Lockdown Tea
I’ve always thought of loose leaf tea as a bit of a luxury, not so much in terms of cost, but more in terms of time. From gently warming the pot with hot water, to pouring the brew into a dainty cup, it all takes a bit more consideration and care – it’s not something to be rushed. In this mad world, sometimes there is no time for the joy of the tea ceremony, and understandably people resort to the good ol’ tea bag. Quick and easy (but a whole lot less satisfying).
And now we all find ourselves in lock down. This is not a sentence I ever thought I would write. In fact, it still feels rather surreal. I am home with all the time in the world – no school runs, no coffee mornings, no toddler groups, nothing. So now there’s no excuses. I have time for loose leaf tea everyday. In fact, it’s become quite therapeutic to have tea at 3pm every afternoon. It gives some routine to an otherwise unstructured day. The children know that when I stick the kettle on, there’ll no doubt be a little treat (banana bread today) that will accompany the tea that I drink. So the whistling kettle has become a source of excitement in the house, and a signal that home schooling for the day is over (not that much schooling is actually happening in my household).
Waste not, want not
The other thing I’m really appreciating at this time is the fact that you can double, triple, even quadruple steep the tea leaves. In fact, Silver Needle (a rather lovely white tea) can even be steeped up to 6 times and still taste good. It’s rather impressive how many cups of tea can be squeezed out of one pot when under pressure to use what you have to the full. I suspect lockdown will have a lasting effect on me (and my tea drinking).
So once again, for me, tea is saving the day. It’s something I look forward to. It gives me comfort. It helps my day go a little smoother than it would otherwise.
How has your tea drinking changed since lock down? What are you drinking?
And if you need more tea, Silver Lantern Tea is still open for business. As long as Royal Mail is able to deliver, we’ll remain open.
Chin up, we’re in this together 🙂
