a cocktail made of tea and rum served in the British Army
- List of tea companies#United Kingdom
- London Tea Auction
- Prince of Wales tea blend
- Rich tea, an early form of tea biscuit, created as a light between-meal snack to be served with tea
- Teacake
- Tea sandwich
- Teasmade, an English appliance that combines a kettle and a teapot to make tea automatically by alarm clock
- TV pickup, a daily spike in power consumption in the UK due to the use of electric kettles
References
- ^ "Food Balance Sheets". Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
- ^ Paul Chrystal (October 17, 2014). Tea: A Very British Beverage. Amberley Publishing Limited.
- ISBN 978-0-500-25146-1.
- ^ Niall Ferguson, Empire: the rise and demise of the British world order, (2004:11).
- ^ Rugge's Diurnall is preserved in the British Library (Add. MSS. 10,116-117); it was published as The diurnal of Thomas Rugg, 1659-1661, William Lewis Sachse ed., (1961).
- ^ Richard, Lord Braybrooke, ed., note in The Diary and Correspondence of Samuel Pepys, F.R.S., vol. I :109.
- The London Review of Books. 37 (15): 17–18. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ Tea Comes to England
- ISBN 9781130006230.
- ^ Smith, W. J., ed., Herbert Correspondence, University of Wales (1963), pp. 204-5 no. 353, John Read to Richard Herbert of Oakly Park, Ludlow, 29 June 1672.
- In Our Time. 29 April 2004. BBC Radio 4.
- ^ Sir George Staunton's figure, starting in 1693, is quoted, e.g., in Walvin, James. 1997. "A taste of empire, 1600-1800". (cover story). History Today 47.1 (2001: 11).
- ^ Braudel 1981:252.
- ^ Braudel 1981:251.
- ^ Guerty and Switaj 2004.
- ^ Nguyen, D. T., and M. Rose. 1987. "Demand for tea in the UK 1874-1938: An econometric study". Journal of Development Studies 24.1 (2010): 43.
- ^ Guerty, P. M., and Kevin Switaj. 2004. Tea, porcelain, and sugar in the British Atlantic world. OAH Magazine of History 18 (3) (04): 56-9.
- ^ a b URBANARA Infographic: All About British Tea, Guide to British Tea Time.
- ^ http://www.twinings.com/int/l2c_perfect_cup.php
- ^ Alleyne, Richard (15 Jun 2011). "How to make the perfect cup of tea – be patient". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ "How to make a perfect cuppa: put milk in first". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 December 2014
- ^ George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg
- ^ George Orwell, Ian Angus, Sheila Davison (1998). "The Complete Works of George Orwell: Smothered under journalism, 1946". p. 34. Secker & Warburg
- ^ "How to make a Perfect Cup of Tea" (PDF). Royal Society of Chemistry. 2003.
- ^ [1], The Heat Denaturation of Albumin and Globulin in Milk.
- ^ Kyle JA, PC Morrice, G McNeill, and GG Duthie. 2007. "Effects of Infusion Time and Addition of Milk on Content and Absorption of Polyphenols from Black Tea". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 55, no. 12: 4889-94.
- ISBN 978-1-60734-363-9. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Sapsted, David (8 Aug 2007). "Tea room outlaws biscuit dunking". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- ^ Titus, Susan. "Tea: A Brief History". Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ^ "Crunch time: why Britain loves a good biscuit". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2015
- ^ "Chocolate digestive is nation's favourite dunking biscuit". The Telegraph. 2 May 2009
- ^ Tea and the Industrial Revolution
- ^ a b c d "Britons have less time for tea", Food & Drink. 16 June 2003. (Retrieved 2010-05-16.)
- ^ "Espresso cups outsell mugs", The Telegraph. 11 Nov 2011.
Further reading
- Julie E. Fromer. A Necessary Luxury: Tea in Victorian England (Ohio University Press, 2008), 375pp
- Hobhouse, Henry (1987). Seeds of Change: Six Plants that Transformed Mankind. Harper. )