Sarah's Personal Tea History

 Lifer

Honestly, I don't remember a time when I didn’t drink tea. I’m sure my parents held off on feeding their small child caffeine until a reasonable age, but as a child of British immigrant parents, every event of the day was marked by ‘putting the kettle on’.  My Scottish mother called our evening meal ‘tea’ as she had grown up having the biggest meal of the day at lunchtime. Homemade scones and other tea-associated foods have always been a part of my life, particularly in my visits to the UK to stay with my various grandparents and older relatives.

Remember the figurines? A truly Canadian tea!

In my house growing up, Red Rose teabags were our standard tea. My mother once told me that she switched to bags after getting sick of all the loose tea that collected in the sink that my father left in there when he emptied the pot. I do remember my (English) father explaining how to make a proper pot – when the (electric) kettle boiled, the pot should be rinsed with a splash of the boiling water to warm it up, the teabag or loose leaf should be placed inside, and the water poured over the tea. Also – the pot should never be washed with soap as the tea patina over the years added to the taste. My mother takes only milk, and my father takes only honey. As a child, I took both, then experimented with just honey and have now settled on a ridiculously small (teaspoonful) of milk per cup. When I was about 18, I began a brief affair with coffee as a result of working at a coffee shop part time. This affair ended in my second year of university when I had a cup at 9pm and found I couldn’t sleep until 3am. Since then, I have never touched the stuff and am devoted exclusively to tea.

I do remember my first taste of Lapsang Souchong at my friend Christian’s house about 15 or so years ago. His British parents made pots of loose leaf that was a mixture of English Breakfast and Lapsang, Irish being substituted for English on rainy days. I was thereafter hooked on the stuff. I like my tea strong and start the day with a Tetley bag mixed with some Lapsang leaf (as I am a student and need to be thrifty!). I prefer Earl Grey for my afternoon tea, but find it too fragrant in the morning.

A nice old Lapsang box. Some will say this represents the taste quite well.

Discovering the Ritual

My first fancy Afternoon aka ‘High’ Tea was quite an experience. My fabulous Aunty Nancy to my sister and I to the Ritz Hotel in London when I was 14. We were told to dress as nicely as possible and then were surprised with possibly the most decadent experience in my life up to that point. In the last few years, I have rediscovered my love for the decadent ritual of tea. Robyn, my blog co-author and I have helped encourage this in each other – I hosted Robyn’s baby shower and held one of my birthday parties both over afternoon tea at the Sutton Place Hotel in Vancouver. When I visited the UK four years ago, needless to say high tea was on the agenda and I found a lovely spot in York for an afternoon rest. Now I look for excuses (like writing a blog!) for having a fancy afternoon tea.

The Palm Court at the London Ritz

The Ritz Ritual

Of course, my own daily, personal tea consumption has developed as I have discovered good loose leaf retailers around town and found some great pots and retro cups.  I pick mine up primarily at thrift stores and yard sales, looking out for deals on 1950s modern pieces. My tastes are a little more eclectic than Robyn’s when it comes to tea sets but we can agree on the love of the ritual and will continue to enjoy it together and separately and will bring you on the journey!

My cow creamer

I love this stuff!