Taking Tea
© Rommi Smith, BBC Artist in Residence for the Commonwealth Games 2002

Written after reading a Guardian article (25/06/02) on the political nature of ‘tea’ following its journey from a Sri Lankan plantation to Twinning's displays in supermarkets and the exploitation of tea pickers. Also inspired by the play a Caribbean Abroad at the Library Theatre, Manchester, on June 29th 2002.

Directions

1. Allow one teabag per person

Ambiga plucks the leaves
With which gentlemen paint
Their sun slumped afternoons
In shades named, Ceylon, Assam
Kenyan or Lady Grey
Or Lapsang Souchong

2. Boil fresh water

Fresh from her labour
On line 51, Blend 158
Is steam driven by rickshaw
From Tinderet, to accompany
The indulgence of scones
And cream, takers sip slowly
And are reminded of
Of Englishness

3. Warm the pot

Ambiga notes that the blend is
Golden Nostalgia
The temperature should always be
At the discretion of the gentleman
Tea after all is his trade
Her hands tend a loving dose of
CTC (cut-tear-curl) to leaves
Release the flavour of the atmosphere

4. Infuse the teabags for 3-5 minutes

Ambiga has her palm
Crossed with copper
To be precise, two-pence
For the contents of
A box of Golden Nostalgia
This is the mystique of tea.

5. Pour into China

Against her barefoot honesty,
Time has marked out a new century
There rain against the
Ramshackle tin roof
Should be called, yesterday
Organic some like to call it.
Quaint. Quintessentially

6. Add milk to taste

And that’s another story.

Parched and thirst-dry
Ambiga can hear the roar
Of a waterfall descending far, from here
Plunging forward into a reservoir, change
A blend of hope and conviction

Best taken without
Sugar, milk or any other
Additive
Best served, on its own,
As it is