Feeling Sick? Grab a Cuppa Tea!

Oh how we are ignorant Americans. Up until today I did not know how to make a good cuppa tea. Heck, I didn’t even know “cuppa” was a word! I thought the Brits were saying “cup o’ tea” or “cup a’ tea.” So hey, I learned something new today!

I took another sick day today and I am truly not happy about it, as Fridays are fairly quiet and therefore, my most productive days. But perhaps one of my biggest things to do when I’m sick is to make a big bowl of chicken noodle soup, which I’m not sure if it really works, but I’m a little superstitious, so I always have a bowl for good luck. The second thing I do is make some tea, because it has anti-oxidants, caffeine, and overall it just makes me feel a little British.

I used to make fun of my friend Jim when we’d go to Hubbard & Cravens Coffee and Tea, he would get a special tea cup, along with a special tea timer… I’m sorry Jim, but I still think it’s just a little nerdy. But I was also curious, how is one supposed to make a proper cuppa British tea? Doing a little research, here’s what I’ve found:

1. Boil the water, just to a rolling boil. Boiling the water too much will lose oxygen and make the tea taste flat.

2. Place some hot water in the tea pot to get it nice and warm so the water doesn’t grow cold fast.

3. Place the proper amount of tea bags in the tea pot (or a mug) and pour the hot water in.

4. Allow the tea to properly steep, usually 4-5 minutes depending on the tea.

5. Pour the tea into the tea cup and add milk and sugar (if desired).

Okay! So a lot more went in to tea making than I thought, and I only scratched the surface! Here’s a short advertisement featuring the PG Tips monkey showing us, in a funny way, how to make tea:

Looking for the old-school British way of making tea? Check out this video from 1941 showing “tea making tips.”

Well friends, that’s all for now. I hope you feel a little more British and have a fine appreciation for the art of tea making. In fact, I think I just might throw on my favorite British comedy, The IT Crowd, or watch Harry Potter! All I need to learn now is how to make some good southern sweet iced tea… any suggestions?