The Danish Way of Tea

Tea is nearly unheard of in Denmark, and if you can get it, it is usually poorly made. This makes me very sad.

All hope is not lost, however. The Danes do seem to have a hankering for black specialty teas. And Copenhagen hosts several tea rooms.

Today is a black tea with cocoa and chili. I don't think you can get more *special* than that! ;)

Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Celery and Walnut Tea Sandwiches

We're recovering from spring break. Doesn't that sound strange, having to recover from time off? But it is nice to get back into our normal routine.

Celery and Walnut Tea Sandwiches

Mix cream cheese with chopped celery and walnuts, and spread on bread. Cut into desired shapes. Serve. Enjoy!

Wasn't that amazingly easy?

Today I slowly sip, and enjoy, a caramel apple rooibos tea. Peace be with me. Isn't this mug sweet? The handle is the tail.

The Belgian Way of Tea

Belgium is another country where coffee is king. But Belgians do seem to love green tea, as they focus on health and wellness. Herbal teas, however, still outnumber regular tea by a 2:1 margin.

I raise my tea mug to Belgium today, and drink a mate, green, and rooibos tea with peach and blackberry.

The Norwegian Way of Tea

While Norwegians lean toward green tea and flavored green teas, tea is mostly seen as a drink for women. Norway is much more into coffee drinking, being one of the world leaders per capita for coffee consumption.

But, not to lose hope, tea drinking for health benefits is on the rise. My Norwegian ancestry doesn't even fight my love of tea. It just accepts it.

To heck with it, I'm drinking a vanilla flavored black tea. And thoroughly enjoying it!

The Czech Way of Tea

My husband is Czech, and while he is mostly a coffee drinker, he does surprise me every now and then by drinking a nice cup of tea.

Tea is not hugely popular in the Czech Republic, but they do lean toward herbal and flavored green teas. Fruit teas do not seem to be as popular, which is funny, because that's the very kind my husband seems to prefer. Tea seems to be mostly consumed in the morning and cold evenings.

Local legend says tea was introduced by a Russian anarchist named Mikhail Bakunin. The story goes he asked for a cup of tea, and when no one knew what he was talking about, he proceeded to brew the first cup and introduced the Czechs to tea.

Tea houses are a recent arrival. There were several around the time of WWI, but they did not survive the Communist occupation. The late 1980s saw them return; they are known as cajovny. The varieties of caj (tea) include white, green, black and oolong.

In honor of my husband's heritage, I'm drinking a green tea with ginger and safflower.

The German Way of Tea

Tea made its way to Germany around 1610, via East Frisia and the Dutch East India Company. Like many countries when tea is first introduced, it was considered medicinal. Despite some issues in the late 1700s, where attempts were made to curtail tea consumption, the prohibition was lifted. Tea is as big as coffee in Germany, and they are rather particular about it.

Loose tea and tea glasses are preferred to tea bags and tea cups.

Tea is consumed anywhere from two to four or more times a day, usually three glasses at a sitting. It is offered to every visitor to the home. Cream is added using a special spoon, a Rohmlepel, to the side of the glass, causing a cloud like shape to form on top of the tea. The cream is not stirred into the tea. It is considered bad manners to drink less than three cups, but once finished, turning the cup upside down signals one is done.

Tea is sweetened with kluntjes, which is a type of rock sugar candy. The sugar makes a crackling sound as the hot tea is poured over it.

I don't have any tea from Germany. I'm going to make do with a green tea with plum and passionfruit.

The Irish Way of Tea

It is said that no country drinks more tea, per capita, than Ireland. Americans are known for leaving a pot of coffee on all day long, but the Irish are known for doing that with tea. They like their tea strong. It is said they like it so strong that a fork will stand up in it.

I haven't tested this theory, of course.

The Irish also like milk with their tea, a practice I am not a fan of. They add the milk first, sometimes as much as filling half the cup.

Tea came to Ireland around the 19th century, and was reserved for special guests. This, mostly, because tea was expensive. It did eventually make its way into the rural areas.

So, today, in honor of St. Patrick, have some tea. Green tea, if you are feeling festive, Irish Breakfast if you want to be more traditional.

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!