Tea... Best drink of the day?

Us Brits think we have the monopoly on tea as something as a national institution. Whatever the event it's an excuse for a cuppa. Bad day at work? Cup of tea. Bit of gossip? Tell me over a cuppa. National disaster? Put the kettle on. You get the drift!

Then I moved to Jordan where sweet black tea, often with a sprig of mint, was offered everywhere I went. From shops to tourist sites and even in the middle of a seemingly empty desert you could rely on someone to appear with a battered old kettle and a couple of glasses.

In Japan tea takes on almost religious significance, with references to it made in buddhist records as early as the the 9th century BC. Green tea is popular here as is every other type of tea imaginable and the Japanese tea ceremony is world famous. Sometimes I just want a good old cup of typhoo but despite the supermarket dedicating a whole wall to the noble drink thats one thing you can't get here!

Tea is instant wisdom - just add water!
Astrid Alauda