Tea........everyone has their own way of brewing it, sharing it and drinking it and all of these rituals will be delicate and precise no matter whether you're the Queen of England or Bob the Builder.
Tea bag taken out too soon = too weak, tea bag left in too long = too strong, it is an art form and we all have our own special way of brewing.
Mug or Cup ??? personally I like a tea cup and saucer because I love the posh Englishness about that, but then again I love a mug of tea after my bacon butty on a Sunday morning. Either way there is no denying it, it has to be Fine Bone China tea cup or a Fine Bone China mug because let's be honest no matter how it's drunk tea tastes better when it is drunk from Fine Bone China.
I can hear you sceptics saying this is just an old wives tale, but it's true and there is some science behind it. Fine Bone China has a smoother surface than other types of cups or mugs and the surface affects the taste of the tea because less natural tannins from the tea will stick to the cup itself, which means the flavour of the tea stays within the liquid which is exactly where it should stay. Test it !! you will find if you use a cup that is not made of fine bone china, if it is porous then the tannins will stick to the cup and the tea will have less taste. Plus the cup will retain other flavours you may have had in the cup, eg. coffee or hot chocolate; the flavours retained by the porous surface of the cup will combine with the tea which will alter the taste.
Now I'm hearing voices saying but Bone China is too thin and delicate, but even this makes a difference. A thin rim means the tea goes from the cup to your mouth quicker and therefore retains more of its flavour. If you were to use a thick rim like you may find on a cheaper product by the time the tea gets over the rim the flavour will have dissipated.
Still not convinced? then it is like I said earlier, drinking tea from Fine Bone China makes you feel posh, more sophisticated and perhaps even more intellectual. These positive emotions just might have something to do with how good the tea tastes, after all you're expecting it to taste special because you're drinking from Fine Bone China.
Fine Bone China cups and mugs should be in everyone's cupboards especially if you're a tea drinker.
Head over to my portfolio page and take a look at my Fine Bone China collections.