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I heard a statistic while in Ireland, that the Irish drink
more tea per capita than any other country in Europe. I believe it, and I like it.
I come from Seattle, the caffeine capital of the U.S. It is the place where Starbucks was born,
spawned from a culture of rainy, gloomy skies, thick arches of stoic forests,
conditions that tuck people indoors, out of the wet cold, and around café
tables. We love our coffee there - we
love roasting it, we love the smell, we love the flavor.
Ireland has a similar marine climate, similar conditions of
green and wetness.
Over the course of our trip, we stopped periodically, here
and there, for tea for two. I have to
limit my caffeine intake because it makes my heart beat too fast, but I can sip
it from time to time. Barry's is the
most popular tea in Ireland, and we sipped many a pot of this golden
blend. I like mine with raw sugar and a
touch of milk. My travel companion
drinks his plain. It was always served
with two bags of tea inside a metal teapot, steeped for 3-5 minutes, and then
teabags removed. Tea was poured into
porcelain cups, set to cool, and then sipped.
The best tea for two in Ireland, is as follows:
At The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis, County Clare. We sat in lumpy old couches, under
chandeliers, in a musty-smelling room, with the rain pattering outside. We sipped tea for two. For an old experience, I liked this hotel.
At The Dunraven Arms Hotel, in Adare, County Limerick. We sat in the posh bar area, in front of a
wall of windows that illuminated the room with natural light, with the rain
pouring outside, sipping out of two cups.
For a modern experience, I liked it here.
At The Burren Perfumery in Carron, County Clare. We had tea in the garden, beneath the sun. An organic, cleansing, herbal tea, made
locally, steeped in a china teapot. For
a natural experience, this is my pick.
I brought some tea back with me. A loose, bulk Irish Breakfast tea purchased
at Loop de Loop organic emporium in Castletownbere. Now, in New York City, finishing all my
writing, in an apartment with towers of books and two cats stalking the spaces
in between, I boil the water, measure out the tea, and steep it in a pink
teapot, dusted off from the cupboard.
New York is quite a coffee town - this entire city is wound up on
caffeine. I sip the Irish Breakfast in
the morning, enjoying the ritual I've taken with me; it is the best souvenir.
Written by Liz O'Malley - Summer of Travel 2007
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