George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) wrote an essay, A Nice Cup of Tea, in 1946. Therein, he gives his 11 guidelines for the perfect cup of tea. Thanks so much to John Blarmey, who passed on this link!

You should certainly read it in its entirety, as it is quite eloquently written, but if you are pressed for time, here is a summary of his “golden rules.”

1. Use only Indian or Ceylonese tea.
2. Tea should only be made in small quantities, never en masse, always in a teapot of earthenware or china.
3. The teapot should be pre-warmed.
4. Tea should be strong. (“one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones.”)
5. Only loose tea should be used, and not confined to any bags, strainers, or other mechanisms. Straight into the pot!
6. Take the teapot to the kettle, not vice versa. The water should be at a rolling boil at the point of impact.
7. After brewing, always stir or shake the pot.
8. Drink out of a cyllindrical cup. It holds more and keeps tea hot longer.
9. Use milk that is not too creamy.
10. Pour tea into your cup first, followed by milk. Never the other way around.
11. Never add sugar. Ever.

“On Sundays, Orwell liked very rare roast beef, and Yorkshire pudding dripping with gravy, and good Yarmouth kippers at high tea. (p.501) . . . He liked his tea, as well as his tobacco, strong, sometimes putting twelve spoonfuls into a huge brown teapot requiring both hands to lift.”

-George Orwell: A Life, Bernard Crick, p.502

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