Tea with milk: interesting tea traditions

Tea is a beloved beverage enjoyed by people from many countries around the world. Many human traditions are connected with it. People spend quiet family evenings over a cup of aromatic tea, meet with friends, acquaintances, and relatives, and also order it for dates, banquets, and important events.

While in our regions people are used to adding lemon or honey to improve the taste or to fight illness or colds, in other countries, including the United Kingdom, the main addition is milk. Why milk, when did people develop this habit, and how to drink tea with milk with pleasure and benefit? Let's discuss further.

Tea with Milk: Incredible Facts

There are many versions why people in the UK, as well as in other countries like China and India, combined tea specifically with this liquid. The first version is about ceremony and wealth. People showed their high status and noble origin by adding milk to their tea. Another version tells that in England, where tea is beloved, the porcelain was very thin and delicate. People feared that cups made of such fragile material would crack in their hands, so they first poured cold or room temperature milk, then poured boiling water with tea leaves.

Today, the method of preparing tea with milk has slightly changed. Some stick to old habits and pour milk first into the cup, others do the opposite, pouring boiling tea first. Preferences vary, but this does not affect the quality of the final drink.

Besides these two versions, there is another plausible one. Nomads in Asia had a severe shortage of water, but tribes found a way out by brewing their favorite tea with buffalo milk instead of water. As for the birthplace of most tea varieties — China — people there do not drink tea with milk, as their bodies do not digest lactose. However, there is also a solution — mixing powdered matcha tea with soy milk. This combination creates something similar to cappuccino or latte.

By the way, speaking more about the English and their tea traditions, it is important to mention another ceremony. People in this country love to drink tea with specific pastries, each type of tea having its own perfect accompaniment. All tea ceremonies lead to the same state — complete trust and rapport with your conversation partner.

Which Tea Is Best to Buy?

There are many different types of tea leaves:

• Puer
• Matcha
• Black
• White
• Fruit
• Oolong
• Mate
• Herbal tea
• Rooibos
• Green
• Yellow
• Red
• Compressed
• Herbal
• Blended

But which of these types is best to choose? Which should you add milk to without losing the rich tea flavor? You can add this universal, tasty, and beneficial addition to blends of various types, categories, and leaf processing levels, but to create a truly unique drink, it's best to buy tea of the following kinds:

• Green or black, as they have a rich color and vivid flavor
• Lightly and heavily fermented
• Loose leaf variety

The perfect type is Indian black tea. Such leaves have a rich color and are heavily fermented, so they should be brewed for 2–5 minutes. Milk adds a special gentle flavor to the drink. This tea can be enjoyed with friends or family, paired with various pastries and sweets.

However, never add milk to blends with very strong or very delicate flavors or aromas. Such an addition can significantly alter or even spoil the original flavor. But in this matter, everyone chooses what suits their taste. Some don't mind adding their favorite white liquid to puer or herbal tea, others love it in fruit blends. On our site, you can buy natural tea of various kinds and harmoniously combine it with your favorite additions to give the drink new and interesting tones.

English-Style Tea Drinking: Enjoying the Drink with Benefit and Pleasure

The milky taste is a must for true English tea lovers. None of the 10-15 daily tea servings is complete without this addition. The English perfectly combine the drink not only with milk but also with various biscuits, candies, crackers, pastries, and other tasty treats. Another popular snack in the British Isles is the small sandwich.

People in this small country know how to enjoy tea and can turn the event into a real feast, bringing pleasure to themselves and their loved ones.

How to Brew Tea with Milk Properly

We've talked about how to buy real tea to which you plan to add milk; now let's remind you how to prepare a truly tender and aromatic drink with a delicious and beneficial addition.

The whole process takes no more than 10–15 minutes, but you should follow a few rules:

1. Put tea leaves in a teapot at a ratio of 1 teaspoon per 200 ml of boiling water in a pre-washed teapot.
2. Pour water with a temperature not lower than 65°C and not higher than 85°C over the leaves.
3. Let it steep for 1 to 5 minutes depending on the desired color and tea type. For a strong flavor and color, steep longer; for a mild brew, 2–3 minutes is enough.
4. Then strain the brew into cups, and slowly pour milk in an amount of 100 to 125 ml per cup.

Now you can add other ingredients that help create an even richer flavor: honey, sugar, or other sweeteners.

Where to Buy Tea?

If you want to please yourself and your loved ones with a delicate drink, visit our online tea store. Here you'll find a large assortment of products and surely choose what suits you best. By ordering tea online with us, you get:

• Expert consultation
• Fast delivery
• Quality packaging
• Affordable prices
• Quality certificates for every product

Buy only quality, natural tea from us, and be pleasantly surprised by the price. We look forward to seeing you!