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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

