A nice cup of tea !

Coffee has become very popular in Britain in recent years, but tea is still the national drink. Over 25million cups of tea are sold every day, and many millions more are made at home.

In 1610 tea was brought from China to Europe. At first it was very expensive so not many people could buy it, but by 1750 it was widely drunk in Britain. By the late 18C, Britain was at the centre of the world tea business and soon afterwards the tradition of taking afternoon tea, either at home or in a tea shop, began. Afternoon tea is a pot of tea, and a light snack ( perhaps some small thin sandwiches and a piece of cake ) served around 4ofclock in the afternoon.

Tea shops became popular with women because they could go there alone, to meet friends.

Since the mid-19C, tea has been brought to Britain from India, Africa and Sri Lanka as well as China. Today there are over 1500 different kinds, for example Assam, Darjeeling, Oolong, Earl Grey and English Breakfast. Each one has a different smell and taste.

Now show you the traditional way of making tea:

1, Boil some fresh cold water

2, Put some hot water into the teapot to make it warm

3, Pour the water away

4, Put one teaspoon of tea-leaves per person, and one extra tea-spoon, into the pot

5, Pour boiling water onto the tea

6, Leave for a few minutes

7, Serve

In the past, the usual way to serve tea was to put a little cold milk in a cup, pour the tea and then add some sugar. Tea-making has changed a lot in the last few years. Most people now use tea-bags instead of tea-leaves because it is easier, and many use a mug instead of a cup and saucer.

At first tea-bags were square, then round ones were made, and now you can buy three-sided ones !