There are arguably two kinds of people in the world: those who like coffee, and those who prefer tea. I suppose it’s possible to like both, or neither; yet the majority of people seem to owe their allegiance to one or the other.

Personally, I would consider myself a tea man. Assuredly, I can enjoy a cup of coffee — especially a nice espresso after dinner with my family. But I don’t drink it frequently; I rarely have a cup in the morning; and I never crave it.

Now, tea, on the other hand… There’s just something about it that always satisfies. Whether it’s the lemony iced tea to appease a summer thirst; or the cup of dark Earl Grey or Darjeeling for late night study sessions; or a hot, semi-sweet cup of chai as the perfect accompaniment to reading a good book by the fire; or the simple perfection of chamomile before bed. (And yes, I know that chamomile is an herbal brew, not really a tea.) Somehow, there’s a tea for every mood and every occasion.

The English will be the first to tell you that there’s a right and a wrong way to make tea. Consider this instruction from the BBC:

There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it’s this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it’s merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That’s why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that’s why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That’s why they don’t understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don’t know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.

So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you’re staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful - you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let’s just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn’t have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it’s probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea. If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.

Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you’ve come to isn’t maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.

The BBC also recommends some specific ways of making a good cup of tea. If you’re dying to know more about tea, you can check out the Stash Tea web site, which includes such tidbits as: the history of tea (and the history of tea pots), tea types and quotes. Twinings describes some of the manufacturing process. And Wikipedia tells you everything else you want to know.

For my part, I just recommend drinking it.