Tom Parker Bowles swears there usually are not any tea feuds in his possess household even even though his individual stage-father, Prince Charles, is mentioned to be fairly picky. But Bowles can talk for several hours more than the complicated marriage Brits have with tea in basic. “There is tea as a drink, tea as a food, tea as etiquette. It is a person of the couple foods that you can say is wholly British,” Parker Bowles suggests.

We are chatting about his new e-book, Time for Tea, with British food stuff emporium Fortnum & Mason, which addresses the heritage of tea as properly as recipes created by Fortnum’s chefs, mixologists, and tea gurus. “The tale of tea is very controversial and tied to the historical past of the British Empire, including imperialism and monopolies, which are not pretty great issues at all,” claims Parker Bowles. “Nevertheless now it is ingrained in British culture. So we begun with tea’s origins in China and Japan, and went up by way of the British East India Company—who were a very terrible bunch truly, quite greedy—and People throwing that tea into the harbor.”

tom parker bowles launches new book
Tom Parker Bowles with his mother, Duchess Camilla, at Fortnum & Mason’s tea salon.

David M. BenettGetty Photos

Individually, Parker Bowles likes to start his working day what is known as “builder’s tea,” a sturdy cup of black tea with a tiny milk and sugar. Prince Charles, it would seem, prefers his tea with milk and honey, whilst the Queen likes a minor milk with no sugar. The royal relatives has been a admirer of loose leaf tea for several years. Parker Bowles clarifies that the tea leaves are greater when they are loose and develop a more nuanced flavor than the bag. “Just like wine, tea has a terroir to it, and that is greater expressed with the larger sized leaves.”

Fortnum & Mason: Time for Tea

He also recommends boiling contemporary, filtered drinking water (in no way microwaving the cup), because the taste of the drinking water can infiltrate the taste of the total brew. As for the relaxation, he waves a hand. “It is your cup of tea, it doesn’t truly issue if you insert milk initial or tea initially or like honey in excess of sugar.” This does not mean Parker Bowles isn’t specific. “It is pretty tricky to locate a superior cup of tea in New York Town,” he suggests, citing Tea & Sympathy as a unusual beloved. In London, “Any very good lodge will do, but tea at Claridge’s and the Ritz are classic.”

For individuals who are not in London, or New York Town for the subject, Fortnum & Mason has set with each other a unique version of its famed hampers and tea to buy.

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