Until recently, I, along with 96% of tea drinkers in the UK, shunned loose-leaf tea, but now I know better
How long does it take you to make a cup of tea? Forty seconds, if you squish the teabag against the side of the mug? I’m not judging – that was me until recently, and we are not alone: that’s the average, according to Dr Tim Bond of the Tea Advisory Panel. Only 4% of people in the UK make their tea from leaves, and it seems the rest of us are missing out.
I’ve dipped in and out of tea over the years, and have never taken it quite as seriously as coffee, but Lockdown 3 seemed as good a time as any to up my game. Previously, I’d been put off by the complexity of the process – I’ve always found the paraphernalia of pots and cups and bowls a little daunting – but it turns out that a proper cuppa doesn’t have to require a whole lot of kit. The game-changer for me was Jing Tea’s simple tea-ière, which is a bit like a cafetiere without the plunger, and with a mark at the level to which you need to pour.
