My mother (Canadian, 82 yrs old) thinks condensed milk is a real treat in tea. I myself am of the "oh-yuk" school of thought. She's also a member of the Buffalo Welsh Society and, as a Canadian member, is the soc's official smuggler-in-of-Canadian-Red-Rose-Tea ("only in Canada, eh?") My town used to be a rum-running port; now it's tea. How the mighty have fallen ...

I'm glad Sinsull mentioned warming the pot, and others have chimed in too.

My favourite is a 50-50 blend of Earl Grey and Assam. Perfect.

The Welsh seem to favour a strong tea (spoon should be able to stand up in it) and there are some brands produced particularly for the Welsh market: Welsh Brew and Glengettie. Someone told me that they're blended keeping in mind that most Welsh water is very 'soft'. It makes sense that soft/hard waters have different brewing qualities. If anyone wants to try some, PM me with an address and I'll send (tea, not water).

Re: American tea, many years ago there was a Canadian satirist, Eric Nicol?, who explained that in 1773 a number of Americans dumped a shipload of tea into Boston Harbor ... which explains how Americans have made tea ever since. (No offence intended.)


Tea UK

Tea Canada

Tea USA

sian