London Calling! Wait, Calling London!

[stoney321]

My daughter and I have been arguing about something (in a good natured way) for a while, now, and I realized I can ask my flist, since so many of you are Brits (or Brit adjacent).

SERIOUS POLL OF IMPORTANCE AND SCIENTIFIC MEASURING OMG*

*not in the slightest, and if you take this seriously to the point of believing this is an actual academic poll, I am going to laugh at you. Because I am an idiot, come on, now.

[Poll #1916248]

Also, it is said daughter's 16th birthday today, and she's awesome, and I love her a whole bunch. And she has a big surprise waiting for her when she comes home from school. MOPPING! I'm kidding. A BABY! No, that's not it, either. THE BOOT! 16 is old enough to be on her own, amirite?

I have all day to be goofy, and I'm happy about that. Also, I had to get ranty in my Tumblr this morning, something I never do, but it's important. And no one cares, I know, but I do, and I feel responsible for this topic (hoarders) and yeah.

BACK TO MY CUP OF TEA. Sans milk. (OMG, the MiL is coming over today and I'm on my "no booze" week and that might need to change.)

Comments

[gingerpig.livejournal.com]

Like for really serious *g*

I like 'builders tea' as in leave the teabag in the cup 'til you can stand the spoon up in it and then show the side of the cup a little splash of skimmed milk. No sugar (which technically means it's not actually builder's tea as that along with 'NATO Standard' is strong with two sugars)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

NATO STANDARD. Omg, that is hilarious.

Really? Milk? Like, I guess I should ask if this is only for a specific type of tea, like black? Green? White?

Here in my neck of the woods, milk would be added to something like chamomile tea when you were little or sick.

I AM LEARNING SO MUCH, OMG.

[gillo]

Tea has milk in it. British workman's strong and murky is ultra-strong and has milk and lots of sugar. Traditionally a spoon can stand up by itself in a mug of it.

I prefer weak tea, milk, no sugar. Tea without milk is suspiciously foreign.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

HOW DO YOU MAKE A SPOON STAND IN TEA?

I thought that was a metaphor. *scratches head*

Okay, here is how I - a lowly foreigner - make tea. (Loose in my tea strainer)

*heat water to appropriate temp for whatever type it is (currently I'm on a white tea with dried bits of ginger in it)
* pour water over tea ball/strainer
* let sit for 2 minutes (because it's white)
* pull out strainer, add a spoon of sugar in the raw, drink.

I AM DOING IT WRONG FOR ENGLAND, I SEE. Consider my mind BLOWN.

[gingerpig.livejournal.com]

Milk in black tea (Chinese or Indian tea) - they're both actually classed as black tea I think, but I prefer Indian tea, it has a lovely golden brown colour and and is much smoother and less smoky. My absolute favourite is English Breakfast, but not the kind you get there. I had some when I was in New York last month and I needed three tea bags in one cup and it still wasn't strong enough...

The amount of milk and when to add it has oft been argued and discussed *g*

Personally if I'm making my tea in a mug (bone china only) then I add the milk after. If I'm making a pot then I'll add a splash of milk while the tea's brewing (minimum of four minutes) to get to room temp and then add the tea.

Green and white tea, as well as Earl Grey, I have without milk.

I'd highly recommend Clipper Teas if you can get them, they blend teas from Africa, Assam and Sri Lanka and it's my go to cuppa in the morning. If you can't I can totally hook you up /tea dealer

[zyrya]

Milk in tea is a manners thing. Tea stains bone china, and this can be prevented by adding a bit of milk or lemon. So -not- taking either milk or lemon is a faux pas.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STONEY JR! I hope she has a gorgeous birthday!

[bethynyc.livejournal.com]

I am not British (woe is me!) but I drink black tea with milk and sugar. I drink the wimpy US teas, because that is what is available, but sometimes use loose teas with my strainer.

We have an electric kettle for heating water!

WOW OKAY.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I HAD TO TAKE A PIC OF MY TEA TO SHOW YOU.



Okay, I'm mostly done with it (it's a lovely hand-made ceramic mug, so I'm already failing) and you can see a wee bit of schmortz (tea leaves) there, but it's watery in consistency. It's super flavorful, because I'm American and we put too much flavor in everything except our cheese slices (don't get me started).

If I'm brewing black tea (I like Indian, too!) then I let it steep for a good 5 minutes, but I've never added milk. Clearly my world is about to change. :D

I loooooooove green tea, but I'm on a serious white tea kick right now, because I get a brand that has flowers and dried ginger in it and it's just so freaking delicious.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OHO, LOOK AT THAT! I love learning the manners aspect of it, how fascinating!! Okay, that is settling in my brain and now I'll know how to behave when I go to England, omg.

I will pass the wishes on! She's such a great kid, I just love her to pieces.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I'm all for loose tea so I can make it as strong as I like, too. <3

I have an old kettle that I can't part with, but an electric kettle would be great. (I know most Brits prefer that, as I've been told.)

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'd love a cup of tea, milk and one-" [sugar, silently implied] = infallible way of putting people at ease when I turn up to do a Serious Inspection. You can't be afraid of someone drinking this.

Technically, I'll drink tea that has either milk or sugar, but both is better. Neither is baaaad.

Basic tea is *always* assumed to be black tea, and that's what you put milk [and one] in. Green tea and even white tea are around nowadays and are never milky afaik, but they're also always called 'green tea' or 'white tea'. Tea is tea, dammit.

I have no tea icons. Woe.

Kettles for everyone!

[ladycyndra.livejournal.com]

16! I remember 16. Where the hell does time go, man??

[eac.livejournal.com]

My husband (whose parents are British) takes his tea with milk and sugar. I used to drink mine with lemon (and nothing else, except honey if I had a cold) but after 15 years or so of relentless THINGS in the tea, I now put milk in it. My stomach likes me better when I drink it that way and I'm led to understand that this lowers the amount of tea stain on your teeth.

[eac.livejournal.com]

Er, unless it's green tea. In which case I drink it straight.

[deililly.livejournal.com]

I am an unnatural Brit and don't do builders tea. But then this is a soft water area so you don't need the tea to fight with the water... We put a slice of lemon in tea in hard water areas. Lessens the scum. I am looking at you London.

Milk? In your tea? Echhhh

[lissysadmin.livejournal.com]

My mother was an expatriate Aussie (war bride, y'know) who suffered coffee for 15 years or so but reverted to tea (black tea - loose leaves if she could get it back in the 60's & 70's), two sugars, please, but the milk in the tea was for the children. I did the tea thing until way after college ( I love oolong and jasmine teas - sometimes a drop of honey or the slightest hint of sugar, but NEVER milk.) Now at my advanced age, I have an absolute caffeine (as in the blackest coffee roast I can get) addiction, two sugars please. I always say the caffeine and sugar is my jump start of an AM.). A little chamomile in the winter evenings. (The acorn doesn't fall very far from the tree.). But MILK is for children, sorry. Possibly for YOUR child, as well? No bone china to fret over:).

Re: WOW OKAY.

[gingerpig.livejournal.com]

And here's mine!



Ooh now that white tea sounds delicious. I have a thing for white tea too, it's very refreshing and less tanniny (that's so a word) than regular tea.

If you're going to try milk in your black tea, might I suggest skim to start off with? It'll be less of a creamy shock to your taste buds *g*

Re: WOW OKAY.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

This is the white tea of which I am speaking and that is my main tea purveyor. Tanniny is TOTALLY a word! I know just what you meant, too. :D

So when you add milk, you're adding whole milk? Or cream? I could get behind that. Clearly I need to make a fresh cup.

...HOW ABOUT BUTTER I AM SOUTHERN AFTER ALL. (lol)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love this. I am so happy to learn the vernacular! Tea IS tea, I agree! I usually make a point of saying I'm drinking white tea, but if I hear "tea" I think of black.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I was just telling my husband today that there isn't enough money in the world to make me go back to being 16. But she's quite good at it!

:D

[gingerpig.livejournal.com]

I lived in Scotland for a little while and the water is lovely and soft there, best tea I ever had *pines*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I add lemon to my green tea, honey to my herbals, and a bit of sugar to my white and black. But CLEARLY I am going to have to branch out and learn to drink it properly! I have no problems with that. :D

The stain issue was brought up by Zyrya, but that was in relation to the cup. That makes TOTAL sense about teeth, as well. HUH.

*rainbow hands "The more you know."*

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahaha.

This is awesome to learn. I have lovely filtered water in my house (which doesn't come easy, because our local water tastes like there is dirt growing in it) so that might be why I've never thought to add to it?

*scratches chin*

Re: WOW OKAY.

[gingerpig.livejournal.com]

The kind of milk is again a matter of taste. I can't stand whole milk at all so I'd never have that in tea, but I'll have semi-skimmed, I think that's 2%? at a push, but preferably I like mine 0%. But I do know people that have whole milk in their tea.

And awesome, I shall see if I can grab some of that.

(I need more tea icons...)

Re: Milk? In your tea? Echhhh

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

See, "the milk in the tea was for the children" was what I was led to believe was the norm.

Mmmm, jasmine tea. SO SO GOOD.

(Can I blow your mind about coffee? The lighter the roast, the more caffeine. I KNOW. I know. But it's true. The caffeine gets broken down - it's an actual, tangible oil, and is not unlike ear wax (blech) in its natural state - the longer its roasted.) But I drink Sumatra. Mmmm. Dark, like my thoughts. :D

No bone china in the house, I'm afraid! Well, not tea cups, just plates.