The Perfect Cuppa

The British public service runs on it. Without it America could well be part of the Commonwealth. And it was responsible for much of the wealth of the British Empire.

Tea, the good English "cuppa". Those innocuous little dried, black leaves that burst into life when boiling water is poured on them.

There are those who will tell you that a maiden aunt is as essential to the making of a good cup of tea as a virgin is to a Mayan sacrifice, or potatoes in a Cornish pasty. Only a spinster could provide the atmosphere and ritual necessary, they argue.

To make the perfect cup of tea, water must be brought to the boil, no more. To over boil would dissipate the essential minerals and salts that give the first cup its fresh taste. The boiling water is then poured gently on to the tea in a china teapot, which has been previously warmed.

While the tea is brewing an insulating cover, or cozy, is placed over the teapot to retain temperature. Depending on the type of tea, the brew should be allowed to infuse from three to five minutes. The colour will infuse almost immediately, but the extra time is necessary to extract the caffeine, nicotinic acid, tannin and various other components that make tea such a popular beverage.

Tea has for long been a subject of ritual and lore. One spoonful for each person and one for the pot. Milk in the cup first. Pour gently, less the tea gets bruised. The Japanese tea ceremony goes back over a thousand years and the Chinese have been pouring boiling water over tea since 2700 BC. But for all its long history there are still those that can, and those that can not make a good cup of tea.

It is generally recognized that the English make a good cup of tea. Not surprising really, seeing that they drink a fifth of the world production. There are not too many people in America who would include tea on their shopping list, or even know how to make a "cuppa", and that is surprising seeing that they fought a war over it some 200 years ago.

Of course, the vicar doesn't think of all this as he sips his tea from a delicate bone china cup. All he knows is that without tea his life would be more difficult. None of his parishioners would dream of unburdening their problems without a cup of tea.

A good cup of tea can be made, of course, without the maiden aunt and the tea cozy and the chintz curtains and the anti macassars scattered across the backs of chairs. That sort of thing is fine for Agatha Christie fans. The stockman boiling his smoke-blackened billy on a campfire probably wouldn't know what an antimacassar was even if you showed him one. But that doesn't mean that he couldn't make the perfect cup of tea. And forget about warming the china teapot and a spoonful of tea for each person and one for the pot. He sees that the billy is boiling and throws in a rather unscientific handful of tea, plus a gum leaf for added flavor. In the bush, a perfect cup of tea. And if you have never experienced a cup of billy tea and a slice of damper covered in treacle you haven't lived.

Feel a bit low? Have a cup of tea. Cold and tired after a hard day? Have a cup of tea. Kids getting you down? Have a cup of tea?

It doesn't matter where you are, or what has been bothering you, a cup of tea will fix it. In the bush or Berkley Square, whether you're a lord or a Larrikin, a royal or a roustabout a cup of tea will be just as welcome and satisfying.