Earl Grey smells lovely, but tastes like horse manure. Assam, Darjeeling, Lapsang Souchong, to this Turkish-cofee-trained palate taste like so much boiled water.

And loose tea has the same effect on me as bits of tobacco between my teeth form when I smoked roll-ups. I can see no attraction in it - it's quaint, but like so many other quaint things you find in England(say, separate hot and cold water taps or old creaking four-poster beds) it's impractical.

No - IF I have to have tea (and I only feel like it about a dozen times a year), it has to be a nice strong Yorkshire Tea bag.

Given a choice - a cafetiere of strong Columbian for me, please.