(19-02-2011 08:35 PM)langley Wrote:  Thank you for the explanation about the tea - that is one of the reasons I love this forum so much! I'm a big tea drinker, too, which I proudly attribute to my English heritage on my mother's side. But if I have any after noon I can't sleep. The last time I went to London I drank so much tea I couldn't sleep a wink. A colleague of mine from London told me the English think tea is a cure for everything, including insomnia. I love the English so much!

Not English, but still loving tea (and coffee, if I am honest),
if you have trouble catching sleep after drinking tea but you crave your cup of warmth, you should give 'Rooibos-tea' a try, (it's a South-African tea), there's no theine in it (which is what makes you restless, same as caffeine) and it tastes delicious, it's really healthy too, you can give it to babies when they have crampes.

(20-02-2011 03:55 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  I'm more of a coffee fan, but I felt "Coffee Lady" didn't have the same ring to it. I wish there were more tea and cake shops in the UK, especially London. No lie, but on my walk from train station to office, which is 15mins. I pass 3 Costas, 3 Eats, and 2 Starbucks. Where are all the tea shops ??????

Sweet Tea is a bit grim. Black Tea is ok.

I believe all the tea shops are in the quaint picturesque villages in the countryside!!

(20-02-2011 03:55 PM)Tea Lady Wrote:  I'm more of a coffee fan, but I felt "Coffee Lady" didn't have the same ring to it. I wish there were more tea and cake shops in the UK, especially London. No lie, but on my walk from train station to office, which is 15mins. I pass 3 Costas, 3 Eats, and 2 Starbucks. Where are all the tea shops ??????

Sweet Tea is a bit grim. Black Tea is ok.

Ha Ha Tea Lady that made me laugh...we are quite the opposite, we would kill for a Costa coffee/Starbucks as we have far too many tea rooms (with the twee net curtains!) for a market town of around 4000... and the tea must be strong!

Well I live in Devon, and like you Yorkshire Tyke we are tripping over tea rooms. Most of them are hideous with ye olde tables and chairs and the obligatory horse brasses. You have to go to Exeter to find a good coffee shop.

I don't think we have any tea rooms here in Manchester (...unsurprisingly) xD Not that I've seen anyway! There seem to be loads once you get out into Derbyshire/Yorkshire though; I don't know if it's a tourist attraction or something strange?

Starbucks latte's are delicious, if ridiculously over-priced. But as far as tea goes... I think I'd rather make my own!

(20-02-2011 10:58 AM)picard1109 Wrote:  I don't think you need any English heritage to enjoy tea. Actually, I'm a Brit and I can't stand the stuff!

Lol me too. ALthough I would add that "I'll put the kettle on" is the knee jerk repsonse of every Brit for a difficult situation, whether they're making tea, coffee or herbal stuff. But yes, the idea that tea with milk and a heap of sugar will solve and sooth all manner of dramas.

Thank you so much for the tea tutorial! In the States, especially the South, tea is brewed very strong and then heavily sweetened. English sweet tea sounds so much nicer!

(22-02-2011 09:49 AM)loladom Wrote:  "I'll put the kettle on" is the knee jerk repsonse of every Brit for a difficult situation, whether they're making tea, coffee or herbal stuff.

In Norway we just reach for the bottle...

(23-02-2011 09:47 PM)Annie Wrote:  In Norway we just reach for the bottle...

Hahaha! Works for me!

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(23-02-2011 01:37 AM)PactumServa Wrote:  In the States, especially the South, tea is brewed very strong and then heavily sweetened. English sweet tea sounds so much nicer!

God, that stuff will strip the enamel off your teeth! Its usually iced tea too. It wouldn't surprise me if the origins of Southern sweet tea is English sweet tea, though. Some love it. Some hate it. I love my iced tea, but I am not a fan....

(23-02-2011 09:47 PM)Annie Wrote:  In Norway we just reach for the bottle...

That works here, in Spain, as well That or hot cocoa.

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I love both tea and coffee, I can't choose!