I"am lucky we have a tea room that has little pomp and just properly makes a great cup of tea. One of the best parts is that their discriptions of diffrent tea types is spot on. Oh the owner is indian and they sell tea from all over the world. Some pretty common some impossible to find.
@ Snuffin. Dont want to be too precise on an open forum, but if you take the junction of Oxford Street, where it meets Tottenham Court Rd and Charring Cross Rd as a reference point, I am about 3 to 4 miles north.
Nachman, you just have to be sure the copper is properly tinned on the inside. But you are right about copper, and especially verdigris.
If it wasn’t for tea Britain would still be a world power. The alleged British tendency to do nothing but sit down and make a cup of tea when with faced with an emergency or a problem is the subject of the 1962 song “Right said Fred”. Here workmen are faced with the challenge of relocating a piano. At every hurdle is the refrain “we was getting nowhere and so we had a cuppa tea.” Needless to say the piano is never shifted, but voluminous numbers of ‘cuppas’ are consumed in the process of achieving naught save wrecking the house. This never would have happened in the days of coffee. The song has more than a ring of truth to it. I’ve never employed an English builder or decorator whose first act upon arrival is not to pour tea from a thermos flask, make himself comfortable on a packing case and ogle the tits on page three of The Sun.
@PhilipS. I always tend to put the kettle on when faced with a problem that I need to think about. I just find it helps. That being said I drink around 5-8 cups of tea a day so it might just be a coincidence.
I’m going to try and find that song. Sounds like a Gong Show effort, surely.
Elemental - Cup Of Brown Joy. 'Nuff said.
@Mittens. Brilliant link.Really enjoyed it
A lot of people have mentioned the need to boil fresh water, but I would add that the water should be cold. Heat it to a boil and use it as soon as it starts boiling. Chuck the rest–never re-use water that’s been boiled already. I like to give the pot a stir after about 2.5 minutes, then I pour out at the 5-minute mark. Of course, this is the southern, upper or middle class method. I’ve heard that some people in Northern England like to boil the leaves with the water to make it “mash” (a.k.a. steep). Indians do that as well, with spices thrown in.
" I’m going to try and find that song. Sounds like a Gong Show effort, surely. " It’s a 1962 song sung by Bernard Cribbins. He was also the cutlery salesman in ‘The Hotel Inspectors’ episode of Fawlty Towers. http://beemp3.com/download.php?file=7452824&song=Right+said+Fred
“I always tend to put the kettle on when faced with a problem that I need to think about. I just find it helps.” Said like Fred :<)
I just get a teabag put it in the cup add a little milk, and sugar then add boiling water. Let it mash for a few minutes (I like my tea strong), take the teabag out and enjoy. Stefan
I used to use a teapot and all, but have gone modern. I put a cup of cold water in the microwave, bring it to a boil,throw in a Yorkshire tea bag , swish it around for a while with tongs, squeeze out the bag and throw it away. Add sugar and milk and drink. Rinse and repeat.
I still insist on having a Brown Betty in the house, but usually just switch on the electric kettle, bung a bag of PG Tips in a cup and wait until the water boils. As far as my snobby side goes, I won’t take tea in anything other than Staffs pottery, because I choose to be difficult. 
Thanks Philip.
get loose leaf. Many loose leaf teas are great the second third and the craziest I ever had lasted six brews.
You’re so right bob, I find that is especially true of greens, have in fact read about the Eastern way of doing tea and that is expressly commented on. With the Yixing pots, they even say after awhile you can make a nice pot just by pouring water into an empty vessel.
haven’t tried that yet but now I think I should.
an old school teacher of mine used to use her teabags twice also she would hang the teabags on a piece of string with a clothespeg to dry
I have been known to have a cup of just plain hot water every now and then.