And so it begins, my first blog. Whilst contemplating what to write, I am sipping on a cup of tea, which has made me think about the intricacies of the ‘perfect cuppa’. There are so many factors to consider in even this most mundane of everyday tasks; the cup, when to add the milk, how long to leave the tea bag in? It is something you could give a lot of thought, (clearly I have), but I feel confidently that it has a great deal to do with the cup. High society drink from bone china, a delicate vessel for the more refined flavours of Earl Grey and Darjeeling. The more modest drink from thick white mugs, robust enough to hold the tar like tea that helps to get you going on a sleepy morning. Personally, I drink from a mug that doesn’t in any way match my pretty floral mug collection bought specifically to brighten up my kitchen. Instead I opt for something more festive, a red conical mug with a picture of Rudolph etched into the ceramic. This was initially considered a tacky Christmas gift, but I now turn to this mug time and time again to help in delivering that perfect cup of tea.
However, I am feeling a little disappointed at the moment. I have taken my own advice, used my trusty mug, added the water and then the milk, but somehow it hasn’t worked and I have been left with a second rate hot drink that really isn’t cutting it. What I would have preferred is one of those occasions which rhyme nor reason can explain, where you make that perfect cup of tea. A time where your cup tastes that little bit different from your average 3 o’clock caffeine hit. But try as you might to recreate this experience, it seems to me to be impossible, which makes me wonder, how exactly do you get that perfect cup every time? I think this may be a case where practice doesn’t always make perfect!
