James May’s Tea Commandments:

snuffleupagusjaydaymay:

from page 175 of Oz and James Drink to Britain:

1. For a given tea, the loose-leaf version will always taste better than the bags
2. For a given tea, the bag version will block your sink up a lot less than the loose leaves
3. Tea made in a pot tastes better than tea made in the cup
4. The teapot should always be heated first
5. Metal teapots are OK, but not if the knob’s fallen off the lid
6. Dripping tea pots are often caused by a build-up of tea stain under the spout, for complicated molecular reasons
7. Excess air in the pot spoils the flavour for some reason. Don’t half-fill an oversized pot.
8. Tea cosies do make a difference, but may not be worth the social stigma, especially if they feature pictures of cats
9. Thin cups make tea taste better than thick ones
10. Cardboard cups are not acceptable
11. The milk should go in the cup first
12. Tea is not tea if it doesn’t have tea in it, viz ‘peppermint tea’
13. Tea made by James May arrices around one hour before tea made by Oz Clarke
14. Lapsang Souchong is rubbish
15. Coffee is the work of Satan

side note: James May has never knowingly refused a cup of TEA