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When the weather gets cold, there’s nothing quite as nice as taking a break, and sitting down with a warm cup of tea. As an ESL teacher, I’ve had the opportunity to drink all kinds of tea – I’ve drunk the rich, and extremely sweet tea offered by Indian Sikhs at a Gurdwara, I’ve experienced tea at a traditional tea shop in Guangzhou, China, refreshed myself with cool tea at Korean Temples, and of course, had English tea almost every day of my life in my home country.
But I think Japanese tea culture really stands out as unique. From the tea ceremony club at Meirin, that I was taken to by Kawashima Sensei, to just grabbing a bottle of hot or cold tea from a vending machine or a convenience store, there seems to be a kind of tea for every conceivable situation in Japanese daily life, from Classical history, to the present.
But for English tea, there seem to be some misunderstandings. Even other foreigners seem to have big misconceptions about how the English drink tea, picturing exquisite silverware and china crockery, and leisurely nibbling away at fancy snacks and cakes. In reality, this almost never happens outside of fantasy. Almost every British person will agree, the best kind of tea is the simplest.
Put the kettle on. Teabag in the teapot. Have a chat, have a brew, a drop of milk in your mug and put your feet up. Savor the warmth of your cup, and listen to the pitter-patter of rain against the windows. It’s not expensive. It’s not high-class. There’s no pomp or ceremony. Just the gentle joy when you hear someone ask those precious words; “Fancy a cuppa?”
