Fashion for everyone

There are ways to make the perfect pot of tea and most tea drinkers would argue long and hard for their ideal cup. The quantity and quality of favoured loose leaf, the temperature of the water, the time for the brew to seep and the whole pouring of the milk before or after are crucial decisions for the committed tea drinker.

I think ( a slight hesitation there) I enjoy the whole tea drinking experience and I am rather surprised that I have come around to this way of thinking. For years coffee was my only caffeine hit and I thought tea was for the elderly and the British. How silly was I. Tea is a great tradition the world over and an afternoon habit I now look forward to.

I know that if you are a true tea drinker the use of a tea bag is a non acceptable way to quench the thirst. My latest crush, from the Parisian house Betjeman & Barton, does however make not only the prettiest tea bags but some of the best infusions I have tasted...the menthe poivrée in particular, xv.