Our Ritual of Tea

We are a family of tea drinkers.

I have been waiting years to say this!

I started writing this post ages ago but never found the occasion to finish it. Often I am captivated by a fragment of an idea; and it stays that way for a time. Sometimes a long while. Thanks to  A Virtual Tea Party created & hosted by the lovely Su at zimmerbitch, this post is grown & birthed.

A teatime to look forward to: almond croissant with builder’s tea & milk

I am a sucker for most hot drinks, despite growing up in mostly hot & humid Singapore. Coffee used to be my drink of choice until it started to give me palpitations (courtesy of being pregnant with Older Daughter – the condition has persisted since).  I love a good cup of dark hot chocolate – but I find most places put too much sugar in theirs.  So, I drink mostly tea now. My go-to tea is any strong builders tea with milk.

Loving Husband and both daughters are also tea drinkers with their own particular preferences. Here are their favourites:

One of Meticulous Older Daughter’s several Chinese tea services: she has a preference for Chinese (Tie Guan Yin) & Japanese (Genmaicha) teas.

Sociable Younger Daughter’s favourite tea-set: she brings this out when she hosts a Tea Party. Her brew of choice: Peppermint Tea or Mango Green Tea.

One of Loving Husband’s favourites: Teh Alia (Ginger Tea with condensed milk) from one of  the oldest sarabat (tea) stalls in Kampong Glam, dating back to the 1950s

Feature photo depicts one of my favourite Singaporean breakfasts: Teh Si (strong black tea with evaporated milk; no sugar in mine, thanks!), kaya toast, soft-boiled eggs (Berseh Food Centre, 2019). We often run there on Sunday mornings and enjoy a leisurely tea/coffee as a reward for our exertions.

What is your favourite tea-time beverage? Do you enjoy tea parties? Come join in the fun at A Virtual Tea Party.