Tea. That which cures all.
Feeling sick? A nice cup of tea will sort you out.
Really upset about something? Been crying? A nice cup of tea with plenty of sugar is just what you need.
Had a nasty shock? A nice cup of tea with plenty of sugar or maybe a drop of something special (wink, wink) will make it all ok.
For years we have drank (drunk?) tea by the load in Ireland. It was our national drink besides Guinness. A nice cup of tea. Sure we have the highest consumption of tea per capita – in the WORLD – at an average of six cups per day!
But then along came the Celtic Tiger and all those who followed in his wake. Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Coffee Society, Barnies and any other number of coffee shops sprang up, not to mention the latté-cappucino-mocha making monstrosities that were now installed in every café between here and Ballybunion.
Along with many others I fell into the trap.
“Oooh you can get a frothy cappucino thingymajig here? Yum”
And I’d get the cappucinos and the lattés and the mochas. But recently I realised that these were mostly a habit of being ‘out’. I never drink coffee at home, I prefer tea. Yes I prefer tea. So what the hell was I doing?
A large coffee makes me feel slightly queasy. The first time I had a mocha from Starbucks, my heart started to palpitate and I thought I was going to have a coronary! Tea is less expensive and I like it. So I’ve stopped drinking coffee quite so much – I still do love a vanilla latté though 😉 – but judging by the amount of people now talking about ‘meeting for tea’ instead of ‘meeting for coffee’ I don’t think I’m the only one. I think it’s a new trend back to the oul cupán tae and I approve.
I’m off to boil the kettle now for some tea and milky goodness mmmmm.
Mmmm Tea. I wish I hadn’t discovered Lyons Gold Blend Reserve because now regular tea bags taste weak and inferior and I can’t enjoy tea when I’m not at home. Thus I usually end up ordering coffee when I am out.
Mmmm Coffee.
I haven’t tried the Gold Blend reserve yet Lottie, might give that a go on my next shopping trip. Or go back to Bewleys tea mmmm.
*goes to put kettle on again*
Tea but also especially herbal teas.. i know that’s a bit lame, but nyom!
And because I’m a sucker for advertising, I’m off to make some tea (Lyons Blend Gold Reserve, of course)…
Oh..tea..yum!
I tried to tell myself for years that I hated it…but I caved a few months ago and I’m a big tea whore now!
@raptureponies ooh I like some herbal teas as well! Green tea with echinacea was a recent favourite but they are all gone so I’m trying whatever else is on the press-plain green tea at the minute, yum!
@Darren – sucker 😛 make me a cup!
@Claire lol @ ‘tea whore’ 😀
Coffee weekday mornings, tea at the weekends with a couple of slices of toast.
Bliss.
Dunno if it’s just me, but I’ve never been a tea or coffee person… Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always wanted to be that sopisticated guy sitting outside a fancy named cafe in town with my latte whilst looking at the world through my monical. Sadly not gonna happen!
Whilst talking about tea… This has to be my BIGGEST hate and when I say BIGGEST I’m not fuckin kidding! Pyjama wearing females who give their kids tea in a bottle. Jesus wept… And you know that’s just an Irish thing!
Strangely I always say, “I’m going for a cup of tea,” even though I never drink the stuf!! Must be all the Irish that surrounds me 🙂
Strangely I always say, “I’m going for a cup of tea,” even though I never drink the stuf!! Must be all the Irish that surrounds me 🙂
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!
Tea apparently played a big part in disease control during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Tea is a natural anti-biotic. The people who moved from rural areas in Britain had a weaker immune system than the city folk due to their relative isolation from populations and large international ports.
So tea drinking helped to kill off germs in the throat and reduce the incidents of flu and other airborne diseases.
In that case Holemaster… I’m fucked 😦
@xbox you can’t beat tea with some buttery toast, yum 🙂
@soulmc there are one or two of my friends who also don’t drink tea or coffee-weirdos! 😛 Yeah I don’t like seeing babies drinking bottles with tea on them either, it just looks wrong.
I’m sure the caffeine doesn’t so them much good either!
@obscure0bject lol, why do you say you’re going for tea? What do you *actually* go for when you say that?? Oh and thanks for visiting and being so nice 😀
@Holemaster – interesting! I didn’t know that. I read that we got our tea drinking habits from the British who introduced tea to Ireland but I didn’t realise that it had anti-biotic effects…so my mother feeding me tea & dry toast every time I was sick as a kid wasn’t for nothing then? lol
Truthfully I just enjoy mimicking certain people’s words 🙂
I once came across a weird tea that blossoms into a flower when infused with water — absolutely gorgeous!!
Really Obscure0bject?? That sounds amazing! Any idea what it was called? Where did you sample it?
Not too sure as it has various names, but I’m pretty sure it’s something along the lines of Dragon tea or Jasmine Pearl tea. They’re basically green tea leaves and flower petals woven into tiny balls! We got it as a present years ago.
Wow it sounds like the perfect kinda gift for The Granny, I must keep an eye out for it. It’s not her birthday til July so that gives me plenty of time lol. Thanks!
Even though I don’t drink tea or coffee, I very much approve of the return to tea! You get fierce odd looks asking for bottles of water in Starbucks when you get dragged in my skinny-venti-mocha loving friends. I do love their hot chocolate though! Nursing hot chocolates for hours has made me unpopular in many’s the cafe around Dublin 🙂