Let’s have a cup of tea together

One of the first things I do every morning is switch on the kettle. It is part of my routine. The sound of the kettle getting up steam to come to the boil is as much a part of the morning as the bird song outside the window. Tea has always played an important role in my life, perhaps more than it should, having grown up as an "expat" Brit in America, a land where tea was at that time reserved for when one was unwell. Tea was a four o'clock treat that we indulged in as a family; tea time was a time to chat, to share the experiences of the day and to bond.

Yes, the English love their tea. And the Turks love their tea too. Curious to get some hard data on the tea-drinking habits of these two nations, I came across a survey that was made in late 2014; here the ten countries that consume the most tea per capita in the world were listed. The results might be surprising to some; the United Kingdom is the fifth largest consumer of tea, with Ireland being number three. Morocco is number two – Moroccan mint tea, with its elaborate pouring method has secured its place. But which country then is the king of tea-drinkers? The country with the greatest tea consumption per capita in the world is Turkey.

In Britain, tea is a part of every moment. A "cuppa" is traditionally produced in moments of celebration, moments of sadness, moments of stress, confusion, and just when friends come together. Whenever there are more than two people in the room, one is invariably going to ask "put the kettle on."

In Turkey, tea plays much the same role. The double teapot, hot water on the bottom, tea on the top, is usually gently bubbling away on the stove, ready for guests, for those coming from outside. When visiting people in their offices, the first offer is a cup of tea, and it is followed up by other cups of tea. In both Britain and Turkey tea is the cement that brings people together.

Turkish tea is very different from "English tea." It is lighter in color and taste, and comes from the Black Sea region. English tea comes from Sri Lanka or India, and is stronger in flavor and color. It stands up to milk, if one wants, whereas Turkish tea would be incredibly offended if one attempted to mix it with any type of dairy product.

Carrying out a little more of an investigation, I was surprised to learn in how many different regions of the world tea grows in. In the southern hemisphere, tea grows in Argentina and Brazil; it is a native plant to China and India, as well as thriving in Sri Lanka. It also grows in Georgia and Turkey. The one place it definitely doesn't grow is the British Isles. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, requires a warm, humid climate to thrive, and this just isn't on offer in that green and pleasant land.

Many years ago I had the opportunity to visit a tea plantation in Georgia. The tea that they drank there was very similar to Turkish tea, light and fragrant. This is tea that the Russians drink, and as I learned from my grandmother, Russian tea is best drunk with varenye, similar to jam, but more "chilled," more relaxed, as it contains no jelling agent. Alternatively, a sugar cube, much more resilient than the sugar cubes which grace our tables, is placed in the mouth, melting as one drinks the hot tea. This Russian practice is also common in parts of Turkey, primarily in the region around Erzurum, where this practice is referred to as kıtlama tea.

Not only are there different ways of drinking tea, with sugar, with varenye, or kıtlama, there are different types of "tea" as well. The leaves of the Camellia sinensis are dried to make tea. There is white tea, made from the first leaves of the plant; green tea is fermented in a different way, undergoing less oxidation, thus creating a different color and flavor of tea. Black tea is what most people mean when they ask you if you want a cup of tea, and is the most popular type of tea.

Then there are the "infusions" that many people claim cannot be called teas, as they do not include any part of the camellia sinensis plant. These range from fruit teas to herbal teas. Recently I toured a world famous "infusion-tea" factory in Colorado. The factory makes black tea mixtures, green tea mixtures and white tea. However, this factory is world famous for its herbal infusions; originally, in the 1970s the chamomile and other wild mountain herbs used to make the infusions were gathered by a group of friends from the Rocky Mountains; these young, hip entrepreneurs sewed their own tea bags and marketed the infusions. In time, the company grew in popularity – partly due to the attractive, brightly colored illustrations on the boxes; today this company exports their brands of tea to most countries in the world.

The thing that really struck us in the Colorado factory, other than the cleanliness and friendly atmosphere, was the mint room. This room had a special door that created an air tight seal. Once the door was opened, the mint smell immediately wafted out; going in with slight nasal congestion, one comes out completely cured. In the mint room, your eyes and throat, even your skin attains a lovely tingly sensation.

So, to return to where we started from; Britain is not the number one tea drinking nation in the world. But tea still plays a very important part of everyday life in the country. One need only look at the range of teas and teapots available, or go to a "caff" to see the great urn steaming to realize that while popular, coffee will never take over the pride of place that tea continues to hold – indeed, it is more traditional to have "tea" at Fortnum and Masons or the Ritz than to go there for coffee. In Britain, when one says tea, this concept often includes a light meal; the same cannot be said for coffee. Tea is much more than a drink, it is a tradition, a time of day, a meal, in short, a way of life.

In Turkey, tea is king, and no one is trying to knock it from its throne. Turkish coffee has a well-deserved fame, but it is drunk much less frequently, and with much greater ceremony. Tea will always remain an essential part of every Turkish social gathering. The beautiful Turkish tea glasses, with their delicate waist, the inviting ruby color of the tea all work to ensure the rule of tea.

For many people in many different countries, tea is a comforting drink, an old friend. Today coffee shops are growing and appearing on every corner in Turkey; however, it does not seem likely to take the place of tea, no matter how well marketed. The Turks without tea is like the British without rain. Unthinkable.