Kevin's Watch

mmmmmmmmthat sounds heavenly. I have to try that one.[/quote]

Hmm, I think we're getting a bit confused between traditional English 'black' tea and the more exotic and fruity varieties favoured abroad.

English tea, The National Drink, has a strong, rather bitter taste when drank on its own. Typically the beverage is taken with a 'spot' of milk (colloquial measurement, equivalent to about 50ml) and two or less spoonfuls of sugar.

Earl Grey is an entirely more sophisticated beast with a delicate flavour. It is usually taken without milk, but I'd recommend trying it with a little bit of milk (no more than half a spot) at least once, as it masks certain flavours and brings others to the fore. I alternate between milky and non-milky Earl Grey depending on my mood.

The Earl Grey's wife was also a gifted tea maker it seems, and I'd recommend the citrussy Lady Grey to anyone.

Rooibos is good too, although I've never been able to find it over here and usually have to settle for small boxes smuggled out of South Africa by relatives. It's also good to drink if you have buggered up your heart by consuming too much caffeine (as happened to one of my friends aged 22).

I like green tea too, but it's hard to make properly, especially if it is in bags. If you leave it to brew for too long, or agitate it too much then it turns cloudy and bitter. Made properly it is a delicate, if perhaps acquired, taste and is rich in anti-oxidants to ward of heart attacks and senile dementia.

My fave's gotta be PG Tips. mmmmmm. milk no sugar, mind.

No milk?

I can't stand tea without milk...

The weather's starting to turn cold now, and the evenings are drawing in...the perfect time of year to drink TEA! Mmmmmm...... Just normal tea, quite milky... Mmm, the warming goodness...

I drink a lot of tea, usually just your normal tea-bag type with a bit of milk and sugar, and something herbal, like Mint or Jasmine, last thing at night. Lately, I've switched to Rooibos during the day though...Too much caffeine.

Nav wrote:Rooibos is good too, although I've never been able to find it over here and usually have to settle for small boxes smuggled out of South Africa by relatives. It's also good to drink if you have buggered up your heart by consuming too much caffeine (as happened to one of my friends aged 22).

Nav, I don't know about Sheffield, but if you want, I can organise the names/addresses of some places that sell it in London for you. A very good friend of mine there is an absolute fanatic about tea. The biggest problem at his place when you feel like a cup is choosing one from the dozens of varieties he has at any given time.

Imagine my surprise, the last time I visited, to enter the kitchen and be confronted with the very brand of Rooibos that I'd grown up with all my life. A good few places sell it, and other south African delicacies in London. Might have to do with the fact that there are about a million S.Africans living there.

--Avatar

Tea is nice for a sore throat, but give me a big old mug of steaming cofee any day. I mean the kind with caffeine of course. I ran out of cofee in my dorm last week, and well, I need my fix.

I love tea, the original, brown kind. All that other herbal stuff is just too weird for me.

Avatar wrote:Nav, I don't know about Sheffield, but if you want, I can organise the names/addresses of some places that sell it in London for you. A very good friend of mine there is an absolute fanatic about tea. The biggest problem at his place when you feel like a cup is choosing one from the dozens of varieties he has at any given time.

Imagine my surprise, the last time I visited, to enter the kitchen and be confronted with the very brand of Rooibos that I'd grown up with all my life. A good few places sell it, and other south African delicacies in London. Might have to do with the fact that there are about a million S.Africans living there.

There are actually a coupe of good tea and coffee shops near the part of town that I've just moved to, so I should probably check them out. I could do with making the switch though, as I'm drinking far too much tea and coffee now my PhD is underway.

You're definitely right about the South Africans in London too, especially West London. It makes playing a game of rugby a frightening prospect indeed. I ended up with a frozen shoulder after trying to take down the biggest number 8 I've ever seen. Plus when I worked in medical trials about 70% of the volunteers were South African.