morning cups of tea

I love the first cup of tea of the day, It is a gentle, tasty way to wake up my mind, warm myself and focus on the day that is beginning. I drink tea off and on throughout the day but the first cup is the magical one. Days that start with coffee at work instead of tea at home don't ever seem to have as solid a foundation.

My normal tea of choice is a good strong English breakfast. I like two cubes of sugar (we use unrefined pure cane sugar) and a lot of milk. My hubby who also like that first cup takes his with one sugar and just a breath of milk. I can't describe it exactly... But I really really look forward to that first sip of piping hot tea.

Some other family favorites on the tea front...

Hubby used to drink Earl Grey or Black Currant, Now he likes Lapsang Souchong a smoky Chinese tea.

Mom like Darjeeling, more floral. subtle, a golden color when brewed. She also LOVES the house blend at the Dorchester hotel in London. We visited there some 15 years ago and she still remembers that tea- (note to self--- must go back there for high tea again some day)

In the afternoon I sometimes enjoy a cup of earl grey. We serve an organic variety in my restaurant, or a spicy chai with loads of cardamom.

there are hundreds of kinds of tea and dozens of grades of tea in each variety. I have also learned to love green tea, especially after a traditional Japanese meal.

one of my favorite online tea shops is Adagio teas. They have great tea and tea gear.

A little more about ENGLISH BREAKFAST, the morning tea of choice...
from wikipedia English Breakfast Tea

English Breakfast tea is a black tea blend usually described as full-bodied, robust, and/or rich, and blended to go well with milk and sugar, in a style traditionally associated with a hearty English breakfast.

The black teas included in the blend vary, with Assam, Ceylon and Kenyan teas, and Keemun common. Common brands of English Breakfast tea include Twinings, Tetley, Taylor's of Harrogate, PG Tips, Stash Tea Company, Lipton, Celestial Seasonings, Ringtons Tea, Zesta and Dilmah.

origins; Accounts of its origins vary. Many attribute its origins to a man named Drysdale in Edinburgh: Over a hundred years ago in Scotland a man named Drysdale went into the specialty tea business within sight of the castle of Edinburgh and offered a tea called Breakfast.... "As of 1982 they still sell the only tea on the market called simply Breakfast and nothing more, probably reasoning that Scots ... at that time of day want to be told nothing more than which blend of teas makes a good eye-opener."

Another explanation of its origin cites a Journal of Commerce article which dates the blend to 1843 and a tea merchant named Richard Davies in New York City. Davies, an English immigrant, started with a base of Congou and added a bit of Pekoe and Pouchong. It sold for 50 cents a pound, and its success led to imitators, helping to popularize the name.