ANY TEA DRINKERS OUT THERE?

Not everyone is a tea drinker. Myself, I didn't get a real liking for the stuff until I was in my 30s and pregnant. Now I couldn't imagine not having a few cups of the fragrant brew every day!

I love my pretty English china and I use it every day. Ask my cousin Harold who spent some time with me a few weeks ago, we slurped tea and had cookies and fruit cake, and all manner of catching up. And I'll Blog more about that at a later date.

This picture features a plate of Jam-Jams, those soft old- fashioned cookies so loved by Newfoundlanders, and we like them too!

According to my sources (well, alright, Wikipedia.......)

Who brought tea to Canada?

A principal commodity in Canada's history, pre- nationhood, was tea. Imported by Britain through the East India Company, and distributed throughout the northlands by the Hudson's Bay Company and others, tea was a staple in the average Canadian's diet.

Tea, apparently originated in regions of Southwest China, Tibet and India.

Thank You!!

Everybody has their preference as to the brand or blend, and there is a lot of noise in the tea industry today. All kinds of new kids on the block, with their versions of what we should be drinking. And I'd like to think that drinking tea is really just a habit passed down from grandmother to daughter and so on. And maybe it is. God knows it's not nutritious, and neither is that cookie or square that's going to go down with it, but there you have it. I learned that from my grandmother too. I'd say that a lot of broken hearts got mended over a good pot of tea (or two) and many a good cry. Many a late night might have been made easier with a good cup of tea, as Dad waited impatiently for a teenager to return home on time. And what house party is complete with out the tea and a lunch? None, I'd say!

Also if Uncle Art was around with perhaps a little bottle of something special tucked discretely in his pocket, a splash of that would have fortified Momma's tea, no question! She wasn't shy if a little shine was available.

As you can see, I keep all kinds of coffee and tea, I'm just a cheap prostitute when it comes to brands.

Except for two.

Jamie gets King Cole and lots of it.

Nova gets Yorkshire, and I won't apologize.

I'm making sure it's on my Christmas wish list, and somebody in my family better make sure there's a big box under my tree!

Somehow, I enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee each and every morning with my breakfast, and again, I'm sure it's just out of habit, and maybe that hit of sweet caffeine is just what I need to jump start my day. I'm prone to a good shot of cream in my coffee.

Caffeine Levels Vary a Lot in Coffee and Tea

As a rule of thumb, coffee has about twice as much caffeine as tea. Caffeine levels vary a lot, though, in both beverages. More specifically a cup of:

• coffee has between 95 and 200 milligrams of caffeine

• black tea has between 14 and 70 milligrams of caffeine

Thanks again, Wikipedia.

I rarely have coffee again unless I'm out with one of my friends, or I take a frigary, as Momma would say.

Now tea, let's get on to that.

Jamie won't thank you for tea unless you've boiled the arse off the teapot and it's hot and black. And most Islanders would think well, is there any other way? Of course it should be strong and black! And Momma used to add a healthy dollop of canned milk. Dear Jesus take me now......

We actually used to buy Perfection canned milk by the case, because at that time Jamie drank his tea the same as Momma. I didn't drink it at all.

And at our old house with a cozy wood stove in use all year round, day and night there was always, ALWAYS a kettle on the boil, and a tea pot ready for brewing. It probably never stopped. Momma would holler out from her bedroom, or as soon as she came in from Souris, "My god, put the tea on will you?"

And this was code language for dump out this morning's tea, swish the pot with hot water from the kettle, throw in two or three bags and keep it topped up. You tea drinkers know what I mean.

To my knowledge, as much as I detest a dirty pot, that old Pyrex teapot was never washed. Not properly. Just swished out. And a little gal from down the road years ago who shared many pots of tea with her Northside friend was appalled that someone would wash the teapot. A clean teapot does not equal good tea. Merciful god, leave the pot alone, especially if it was stainless steel. It needed to be charred black on the inside.

I was married in 1977 and every bride in those days got at least one piece of Pyrex among her wedding shower gifts, and many of us got more than one. A coffee pot, a large tea pot, or one of the little round ones perhaps. They were tried and true, what quality dishes. Today, if one is lucky enough to find a Pyrex tea pot or dish at the local thrift store, we pay dearly, they are becoming hard to find. And grab one if you see it!

My homemaking days came along just as tea was made convenient to the masses with bagged tea vs. loose tea. I remember Momma making tea with the leaves and my Uncle Terry "reading" those leaves, one of his many stunts. Lots of people were quite sincere about it, they wouldn't start their day without turning the cup over into its saucer to check the leaves. Good day or bad? Only the leaves know.......

And my Uncle Freddie, of course along with many other people drank his tea from the saucer. Every one has their way, but one thing becomes clear: tea is a mighty fine drink.

I've tried other teas.

Green tea leaves me cold. Pardon the pun.

Lavender tea? Quite delicious.

Camomile tea? Honey and lemon? Mint? Meh......

Just give me a pot (heated first with fresh water) of common, unadulterated orange pekoe tea. Steeped please. A little 2% milk in the china cup first. Throw a cookie on the plate and let me relax.

King Cole tea, a trusted brand in the Maritimes and beyond has a long and illustrious reputation. As you can see, proudly Canadian for well over a hundred years. Momma loved it. And it wasn't til after she passed away that I started to make tea my own way, carefully at first, and I soon grew to love the pungent fragrance put off by gentle brewing. It always seemed so bitter, until I realized there was more than one way to do it. I was expecting B.J. at the time and for some reason I took to liking tea, just steeped, not boiled to tar.

And the rest is history.

Here is the back of the Yorkshire Tea box, a beautiful picture. And a great story. I got a sample of this tea a few months ago in an on-line order of some sort, and I've been hooked ever since. It's not easy to find, I had to resort to Amazon, but whatevs. A box will do me a long time.

In the summer, I make my own iced tea, "sun tea" I call it, since I cold steep a jar in the sun, just until I like the color, then I stir in a spoonful of sugar and some lemon wedges, and what a lunchtime treat with a Peanut Butter Sammie on a good rustic whole grain bread!

Does anyone remember the old CBC series "North of 60" with the old elder Joe Gumba? He was always boiling up a pot of tea in the woods, dipping in his favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies and sharing. Sharing his knowledge and his tea.

And speaking of dipping, or dunking, now there's a habit I can't get an appreciation for. I know, I know, to each his own. To me, it just ruins a good cup of tea (or coffee) and ruins a cookie. Or donut. Jamie, once upon a time, would butter a molasses cookie, slap another one on to top it, then dunk away. Dear God, I'd make him wash the dishes, because I couldn't do it. No need to explain what that looked like........

So however you start or end your day, I hope you enjoy a relaxing cup of your favorite tea. Make time for it. Use your good dishes and cherish them. Have a nice sweet with it, life is short.

And like me, make no apologies.