Gathered by Virgins - part 2.

The ritual of tea drinking, plus how to brew the perfect cupper.
 Continuing on from my midweek post about the unusual side of tea drinking, let us know consider the English ritual of tea drinking.

By the 1880's tea drinking became an upper class ritual. Ladies gathering around a silver tea pot with elegant porcelain cups became symbols of good taste and refinement and the preparation of tea was an art in itself. A popular household manual from the 1880's 'Enquire With Upon Everything' instructs on how to make the perfect brew.
-         Use freshly boiled water, not exhausted by prolonged boiling-         Scald the pot with hot water then empty it-         Add sufficient water and then add the tea, quickly closing the lid-         Let the brew stand for three and a half minutes-         This greatly superior method preserves the delicate aroma of the tea.
A regency tea party.
Other help words on making tea include:
-         A given quantity of tea imparts strength to the water; any additional quantity is a waste.-         Two small teaspoons of good black tea are sufficient for three cupfuls.-         The best tea is made with the best water; too hard or soft will yield quantities of black tannin.-         Dr Kitchiner recommends all water pouring in one drawing, a second drawing is bad. Better to have two teapots than two drawings.

All this takes me back to my grandmother and her insistance on the correct manner of making tea. I understand a bit better now where she was coming from and almost feel guilty about dunking a lonely tea bag in a mug of hot water. How about you? Does your family have rituals attached to making tea? Indeed, do you drink tea at all or has coffee drinking taken over?