2024-06-17 15:02 
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喝茶是典型的英式范儿，英国人每天要喝掉将近1.65亿杯茶。虽然在过去茶只有英国有钱的贵族才能消费得起，但现在喝茶已经变得非常稀松平常了。有些英国人可以一天喝掉15到20杯茶。对我们大部分人来说，一天喝5-6杯茶是正常的。不仅如此，从18世纪以来大不列颠就成为了世界上人均消费茶最多的国家之一。是的没错，英国人几乎要比其他任何国家的人都更爱喝茶。
英国人最爱喝的是红茶加奶，记住，一定不要加奶油。所谓的“奶油茶”（cream tea），指的是抹在司康上的块状奶油，通常搭配果酱或柠檬炼乳，这一风俗特别流行在英格兰西南部美丽的德文郡和康沃尔。我当初第一次尝试‘奶油茶’的那一幕真是太令人难忘了！那是一个在海边的美好假日，一杯很棒的伯爵茶，配以热乎乎的奶香味的司康，还有草莓酱的香甜，那味道简直太完美了！
当然，英国的茶可不仅仅是饮料的代名词，它还指下午四点钟左右的美味‘下午茶’。说到下午茶的由来，它最早是在19世纪初期由贝德福德伯爵夫人——安娜-罗素引进并保留至今的。下午茶的经典配搭是一些三明治、司康、多种多样的小蛋糕，还有红茶。你们一定要试试哦！
不过呢，有一点一定要注意。如果你自己在家的话，当然可以按照个人喜好选择喝浓茶还是淡茶，是红茶还是白茶，是蘸着饼干吃还是搭配奶油酱和果酱的司康。但是如果你去顶级酒店享用下午茶的话，你就必须遵守那里的规则和礼节了。你一定要知道在那个场合穿什么样的服饰是合适的。当然如今大部分的下午茶场所已经允许穿着轻便休闲即可，但是有一些仍然要求男士必须穿夹克打领带。运动装、运动鞋是绝对不允许入场的。另外把饼干蘸在茶里吃是绝对不允许的，翘起小拇指更是被认为不懂礼数。当然说到喝茶的话，是把奶加到茶里还是把茶加到奶里，则是没有限制的，完全个人选择！
最后，中国文化里对茶的热爱我们也不能不提。虽然我来到中国的时间还不长，但是我已经了解到中国历史上，茶文化是那么得深远、复杂和迷人！毫无疑问中国人更熟悉茶叶知识，所以在这么个深谙茶道的国家，我之后不仅要学习如何‘喝茶’，更要学习如何‘喝好茶’！（翻译：胡悦，清华大学、英国杜伦大学本硕毕业，现于伦敦工作）
作者简介：贾斯蒂娜，牛津布鲁克斯大学营养学学士，伦敦国王学院理科硕士。现为英国百福教育 英语\生物教师（iGCSE\A level课程）。研究报告被多家著名学术杂志刊登，如英国营养学杂志。另外，贾斯蒂娜在15岁的时候就成为滑雪冠军，也曾作为半职业舞蹈演员参加多场欧洲巡演。曾在墨西哥担任志愿者三年，帮助贫困和教育落后群体。她是波兰人，在英国牛津学习\生活长达10年时间。掌握英语\西班牙语\波兰语三种语言。
以下是原文：
Perfect when drunk steaming hot, usually served in a mug with milk, occasionally with one or two teaspoons of sugar. However, you can also have it cold, perhaps with ice, and possibly some lemon or leaves of mint to add flavour. I think you have already guessed what I am describing… it is Britain’s favourite drink: tea.
Tea drinking is considered quintessentially English, and each day in Britain approximately 165 million cups of tea are drunk. Although in the past tea was mainly consumed by the fashionably rich, nowadays tea is drunk very often and by most people. Some people drink as many as 15 to 20 cups of tea each day, while most of us drink around 5 or 6 cups of tea a day. Not only that, since the 18th century the United Kingdom has been one of the largest per capita tea consumers in the world. Yes, you have read correctly, an Englishman drinks more tea than any person of any other nation.
In Britain tea is usually black tea served with milk, never cream. The cream of a ‘Cream Tea’ refers to clotted cream served on scones, usually with jam or lemon curd, and is a speciality in Devon and Cornwall, beautiful counties of South West England. I will never forget my first ‘Cream Tea’. I remember it vividly, the glorious taste of Earl Grey tea, together with the sweetness of strawberry rhubarb jam on a warm sweet cream scone, following a long day at the beach. Absolutely perfect!
However, tea is not only the name of the beverage, but also of a late afternoon light meal at four o’clock. ‘Afternoon Tea’, a tradition introduced by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford in 1800s continues to this day. During ‘Afternoon Tea’ you will be served some sandwiches, scones and a selection of cakes, all served with tea. Something everyone should try!
However, be warned! In the privacy of your own home it is perfectly acceptable to drink your tea as you like, weak or strong, black or white, dunking biscuits in our tea or having scones with cream and jam with it. However when taking ‘Afternoon Tea’ in one of the finest hotels you should know about the rules and etiquette you must follow. It is important that you are aware of the dress code suitable for the venue.
Although most venues have a ‘smart casual’ dress code these days, some will request for men to wear a jacket and tie, and definitely no sportswear or trainers will be allowed. Also, dunking biscuits in your tea is not acceptable, while outstretching your little finger is pointless and silly. When it comes to a matter of drinking tea, there is no rule of whether you should add milk to tea or tea to milk. That is entirely your choice.
However, we cannot forget to mention the importance of tea in Chinese culture. Although I have not spent a great deal of time in this country, I have learnt that the history of tea in China is long, complex, and absolutely fascinating! Also, the Chinese people are without a doubt the ones who understand the nature of tea better than anyone else, and as the nation who loves their tea, I am sure we could learn from them not only how to drink tea, but how to drink tea well.
