Although a British Ambassador on a covert mission to unearth cultural learnings from food; on occasion, one requires a part of Britain that made us Great.
One such necessity is an English breakfast tea that Roger Moore would approve of.
Tracking this stuff down in Asia is like trying to find a durian orchard in Kent.
At times I could assassinate a comforting mug of builders tea (like PG tips) which I actually had in a cafe on Pi Pi island, but it just didn't taste right.
Half the problem you see, is the water quality. Its the same reason that bagels from New York and Guiness from Ireland cannot be replicated elsewhere.
Typically one is offered Lipton tea. Whilst great as a refreshing cold drink its utter muck served hot with milk. Its akin to liquid terrorism.
My sights became trained on a brew (and indeed a breakfast)at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC)in Phnom Penh. There, at an early rendezvous I was served Twinings English breakfast tea AND in a pot hoorah! jolly good work I say!
I have given up the bullet on English breakfasts, content eating rice porrige with delicious stock and meat or noodles. To acquire good toast, one needs to go undercover. A good plan is to aim for a country with a French colonnial past as they will almost certainly have baguettes and croissants. Coffee is usually the national drink and I have heard on good authority that Laos is the place to drink that gear.
So I am left making no disguise of the fact that I enjoy tea.
Unlike my cocktails however, I like my tea stirred, not shaken.
