I am not a tea snob

I don’t consider myself to be a tea snob.  I just know what I like. I do know the basics of brewing tea such as steeping black tea in boiling water for an appropriate amount of time for my preferred strength.  I don’t wash the inside of my teapot with soap for maximum flavor.  I enjoy Breakfast and black tea blends the best, but I’m not that fond of Earl Grey. So when I say I hate hot tea in a paper cup, I’m not trying to be pretentious.  I just don’t like the flavor a paper cup adds to the flavor of the tea, no matter how much milk and sugar I add to it. 

Every year, we attend the local Scottish Highland games because my son plays the bagpipes. And every year, we always seek out the designated “Tea Room” for a cup of tea and a scone. We never enjoy the tea and the food is okay, but not great. Why do we do it if we don’t like it? Well, the first time we went, we really did enjoy it! It was such a fun atmosphere and we were so excited to see the sausage rolls, scones, cakes and tea. We sat at long tables covered in plastic tablecloths watching people milling around purchasing all sorts of Scottish, Irish and Welsh goods from various vendors inside the large air-conditioned fairground building. I suppose over the years having been to a number of tea rooms, our pallets became adjusted to certain flavors and preferences. I also think in the back of our minds that maybe one time we will go and be pleasantly be surprised to find it all grand again.

It would be great if someone would invent a paper cup that doesn’t seep the paper flavor in with the hot tea.  There have been one or two times where I didn’t mind tea in a paper cup, but I give credit to the tea itself. So if you ask me to go out for tea and don’t plan to stay at the cafe, I’ll take coffee, please, thank you.

Scottish Highland Games “Tea Room”