I've been thinking about a small breakfast tea. Our back porch is lovely in the morning. The tree guys aren't here yet with their noise, it's cool, the birds are about, sometimes even the deer go by. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know morning is not my best time, brain-wise. However, if most of the preparation is done the night before, I should be ok. Set the table with my grandmother's china or my new Satsuma set. We have some pretty silverplate and tablecloth and napkins that actually match, so that's ok.
Of course, we'll have some nice English Breakfast tea and I can make scones if I have all the ingredients ready. We have lots of nice jams and plenty of fresh fruit, including some tiny plums I got at the farmers market. I can put out some ham and cheese and chutney with them and get my husband to make poached eggs. Or I can make a strata the night before. Now all I need is a couple of guests and we'll be all set.
Have you bought into the decaffeinate your own tea in 30 seconds hype? That's all it is, sadly. 30 seconds will take out about 5-10% of the caffeine. To get as much as 80% removed, you need to brew it for 5 minutes or more and I sure wouldn't want to drink the next cup. You'd do better letting the experts handle this one.
If you have certain types of cancer and are taking the drug, Velcade, do NOT drink green tea, as it renders the drug ineffective. This comes from hospital studies on the West Coast. Check with your physicians and caregivers about this.
What sort of tea shop do you prefer? I was thinking about this the other day and I decided it's not the shop so much as it is the tea, the food and the service. I do not like going to a tea shop and being served tea bags. I expect them to go the extra bit and serve top-quality tea. I expect food that is also top quality, presented as nicely as possible. The food doesn't have to be expensive, but must taste really good. Lastly, I want service that is friendly and efficient, without being too chummy. That will do me whether it is the most over done "Olde Englishe Shoppe" all the way to the most slick moderne. Oh, yeah, clean and not too noisy will go far, as well. I want a get away, not somewhere loud and frenetic. How about you? What do you prefer?
2 comments:
Your breakfast tea sounds delicious. I definitely don't buy into the decaffeination hype. But then caffeine has never been an issue for me. I cannot stand when tea shops serve tea bags! I don't like shops that are too stuffy and pretentious either. There is a lovely place that I used to frequent nearly every weekend. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so relaxed. I never wanted to leave.
I think a breakfast tea sounds heavenly! There's a peace about that time of day.
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