How to Make The Perfect Cup of Tea

French toast blintzes + perfect cups of tea

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

— Henry James, Portrait of a Lady

Join me in my kitchen while I make french toast blintzes and contemplate the excellencies of tea. Listen below…Joy's Favourite Tea:Ingredients:1 Yorkshire Gold Tea BagWhole MilkTurbinado Sugar

 Instructions:

Boil water. Choose your favourite mug, preferably china, but if not, something on the thinner side (this keeps the tea hot!).  When the water is boiled, pour a bit of water in the empty mug (sans tea bag), swish it around, and then toss it in the sink. This warms the mug so that your tea will brew strongly and be hot. Now that the mug is warm, put your Yorkshire Gold tea bag in and pour the boiling water directly onto the tea bag (you want the water to hit the tea before it hits the mug!). In the U.K. you can find Yorkshire Gold in any grocery store. In the U.S. you can find it at Whole Foods, World Market, or order it on Amazon. Yorkshire Red is also lovely; I alternate between the two. Let steep for four minutes. Pull the tea bag out with a spoon, gently pressing it against the side of a mug. Then add 1 heaping teaspoon of sugar,  and a dollop of milk. I like my tea to be amber coloured. On the picture below, I usually go for a 3 or 4 on the colour scale. Stir well, and enjoy with a biscuit (I recommend McVitties Dark Chocolate Digestives!)

Enjoy!