There is a saying that the British like a nice cup of tea in the morning
and a nice cup of tea at night. And at half past seven, their idea of heaven
is a nice cup of tea. They like a nice cup of tea with their dinner and
a nice cup of tea with their tea, and before they go to bed, there’s a lot
to be said for a nice cup of tea!
Sometimes it seems that no one likes tea quite as much as the British do.
But, in fact, tea is popular in countries around the world, and many different
rituals and customs for drinking tea have developed over the centuries.
In China and Japan, tea was first used as a medicine; it wasn’t until
many year later that people there drank tea as a beverage.
Because tea had been considered a sacred remedy, it was always served
with much ceremony.
When the Chinese first started drinking tea, they didn’t use teapots. Instead,
they put tea leaves and hot water into a small bowl with a cover. Drinkers
would bring the bowl to their lips and lift the cover very slightly with their
forefingers, just enough to drink the liquid but not the leaves. People drank
tea in this way regardless of the occasion, and it was always offered to guests.