Tea,or tay

Some of you may think this is a strange post but I have spent ages today checking out blogs dedicated to all things to do with tea.Why am I not out gardening? It is freezing cold and windy with snow forecast! While posting this I am having my umpteenth cup of tea today.In Ireland tea has been a constant companion and so has been taken for granted. January was national tea month in the US.Until the Celtic tiger came roaring in, as soon as you entered a house the kettle was put on and the tea made and a pleasant chat ensued over the cuppa and was refilled as required.Then the invitation became would you like a glass of wine and the teapots were consigned to the back of the cupboards.Now that the Celtic tiger has slunk out maybe the teapot will be reinstated to its rightful place.
I have always had my teapot in fact I have a collection of them, maybe another post in there sometime soon.My teapots never had a tea cosy, a wrong I have finally righted recently when I saw knitting patterns on eBay.My daughter K. unknown to me was also buying them on eBay and has also knit one.My teapot is now resplendent in a little colour co ordinated number!

This is a little tea set I received for one Mother's day, it is a one cup pot sitting on a cup and saucer.It is a nice big cup because nothing tastes as good as the first cup. I have also included Barry's tea. It is a tradition in Cork as it is an old family company who have been importing and blending tea for over 100 years.The tea caddy was my mothers as she was of the opinion that tea bags, while convenient did not make a 'proper cup of tea'.Barry's tea is now available for a number of years as teabags and how many holiday suitcases have carried boxes of these on holidays all over the globe!Emigrants were sent boxes of them as a taste of home to what ever location they had settled in around the world.
I remember as a child on holidays in Co Tipperary in my grandparents house, the kettle was always on the range ( an Aga type solid fuel cooker)and tea was brewed in a big soot blackened tea pot, you could taste the turf ( peat which was cut and dried )which was used in the range. You could probably have trotted a mouse on it ,it was so strong.'Wetting the tay'was a ritual.
Some tea facts, gleaned from the Barry's tea box,the first time I have ever read what is on the side of the box.
Tea is 100% natural
has NO calories
has NO fat
has NO sugar
is a source of hydration
is a source of anti oxidants
Barry's source their tea from Kenya,Rwanda and the Indian Assam Valley and they are a fair trade company.
This little dissertation on tea was prompted by Catherine's Blog so you can also follow the tea trail from there while enjoying a cuppa or two!