It was early. We were in bed. My girlfriend wasn’t feeling her best. I reflexively offered to make her a cup of tea. Because, of course a cup of tea makes the world a better place. A ‘nice cup of tea’ (as it is invariably called) makes anything better. That is simply incontrovertible.

There is something in the routine. The enforced waiting while the kettle boils is a piece of time in which to stop and think. Or not think, if that is better. Preparing the cups, the milk — these small, familiar movements are reassuring.

Then, when all is ready, you hold the mug in two hands. It radiates warmth and comfort. It is fragrant.

It cannot change situations or alleviate symptoms, but it is comforting. The time it takes to drink a mug of tea is a respite.

Those few minutes are important, the making as much as the drinking. It is a time of stillness and repose.

I came late to tea. My parents drink theirs very weak (think hot water with milk) and, for a long time, I thought that was tea.

At university, I finally drank proper tea — what my parents would call “builders’ tea”. It was a revelation. It was strong, fragrant, comforting. In short, it was the perfect thing for a hangover.

Now, I am a wholesale, evangelical convert. I believe without question that a strong, almost coffee-dark cup of tea is the best way to start, and end, a day.

This is how to achieve your respite:

1. Fill the kettle and set it to boil.

2. Take out your mug, or mugs, or pot — if you are using one. Set them next to the kettle.

3. One teabag per mug. Add an extra one for the pot, if that is what you are using.

4. Wait.

5. Pour the water as soon as it boils.

6. Wait, again. Three or four minutes should suffice.

7. (Pour from pot to mug.)

8. Add milk. Just a splash.*

9. Wait, again, for the tea to cool.

10. Warm your hands on the cup and enjoy the fragrance in the mean time.

11. Take a sip, or gulp, and close your eyes to savour it.

12. Sigh with contentment.

13. Repeat 11 and 12 until the mug, or pot, is empty.

*Milk first or second is a contentious issue. Adding it second makes it easier to regulate the amount. Once you become more practised, you can add the milk to the cup first if you prefer.

Further reading:

George Orwell, A Nice Cup of Tea

Douglas Adams, Tea

Christopher Hitchens, How to Make a Decent Cup of Tea