Tuesday, September 7, 2021

A Good Cup Of Tea

When I first read Alexander Pope's Epistle to Miss Blount, on her leaving the town, after the Coronation I suppose I felt quite sorry for the young lady in question. But some years later I can't help but think she was on to quite a good thing in moving on: She went from opera, park, assembly, play, / To morning walks, and prayers three hours a day. / To part her time 'twixt reading and bohea, / To muse, and spill her solitary tea, / Or o'er cold coffee trifle with the spoon / Count the slow clock, and dine exact at noon.  I suppose I'd miss the plays but I'd welcome the coffee and tea most definitely, though in my case sharing these with the Missus would be a hugely important feature of the quiet life.

I mention this as a completely irrelevant prelude to the main thrust of my post today. This pertains to good old Lipton's Yellow Tea. Just a few weeks ago I was astonished to learn that this noble brew was regarded by some friends as a sort of lower class tea, not fit for those with a discerning palette. Bah! say I, and forcibly so. It's an excellent cuppa and preferred above all brands by those who really know (i.e., me and the Missus.) I'm sure Miss Blount would have found the lonely hours in the country speeding by on her lazy old clock had she only had access to the tea-bags in question.

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