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of a party scene, but still rich in culture                           the tea-sipping state of mind.  Tea was
            and history.                                                          introduced to Irish royalty in the early
                                                                                  1800’s then gradually trickled down to
            At the farmer’s market, behind the                                    the middle and lower classes.
            church every Saturday morning, you
            can  find  gluten-free  baked goods,  ar-                             Despite tea’s noble presence, the
            tisan  cheese  from  around  the  country,                            tea-brewing process in Ireland is gener-
            fairy statuettes, and root vegetables                                 ally not very sophisticated.  In the old
            still clinging to the moist dirt that was                             days tea would brew over an open fire
            once their home.                                                      for the better part of a day, so that it
                                                                                  was always at hand.  This resulted in
            In the song “Galway Girl,” American                                   very strong tea whose harsh tannins
            musician  Steve  Earle  sings  about  “tak-                           had to be tamed with milk.  Today, in
            ing a whirl down the Salthill Prom” with                              most households, that approach is still
            a beautiful local girl.  He then loses his                            alive and well.
            heart to her simply because “her hair
            was black and her eyes were blue”.   Fans                             As one friend described to me “I just boil
            of the song who visit Galway may be in-                               some water, chuck some tea bags in and
            spired to walk, or whirl, in the couple’s                             forget about it.  I guess the brew time
            make-believe footsteps.                                               for  Irish  tea  can  be  defined  as  “indef-
                                                                                  inite. ”    Of course  in teahouses, high-
            And so we did.  The Salthill Prom (slang                              er-end cafes and afternoon tea service,
            for promenade) is an ocean-front walk-                                more focus is placed on precise brewing.
            way in the Salthill district of Galway,                               East African tea, particularly Kenyan, is
            just over the river from the town cen-  Afternoon Tea                 the most prevalent every-day-drinking
            ter. Lovers, runners, dog walkers and                                 tea.
            sightseers go up and down the café and   Ireland is one of the largest tea consum-
            shop-lined prom morning till night.  It   ing countries in the world.  It is said that   The flavor profile is strong – more to-
            is also one of the most romantic spots   the Irish drink at least 6 cups of tea per   wards what Americans associate with
            in Ireland to watch a sunset.      person per day.   For a true immersion   coffee.  But it is very fragrant and has
                                               into Irish culture, one must get into   desirable floral notes.  The brewed tea






            76    Wine Dine & Travel  Summer 2014
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