Accidental Blogger

For centuries, English Tea has been a misnomer. English Breakfast and Earl Grey, the quintessential ingredients of the satisfying "cuppa" are blends of tea grown in India, China and Sri Lanka. Now a descendant of Earl Grey ( with the rather common name of Jonathan Jones) is growing tea in the heart of England because "English tea should be grown on English soil" according to him. This is the first time that the tea loving nation of England has cultivated the leaves locally. The tea estates in Asia need not worry – the output of Jones’ farm is a miniscule drop in the enormous bucket of the English tea market. At $10 an ounce and currently available only at the upscale Fortnum & Mason, the competition from the new "English" brew  will be negligible. Still, I expect the tea to sell briskly because that is a small price to pay for a beverage you can truthfully call your own.