Returning for a Fifth Season

Masterpiece Theater has confirmed that they will be airing a fifth season of Julian Fellowes' Downton Abbey in America.  It will begin filming in 2014.  I am so excited I must make myself a cup of tea.

For full details, check out Masterpiece Theater.

Anyone for Tea?

While abroad this past summer in Ireland, I spotted this sign at Hotel Meyrick in Galway.  It is so lovely to know that no matter where one goes, one may find Downton fans.

Tea Talk

My kind neighbors bring me back Darjeeling Tea from England as a thank you for house sitting their place when they are gone.  An absolutely wonderful treat!

I will never claim to be a tea connoisseur, just pour me a cup of black tea (I used to love it straight up but now I drink it with milk since it is supposed to help reduce tea-stained teeth) and I am one happy camper.  I love Darjeeling for loose leaf tea.  If I am on the run (which more often than not I am), I pick the fast track versions of tea.  Twinings English Breakfast Tea is a delightful tea bag for popping into a mug of boiling water and running.  Tetley British Blend fashions their tea satchels without any staples so you can pop the bag in while you are boiling or microwaving the water to a boil and thus eliminating time needed to steep.  It's how one drinks tea on a time schedule.

The Art of Tea

My mother's co-worker was talking about how much she loved Downton Abbey and how it teaches one to make a good cup of tea.  My first reaction was-tea, in season two?  Where?  You mean when Thomas complains to Daisy about the tea being tepid and makes her fetch another cup?  Then I realized how many scenes of season one consist tea.  In fact, one where Cora and Violet have sat down for tea, Maggie Smith does a remarkable job at making a proper cup of tea while continuing the conversation.  For those of you wondering how to make tea, here goes.


Ingredients:
Fine bone china tea pot and tea cups
Loose Leaf Tea
Tea Strainer
H20
Milk and Sugar to taste

1) Fill the tea pot with hot water to let the china warm up (unbeknownest to anyone really, this is a crucial step in tea making). 
2) Boil a seperate amount of water- 1 cup (literally the size of the tea cup) per person approximately. 
3) When the water is about ready to boil, empty out the warm water from the tea pot and add one teaspoon of loose tea per person plus "one for the pot". Now you know, if you didn't connect it before in your mind, where the terms 'teaspoon' and 'one for the pot' come from.  This still does not explain the term 'tablespoon' however...
4) Pour the boiling water into the tea pot over the leaves.
5) Let steep for 3-4 minutes. 
6)Strain the tea as you serve it.
7) Let each member of your tea party add their own amounts of milk and sugar.
8) Eat with a biscuit (a dry, sweet cookie meant to be eaten alone or dipped in tea).
Enjoy!

My $1 tea pot that I bought at a garage sale- not fine bone china I understand, but the clear glass helps show the steps.  Warming up the pot, steeping the tea and then the final product (I added milk to this tea).  I promise to pull out the fine chia should the Queen ever come to tea.

Hint: Baking Soda does wonders for cleaning up tea stains on your china.  Wet the Baking Soda, rub it into the stain (let it sit a minute if the tea has built up over time), and rinse.  Simple as that.