English Tea

There is a strong British influence throughout the Middle East from their days of the British Mandate Period. That is why so many of the Arab and Jewish population enjoy a good cup of hot English tea.

In Jerusalem, I worked for an Englishman who was a well-known Bible scholar. He was quite a tea drinker and it was necessary for me to learn to make a proper cup of tea, serving it the authentic English way!

Ingredients

1 heaping tblsp of good English Tea (i.e., Earl Grey) - 1 tblsp per person, plus 1 tblsp for the pot
Large Tea pot, filled with very hot water
Boiling water

Procedure

Fill tea pot with very hot water and set aside. Boil a kettle of water. Empty out tea pot, add the tea, and pour in boiling water. Cover and wrap with a tea cozy or towel and set aside for 4-5 minutes.

Serve the Tea

Set out a nice serving tray of china cups and saucers, creamer, sugar, small silver spoons, plate of lemon slices.

Serve the tea in front of your guests from the serving table, asking which your guest prefers: milk or lemon and sugar. Pour in the milk first, then the hot tea. Offer your guests sweet tea biscuits, or little cakes, or a variety of dainty, simple sandwiches.