Latest news with #YorkshireTea
Local Spain
2 days ago
- Health
- Local Spain
The ultimate guide to tea drinking in Spain
It's no secret that British people love their tea, so what about when they move to Spain or when they're here on holiday – where can they get their classic morning cuppa? Of course, it's not just Brits that consume great amounts of tea, it's popular with the Irish, Turks, Moroccans, Pakistanis, the Japanese, Chinese, Kenyans and New Zealanders, among many others. So what about the Spanish and their té (tea) consumption? Traditionally Spain is a nation of coffee drinkers rather than tea. This is evidenced by the fact that kettles are very rare here, even in hotels. You're much more likely to find a coffee maker by your bedside. If Spaniards want to make tea at home, they'll typically use the microwave or just heat water up in a saucepan instead. And though hotels give you tea sachets, many expect you to use hot water from the coffee makers, so that you get that lovely hint of coffee in your tea! The Spanish in fact drink more herbal and fruit teas, which they call infusiones, rather than black teas with milk. This will typically be for health reasons in order to help with digestion, sleep, or stomach aches for example, but having said that most bars and cafes around the country will several different types of tea. Typically, the most common teas found in cafes here are menta poleo (mint), mazanilla (camomile), green and maybe red or black. You can often order South African rooibos in many places too as well as frutas del bosque (fruits of the forest). Most of these are available in supermarkets too. There are also herbolarios (literally herb shops)in many Spanish cities, which serve tea blends made from various herbs and spices to help with certain ailments. And what about when it comes to classic English breakfast though? Generally you won't find proper British-style tea – breakfast, builders or otherwise in traditional cafes and bars. It's likely to be Lipton or similar, and often served with a slice of lemon instead of milk. Top tip - if you ask for your tea ' con leche ' or with milk though, be careful as many places will simply make your tea with hot milk instead of water – sacrilege for the British! Make sure you ask for ' una gota de leche ' or a drop of milk to get it the way you're used to having it at home. Many modern cafes or brunch spots in Spain's large cities will offer even more varieties including chai, ginger and other popular mixes and are more likely to know the British style of drinking breakfast teas too. And if you go to El Corte Inglés you can find even more including Tetley's and Yorkshire Tea. Large hypermarkets in Spain such as Carrefour will generally stock a fairly wide variety of teas. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP There are also specialised British supermarkets in most big cities in Spain which sell imported teas from back home, although at a slightly higher price. If you're into your healthy and herbal teas, American brand Yogi Tea which has many Indian Ayurvedic blends is also available in most health food stores in Spain, as well as Carrefour. When it comes to other types of teas, the availability and interest in them is rapidly increasing in Spain, particularly when it comes to Asian teas. Bonsai Coffee & Matcha, Matcha Crew BCN and Usagui. Of course there are many places to buy Asian teas in Spain's big cities too such as San Wei Tea Culture & Store, Lungch'ang Tea Store in Madrid and Tétere and Fresh Chinese and Tea and Tea House in Barcelona. Most big cities in Spain including Valencia, Málaga and Seville will also have specialised tea shops and several come up if you do a search on Google. While these may not have your English breakfast style they will likely have many fruit and herbal teas, as well as some Asian style offerings too.
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Common tea mistake Aussies are making
As winter approaches, few pleasures rival the comfort of dipping a biscuit into a steaming cup of tea. For tea enthusiasts, this simple ritual is the ultimate afternoon pick-me-up. However, according to the experts, many of us might not be doing it correctly. Suzy Garraghan, Senior Tea Buyer and Leading Tea Expert at Yorkshire Tea, has shared her insider tips for the perfect tea dunk – from the ideal angle and temperature to the best biscuit textures for the job. Yes, there is an art to it! As Judi Dench's character memorably explains in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: 'It means lowering the biscuit into the tea, letting it soak in there, and trying to calculate the exact moment before the biscuit dissolves, when you whip it up into your mouth and enjoy the blissful union of biscuits and tea combined'. So, let's get into it. 1. It's all about the angle According to Ms Garraghan, the trick to the perfect dunk starts even before the tea is poured. 'Whether you opt for a teacup or a mug, make sure it's wide-brimmed,' she advises. 'This will allow you to dunk your biscuit at the right angle.' If you're a 'down-dunker', you might be surprised to hear you've been dunking your biscuit wrong all this time. Apparently, you want to dunk at an almost horizontal angle, so only one side of the biscuit gets soaked. This way, the biscuit will remain stronger, allowing for repetitive dunks without any soggy disasters. 2. Choose your tea wisely Understandably, when you dunk a biscuit, it absorbs the quality and strength of the tea's flavour, so it's crucial to choose wisely! 'It ultimately comes down to personal preference, but for me, proper dunking teas are top class, peak season Assam teas like Yorkshire Gold, which are full-bodied and rich in 'gutty' strength and malty notes,' Ms Garraghan says. 3. Check the temperature Monitoring the temperature of your tea is a game-changer for perfecting your dunking technique. 'The warmth of the tea dissolves the biscuit's sugar, fat and starch, so the biscuit will eventually collapse under its own weight,' she explains. 'Temperature, therefore, is often responsible for our drowned dunking pursuits.' The hotter the tea, the quicker the biscuit will dissolve, so Ms Garraghan suggests 85 degrees as the optimum temperature for your brew, but the perfect temperature will depend on your biscuit of choice (more on that soon). 4. Watch the clock The optimum dunking time shares a similar predicament to the ideal dunking temperature – it depends heavily on the biscuit variety. 'No matter which partners you choose, never dunk for less than two seconds or more than five seconds – and don't forget to monitor for signs of biscuit collapse!' Ms Garraghan urges. 'For a Gingernut, I recommend around three to five seconds. For a Tim Tam or a Digestive, no more than two to three seconds as these varieties are less solid and will dissolve and make a mess faster.' 5. Pick your biscuit Now the question you've all been waiting for … which biscuits are the best for dunking? While it ultimately comes down to personal preference, the tea expert does have some favourites. 'Gingernuts are dry and hard on their own, but with tea, they become beautifully chewy,' Ms Garraghan explains. 'The flavour means they're not universally liked, but they are excellent value for the keen dunker due to being solid enough to be dipped, bitten and dipped again'. Her runners-up include Digestives, for their semi-sweet flavour and crumbly texture, and Tim Tams, which create the delicious mix of tea, chocolate and biscuit all at once.
The Herald Scotland
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Artist paints out of this world Star Wars inspired scenes on used tea bags
The Star Wars fan who grew up watching the franchise and has a particular fondness for movie Return of the Jedi, took about three to four hours to create each miniature depiction, of which there are 30. Mrs West's Tea3PO tea bag (Caroline West/PA) 'I wanted to see exactly how many different things I could capture on such a small canvas and show you can even fit a whole galaxy on a tea bag,' Mrs West, who is based in Waterlooville, Hampshire, told the PA news agency. 'I grew up watching the original Star Wars movies and they're just so iconic, they were ground-breaking at the time and as May the fourth was coming up, I thought it was the perfect time to pay tribute.' The art process began with Mrs West drying out used Yorkshire Tea tea bags. From left to right, Mrs West's Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader tea bags (Caroline West/PA) She then cut them up, scrapped out all the tea and ironed them flat. The edges were taped, the tea bags were placed on backing paper, a base layer was applied and then she used acrylic paint to create the different scenes. She said she particularly enjoyed painting the lightsabres as they are a 'real symbol of the whole franchise' and replicating Princess Leia challenged her in a 'good way' to go out of her comfort zone. Mrs West busy at work painting (Ella Sandy/PA) 'For the lightsabres, I tried to give off the impression they were glowing by layering white paint with coloured paints multiple times,' Mrs West said. 'When you were a girl and the films came out, I suppose we all wanted to be Princess Leia so I really enjoyed painting her, especially as I haven't really done portraits or faces before. 'The Death Star was more challenging as there was quite a lot of detail to fit in.' Mrs West's Death Star tea bag (Caroline West/PA) She had fun creating names with tea puns for the artworks, with R2tea2, Brewbacca and Tea3PO, plays on the names of the characters R2-D2, Chewbacca and C-3PO, some of her favourites. She meticulously planned for the series to make sure what she depicted was as recognisable as possible. 'I looked at pictures of iconic characters and watched movie scenes to make sure I captured things which would really resonate with fans and were things I thought I would realistically be able to paint,' she said. Mrs West's Kylo Ren tea bag (Caroline West/PA) 'I've also made sure to do some characters from the newer movies, like Kylo Ren.' Originally delving into tea bag art in August 2023 and focusing on UK landmarks including Stonehenge and Tower Bridge, Mrs West has said it is such an 'amazing feeling' to have branched out to painting things she once thought were never possible to capture on such a tiny canvas. 'I just think the more you do, the more your confidence grows and you realise you can do the things you thought you couldn't,' she added. Mrs West's Brewbacca tea bag (Caroline West/PA) 'Sometimes I think, 'hang on a minute, I'm making a living painting on tea bags' – it's such an amazing feeling.' Mrs West's Star Wars inspired tea bags are fan art and a limited one-off collection. Mrs West's art can be viewed on her website:
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Artist paints out of this world Star Wars inspired scenes on used tea bags
An artist has painted out of this world scenes inspired by the Star Wars franchise on used tea bags. Everything from popular characters Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and R2-D2, to the Death Star and lightsabres have been depicted by Caroline West, 50, on her unique canvas of choice. The Star Wars fan who grew up watching the franchise and has a particular fondness for movie Return of the Jedi, took about three to four hours to create each miniature depiction, of which there are 30. 'I wanted to see exactly how many different things I could capture on such a small canvas and show you can even fit a whole galaxy on a tea bag,' Mrs West, who is based in Waterlooville, Hampshire, told the PA news agency. 'I grew up watching the original Star Wars movies and they're just so iconic, they were ground-breaking at the time and as May the fourth was coming up, I thought it was the perfect time to pay tribute.' The art process began with Mrs West drying out used Yorkshire Tea tea bags. She then cut them up, scrapped out all the tea and ironed them flat. The edges were taped, the tea bags were placed on backing paper, a base layer was applied and then she used acrylic paint to create the different scenes. She said she particularly enjoyed painting the lightsabres as they are a 'real symbol of the whole franchise' and replicating Princess Leia challenged her in a 'good way' to go out of her comfort zone. 'For the lightsabres, I tried to give off the impression they were glowing by layering white paint with coloured paints multiple times,' Mrs West said. 'When you were a girl and the films came out, I suppose we all wanted to be Princess Leia so I really enjoyed painting her, especially as I haven't really done portraits or faces before. 'The Death Star was more challenging as there was quite a lot of detail to fit in.' She had fun creating names with tea puns for the artworks, with R2tea2, Brewbacca and Tea3PO, plays on the names of the characters R2-D2, Chewbacca and C-3PO, some of her favourites. She meticulously planned for the series to make sure what she depicted was as recognisable as possible. 'I looked at pictures of iconic characters and watched movie scenes to make sure I captured things which would really resonate with fans and were things I thought I would realistically be able to paint,' she said. 'I've also made sure to do some characters from the newer movies, like Kylo Ren.' Originally delving into tea bag art in August 2023 and focusing on UK landmarks including Stonehenge and Tower Bridge, Mrs West has said it is such an 'amazing feeling' to have branched out to painting things she once thought were never possible to capture on such a tiny canvas. 'I just think the more you do, the more your confidence grows and you realise you can do the things you thought you couldn't,' she added. 'Sometimes I think, 'hang on a minute, I'm making a living painting on tea bags' – it's such an amazing feeling.' Mrs West's Star Wars inspired tea bags are fan art and a limited one-off collection. Mrs West's art can be viewed on her website:
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
How Gen Z's matcha obsession is causing a crippling global shortage
Boomer: Fancy a cuppa? Gen Z: I'd love one. My matcha powder's on the counter. Disgusting. It looks like something you'd put in a dodgy cigarette. 'There's a raft of supposed health benefits,' according to your Boomer bible The Telegraph. 'Everything from stronger bones and improved memory to defence against cancer.' Live to 100 but the trade-off is swapping my beloved Yorkshire Tea for milky pond water? No thanks. It's actually a very specific form of leaf tea, grown in the shade in Japan, steamed and dried without being rolled, and then ground to a powder – £16.49 from Holland & Barrett. I bet the farmers whisper affirmations at the leaves while they grind them. Don't be ridiculous. The best is ground by hand and as it takes an hour to prepare just 30g of the stuff, there's not much time for blessing it. All that for tea that tastes like the contents of your shoe after a rainy walk. When I tried it, it was like chewing wet hay. You're in the minority. Demand is so great that The Japan Times warns of a global matcha shortage – despite farmers more than tripling their output since 2010. You won't catch my tea causing a geopolitical incident. Not unless Peta takes issue with those old PG Tips chimps. Animal exploitation and fusty breakfast tea? That's seriously cursed vibes. Didn't you see the survey showing only a quarter of 20-somethings ever drink a normal tea? What do you suggest? That me and the UK's other 51 million tea drinkers switch to what one Times reader rightly labelled 'boiled grass water'? It's an acquired taste, but celebs love it. Dua Lipa has more pics on Instagram with her iced matcha than with her boyfriend. It's an aesthetic. I can get the same 'aesthetic' with a blender and tin of mushy peas. It'll probably taste better, too. You need to try Blank Street's £3.90 matcha. The US-founded chain is so popular that TikTokers travel from Newcastle to its 35 London stores. One of its bestsellers is the white chocolate matcha latte with oat milk, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract and matcha. Bubble tea. The Taiwanese drink has garnered 4.5 billion views on TikTok and there are more than 400 cafés in the UK. I don't want bubbles in my tea, thanks. They're not bubbles, they're chewy tapioca balls, duh. And it's made with oolong tea, which cuts the risk of heart disease and strokes. Chewy balls in oolong tea? Sounds like when they have to pop the fish eyes on I'm a Celebrity… Wrong. The UK's biggest chain, Bubbleology, sells tasty flavours like Strawberries and Cream for £5.79. And it's pink! So Instagrammable. Drinking battery acid laced with chewy balls in the name of healthy living. What happened to builder's tea and cake? I didn't even know how to make a normal tea until I saw influencer Jessica Cuspinera's TikTok tutorial (230,000 views and counting). Where can you go wrong with making tea? It's sticking a bag in a mug, not bomb disposal. One viewer wrote, 'How much time, exactly, should the tea bag be in the hot water?' Easy! Steep the tea for exactly five minutes in boiled water, remove and add a splash of milk, as per the late Queen's butler. Another Gen Z-er thought you put the tea bag in cold water then heated it all in the microwave. Save me! So much for youngsters finding a junior job, making good tea and working their way up. Asking an intern to fetch your tea – that's definitely reinforcing outdated work hierarchies. I'd call HR. You're not a matcha? Chai a bit harder.
