GUWAHATI: It appears that late Queen Elizabeth II really knew her tea, with a long 70 years old tradition of enjoying a 'cuppa' at her grand afternoon tea, which comprised Assam and Darjeeling teas.
Queen Elizabeth II who had, at the tender age of 25, ascended to the throne in 1952, about five years after India's independence in 1947, was known for her special love for Assam and Darjeeling Tea.
Everyone in Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the queen, knew about Queen Elizabeth's love for a grand afternoon tea, a tradition which lasted for 70 long years till her death on Thursday.
The late monarch apparently had very particular preferences when it came to picking her tea leaves- specially procured from some of the finest tea gardens in Assam and Darjeeling hills- and getting them brewed in a particular manner.
Grant Harrold, the personal butler of Queen Elizabeth's had, earlier in 2018, revealed as to how the late monarch always used to take out time to sit down for her afternoon tea wherever she was. She is supposed to have never missed the afternoon ritual, except for extreme situations.
The Royal butler Harrold had revealed that the queen enjoyed Assam and Darjeeling tea along with her daily brew of traditional Earl Grey.
Harrold, however, refused to reveal the names of the tea gardens in Assam and Darjeeling from where Buckingham Palace used to procure the tea leaves for Queen Elizabeth II.
There were specific instructions to brewing her tea in the perfect manner, as tea aficionados will attest to:
The step by step process- Pour the tea into the cup from a teapot; add milk to the cup after the tea and never before; stir back and forth (never use a circular motion and never touch the sides).
Also watch: