A cup of tea never fails to refresh the senses.

I can still picture those 1970s commercials with their memorable closing line. I searched for them online, and instantly found myself back in my teenage years, sitting close to the radiator while watching television. One commercial particularly stood out to me featuring a man and his dog rising from bed in a dreary apartment on a stormy, overcast morning—both finding new energy from tea, with the dog lapping his from a saucer.

Then there was the commercial about the housewife who spent the entire day attempting to prepare herself a cup of tea, only to repeatedly hand the beverages out to workers visiting the home, her children and husband.

While viewing these commercials, I couldn’t comprehend why no specific tea brand appeared. What I failed to understand was that this well-known slogan originated from a nationwide marketing effort designed to stimulate declining tea sales. Tea consumption was experiencing a downturn, so the industry began producing broad promotional campaigns in an attempt to change direction.

Tea consumption certainly wasn’t dwindling in our household. The teapot was the most frequently used dish in our kitchen, remaining on the table throughout the day and well into the evening. Tea has remained a steady presence throughout my existence. In my childhood home, rarely would an hour go by without my mother inquiring whether anyone desired a cup.

I’ve continued my dedication to tea. I’m currently sipping one as I compose this, and I’m eager to extol its virtues ahead of National Tea Day. Held annually in the UK on April 21st, this observance honours tea drinking and is marked in tea rooms, hotels, pubs and cafes through various events and charity activities.

There’s no question we appreciate tea, but does it truly rank as “the world’s favourite drink” as certain websites assert? I’ve also seen it described as Britain’s most popular beverage by a significant margin, with upwards of 100,000,000 cups consumed daily. However, I should mention that this particular fact appears on the UK Tea and Infusions Association website, so they would logically promote such figures. Their website features a live counter displaying cups consumed that day. At 6pm on Tuesday April 14th, the total exceeded 70 million.

Naturally, tea isn’t universally favoured. In 2024, Typhoo Tea, one of Britain’s longest-established tea companies, went under following declining sales. Younger consumers show less interest, gravitating toward coffee or alternatives like bubble tea, which doesn’t appeal to me whatsoever.

My husband consumes exclusively coffee, and my eldest daughter has adopted the same preference, even purchasing an advanced coffee machine. That’s the thing about coffee—achieving a quality cup requires elaborate apparatus, loud devices that grind, froth and sputter. Such equipment isn’t necessary for a decent cup of tea. A kettle and basic tea bag suffice perfectly.

Significant discussion exists regarding the ideal method for brewing tea. I maintain that George Orwell offered the finest guidance, outlining eleven principles in his 1946 essay A Nice Cup of Tea. These specify: use boiling water, warm the ceramic pot, add milk afterward and avoid sugar. I support all these recommendations, though I make do with an unheated mug. My parents consistently presented tea in a cup with saucer. I appreciate this tradition, but we’ve become less refined and prefer to minimise the dishes.

I favour strong, straightforward tea. I have no patience for flavoured varieties or tea taken without milk. Once, while preparing tea at a friend’s residence, I unknowingly used Earl Grey tea bags and, upon tasting the beverage, assumed the teapot hadn’t been properly rinsed. I cleaned it thoroughly and brewed another pot, only to encounter that same unusual flavour. I was 18 at the time—it marked my initial experience with flavoured tea and