Exactly six months into living in England and I had my first cup of tea.

When I worked at the bakery I used to make tea for customers a hundred times a day, but I never had one myself. Whenever I was presented with the choice of a hot beverage I always opted for hot chocolate (or drinking chocolate, as the English call it). But on this occasion, March 28, the 25^th Sunday since I’d moved to England I had my first cuppa.

At my new job, where I work 4 hour shifts, I get asked 2 to 3 times, per shift, if I want a cup of tea. I usually say, “I’m okay. Thanks,” but on this day I felt like saying yes. The walk to work was especially crisp this morning, so a little warming up certainly couldn’t hurt.

My co-worker, Ele, left me in charge of making both our teas. Now, as I’ve said, I made tea for tons of people at the bakery, but this time felt different somehow. All my insecurities about making tea were coming to a head. Tea is a very complex drink. How long do you keep the bag in? Do you add the sugar before the milk? Do you even add milk at all? To avoid needless complication I left my tea completely plain. I added the two lumps of sweeter Ele had requested and took the tea bag out when it looked dark but not too dark. I gave her the tea and quickly went downstairs with mind. I didn’t hear any gagging or other complaints so I think it must have come out all right.

My tea was nice, too. It didn’t taste bad but I wouldn’t really describe it as tasting great either. It’s almost as if tea was invented so people could have something more than just hot water to warm up with after being out in the cold. You know, if it looks like something more, it’s worth drinking. I just had a basic tea, and I know there are different flavours available so that must be the draw. I do so want to fit in here in England so maybe if someone invents a hot chocolate flavoured tea, I’ll try it.

I have since tried tea again with some sugar, and while you can taste a difference, I like it just the same with the additive. The tea left several stained rings around the inside of my mug and it made me wonder what it was doing to my teeth. Now I remember why I used tea bags to make old maps in elementary school.

Well, it took me a while but I did eventually have a cup of tea, English style. I’m not saying it’s going to find itself as a part of my daily routine (if I even have one) but I’m not ruling it out either. But I still prefer hot chocolate.

Fun Fact: Do you know what they call English Muffins here? Toasting Muffins, obvious, right?

After writing this post, I decided to look into how to make the perfect cup of tea. I came across an article in BBC News about that very thing, and it included George Orwell’s 11 steps to the perfect cuppa.

George Orwell’s Tea Rules

1. Use tea from India or Ceylon (Sri Lanka), not China
2. Use a teapot, preferably ceramic
3. Warm the pot over direct heat
4. Tea should be strong – six spoons of leaves per 1 litre
5. Let the leaves move around the pot – no bags or strainers
6. Take the pot to the boiling kettle
7. Stir or shake the pot
8. Drink out of a tall, mug-shaped tea cup
9. Don’t add creamy milk
10. Add milk to the tea, not vice versa
11. No sugar!

Check out the BBC’s take here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3016342.stm