There is mixed news on the tea front today. I was saddened to read that Britain, the country of tea drinkers was, on the whole, turning away from tea and heading towards coffee. And that the sale of pure black tea has gone down, as people are now turning towards flavoured tea's, green tea's and white tea's. I was slightly disheartened at this news.
However, rather surprisingly, the sale of teapots and loose teas are rapidly rising in the late teenage, early twenties age bracket. The first generation who were truly raised on the coffee culture of Starbucks and Costa Coffee are seemingly, turning their backs on latte's and the sort and are enjoying cups of tea!
The other weekend I told you about my trip to Tesco's to try and find the new green tea range. What I haven't written about was seeing two college students browsing the tea aisle. They had picked up packets of loose tea. One had opted for Yorkshire Tea, whilst the second had chosen Twinings loose decaff Earl Grey. In their baskets they both had small teapots. I never really noticed this, but having read articles about the younger generation enjoying loose tea, this struck me as interesting.
So, what is so special about drinking loose tea and indeed, is it just a fad?
Making tea up in a pot is truly something to be savoured, if even a little luxurious. I always try to make a pot of tea up at the weekends when I have the time to not only savour it, but to brew it properly. It's nice, once the working week is over and the chores have been done, to sit down and brew a Darjeeling, Christmas Tea or Earl Grey. In the week, when I'm so busy, teabags are convenient, and I wouldn't be without them, but honestly, if I didn't have to work, then it would be loose tea all the way.
I don't believe that this is a fad amongst younger people. In fact, I see it as positive, because once you get the taste for tea it never leaves you, and once you enjoy the rituals of tea in a teapot, served up with cake or nicely made sandwiches, that never leaves you either.
I truly believe that most people would use loose tea if they had the time. I told a story on Twinings Facebook page that I will repeat here because it's so lovely. For several years I used to see a lady who did her shopping the same day I did mine. Each week, without fail, she brought powdered tea in a jar. A revolting thing in my opinion.
One day, this lady, who was widowed young, suddenly started to buy loose tea. She had a packet of loose Earl Grey, some Tetley amongst other things. When I asked her why the very sudden change in her purchasing habits, she smiled and told me she had retired. And that for years of drinking instant tea, which she said had little flavour, she had time to make a pot up. In fact, as a retirement present, her work colleagues had brought her a snowman teapot. The joy in her face that she was, finally, able to drink something so lovely was evident.
The love of tea will always stay with me and I treasure the times I can make up a pot, and feel a bit posh!
It's lovely to see younger people turning to loose tea and teapots. Teabags serve a great purpose, but it's nice for people to experience something so lovely as loose tea in a lovely pot. And that is something you just don't get from coffee.
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