“Happiness is like a cup of tea” — who could argue with that? Tea warms you, gives you comfort and peace. It adds joy to conversations with friends. It relaxes you while you’re jotting down a few words in your notebook or reading a book. Sometimes, it even keeps you company in solitude. As a valued figure in Turkish literature, Oğuz Atay said: “…we also love the side of tea that comforts loneliness…” — and it’s truly so. Tea can become the oldest companion to our troubles, always at hand, seemingly asking, “Wouldn’t you like another cup?”

Among those who experience both the happiness and sadness that tea brings is one of the 20th century’s important writers — George Orwell, a self-confessed tea lover. Although Orwell is best known for his works Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, he also wrote lesser-known newspaper articles that deserve attention.

In a 1946 article for the Evening Standard, the English writer shared with readers the key points for the best tea. Since he could not find informative, detailed instructions on tea in the cookbooks of his day, he wrote his own set of guidelines — calling them the “golden rules of tea.” They cover what kind of tea to use, how to brew it, and even what sort of cup to drink it from.

Here are George Orwell’s essentials for the perfect tea:

1. When you say “let’s have a nice cup of tea,” it refers to Indian tea.
   If you’re going to brew tea, it should be either Indian or Ceylon tea.

2. Before brewing, the teapot must be warmed on the stove.

3. Always use a porcelain teapot. Tea brewed in a samovar loses its flavour.

4. While the teapot is on the heat, add the boiling water.

5. Do not use a strainer, because tea brews better together with the leaves.

6. Stir the tea in the pot so it can become clear.

7. There is only one answer to whether tea should be weak or strong.
   One cup of strong tea is better than twenty cups of weak tea. Over time, real tea lovers come to prefer their tea strong.

8. Tea should be drunk in a handled cup, which is important for keeping it hotter.

9. For those who like tea with milk, the order and type of milk matter. First pour the tea into the cup, then add milk — and use milk without cream.

10. If you add sugar to your tea, you are actually spoiling the real taste of the tea.
    Then how can you call yourself a true tea lover? You could just as well add salt or pepper — it would achieve the same thing. Once you try tea without sugar, you’ll get used to drinking it that way. Tea should have a slightly bitter taste. If you sweeten it, you’re not tasting the tea — you’re tasting the sugar.

After all these tips, one thing becomes clear: life is much like tea. It’s filled with bitter and sweet memories. We can soothe both our joyful and melancholic moments with a cup of tea. As one poet wrote: “Life is like a cup of tea. For some, it ends in one gulp; for others, it’s sipped slowly. The dregs left at the bottom are the crumbs of life…”

By Hussain Kaya – London