Saturday, July 14, 2007

Australians love teabagging

An op-ed in the Sydney Morning Herald decries the state of Australian tea culture. Apparently Australia is full of foodies, but few carry their standards through to tea. The author seems particularly horrified by the prevalence of tea bags over loose tea:
The tea inside the bag has been pulverised so it instantly colours the hot water. You jiggle a little, using much the same motion as a gentleman rearranging his testicles, and then sup the bland result. There's not much flavour, and hardly any of the deeply restorative aroma that comes with properly brewed tea.
Australia, you may not have access to a wide variety of fresh leaf teas in the grocery stores, but at least you have teabagging jokes in your mainstream media.

Any Australians have thoughts on the matter?

1 comment:

Cottage Love Affair said...

It seems to me that Australians are just beginning to acknowledge that heading out for a cup of tea is as acceptable a social affair as the tried and tested coffee. I adore tea and only ever buy loose leaf. Here in Australia the status of tea is slowly but surely rising, although it remains frustrating having to go to specialty shops for good quality loose leaf tea when I know that elsewhere in the world this is not entirely necessary. It is good news however, to see a sizable number of tea specialist cafes and old style Chinese tea houses opening here and there, as demand grows, with awesome selections to offer. Perhaps we are not entirely doomed to the bag? :)