Eleven Rules for the Perfect Cup of Tea

If there is one human being who can be trusted to provide a detailed and accurate analysis of what it takes to make a really good cup of tea, it's George Orwell.

The man was intelligent, well-traveled, and loved his nation's beverage with the strong pride of a habitual Englishman. 

In fact, his 1946 article in the Evening Standard — "A Nice Cup of Tea" — is still renowned as one of the most insightful pieces of tea-related literature out there.  

If you're interested in trying a truly English cup of tea — the kind that comes with milk and has been the cornerstone of an empire — follow the guidance offered in Orwell's remarkably specific instructions:

1. The first rule is that "one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea" and not Chinese tea. Orwell states that with Chinese tea, "one does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it." It is not the "comforting" brew that the British are referring to when they ask for a "nice cup of tea."  
2. Secondly, the tea needs to be made piecemeal, not in great batches. Here I absolutely agree. A teapot is about as large a quantity as is favorable, before the whole tea-drinking experience becomes an emotionless, tasteless mess.
3. This pot should be made of china, Orwell stipulates, and warmed beforehand — over the stove, and not by swilling it out with hot water. 
4. Strong tea is good tea. "One strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones," said Orwell.
5. The tea should be loose in the pot, not put through a strainer or in a muslin bag. This is important for the tea to infuse properly, Orwell states.
6. "One should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about," claims Orwell. The water needs to be at its hottest — still boiling, if possible, while being poured into the kettle.
7. Stir or shake the pot and then allow the leaves to settle.
8. Tea cups should be deep and round. Flat and shallow cups cause the tea to get cold quickly. Orwell calls the former a "breakfast cup," which presumably means a regular mug.
9. The milk should not be too creamy.
10. The tea should go into the cup first, followed by the milk — not the other way around. This, perhaps, is Orwell's most controversial point. In fact, arguments still persist from household to household in England about whether the milk should come first or the tea.*
11. The last rule is a tough one: tea "should be drunk without sugar." To Orwell, sweetened tea drinkers are no tea drinkers at all. "How can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it?" he asks. And for those of us (myself included) who enjoy a sweetened brew, Orwell offers a challenge: give yourself two weeks without sugar, he says, "and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again."

*N.B. Modern scientists disagree with Orwell's school of thought. A few years ago, British scientists explored the age-old question and concluded that milk added to tea causes "denaturation of milk proteins" — which basically means the destruction of the milk's protein structure. Adding tea to chilled milk is less likely to breakdown the proteins and may encourage a fresher tasting cuppa. Orwell's argument is more strategy-based than scientific: "By putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round."

How was your tea? Let us know in the comments.