mardi 24 septembre 2013

Long time no post! (London recap)

Sorry, been too busy drinking tea!
I went to London on a school trip this summer and you better believe my boyfriend Tea and I had a good time there: we went on an accidental date to the Twinings shop!

I was in the neighborhood because I wanted to check out the spot where a book I did a term paper on was published back in the eighteenth century and I saw this sign out of the corner of my eye. Didn't even think to look up the Twinings shop and yet there it was practically right in front of me! Clearly, it was my destiny to go there.
Now if you're think of Twinings as a somewhat upscale Lipton and wondering why I would go there...here's why. They had a sign that said "free cup of tea." Um. Who is going to turn that down?! Not me, that's for sure! (
You could only choose from a small selection of teas, but if I remember correctly I had the jasmine pearls which was very nice. Floral and full-bodied, perfectly steeped to prevent it from getting too astringent/bitter.) 

I am dying to buy this tea in particular!
Well, I was wrong about Twinings. First of all, I have to admit I had been pronouncing it "twin-ings," which I overheard one of the staff say is now most Americans pronounce it (at least I'm not alone!). So you don't make the same mistake, be sure to say "twine-ings" next time! Second, they actually do sell very nice tea. (Guess they just export the cheap stuff to the USA since most Americans won't know the difference- I'm reminded of a saying from a WWII pamphlet the British government distributed to the citizens about how the Americans can't make a good pot of tea, but you (the British) can't make a decent cup of coffee, so you should be nice to them when they mess up tea)While I highly doubt it is direct from the farm like the tea I usually drink (hi there Tealet!), they have a stupendous selection of loose leaf oolongs and greens, and I was very sad I did not have more money and room in my suitcase.

The shop itself is really interesting, the back is a bit of a museum about the company's history. I wish I had taken some photos, but my phone has such a bad camera they would have been pretty useless. I am amazed the picture of the outside turned out as well as it did! 

It was one of my goals for the trip to buy some loose leaf Lady Grey, which I'd had no luck doing at the grocery stores in the neighborhood of our hotel. Of course I was able to get it here, straight from the source! (Well, you know, the store anyway...) I had an art history professor at college who really loved Lady Grey tea and he has impeccable taste, so I had to get myself a tin! I'm delighted to report it is wonderful. I find the bergamot in Earl Grey too strong sometimes, but Lady Grey is more subtle on the bergamot and much more orangey and floral. It tastes great with tea biscuits and now that I'm back in New York, it tastes great with a $1 pound cake slice from a local Trini bakery (at only half a block away, that bakery will be the death of my waistline!).