Teabag Tuesday

You may want to think twice before reaching for those office teabags...

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A study found that boxes of workplace teabags contain 17 times more bacteria than a ­toilet seat.



Researchers at Initial Washroom Hygiene swabbed a variety of everyday office items, and found that the microbial levels as follows:

1. Tea bag box/tin - 3,785

2. Kettle handle - 2,483

3. Rim of used mug - 1,746

4. Fridge door handle - 1,592

5. Sugar container - 1,406

6. Kitchen tap - 1,331

7. Sink surface/drying rack - 1,234

8. Hot water tap - 1,160

9. Kitchen top - 948

10. Cutlery drawer handle - 754

A toilet seat registered just over 220.

Low: less than 200.
Normal: 200-500.
High: more than 500.


You might want to brew your own cup of tea and use your own cup. A poll of office workers found 80 per cent did not wash their hands before making drinks for colleagues, while one in three did not wash out mugs before topping them up. And one in 20 people also deliberately gave colleagues the ‘wrong mug.’


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We here at Infomaniac remind you to stay healthy in 2018.

Breakfast With Norma

Must bring Norma her breakfast...

(click to enlarge)

Tea Party

The lovely Mistress Maddie suggested that Mistress MJ host a tea party so pop ‘round for a cuppa, won’t you?

There’s a teacup waiting with YOUR name on it!...

Let’s peek under the tea cosy, shall we?...

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Allow me to pour you a brew…

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And for those of you who like something stronger…

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Note: Be sure to pop by and visit Princess who’s showing us a treasure from her teapot collection!

Save the Teapot! Save Our Cuppa!

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Mistress MJ took to her bed at the news that such classic British icons as red phone boxes, red pillar post boxes and Routemaster double-decker buses were disappearing. (Oddly enough, they’re all red!)

As one who watches too much British telly, Mistress MJ has noticed an appalling trend: English folk preparing their tea by dunking a tea bag in a mug instead of taking the time to brew it properly in a TEAPOT!

Teapot sales had halved in the past five years, while demand for mugs had trebled. Tea served in a teapot and poured into China cups is the traditionally British way, but modern drinkers prefer what the retailer called a "lazier method".

Lazy method pictured here…

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Proper method pictured here..

But there is hope.

Enter the Campaign for Civilised Tea Drinking.

Says Debenham’s home design expert Alison Hill: “Tea served in a pot has always been a feature of British life – it’s as famous as the Tower of London or Big Ben. As well as being an historic, pivotal part of everyday family life for generations, tea has helped us through the Blitz, and many hard times since then. We believe it is an essential part of what it means to be British, and therefore we want to do all that we can to preserve this practice for the future.

Save the teapot! Save our cuppa!

Tea Party

Help yourselves to a teacup with your name on it…

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UPDATE:

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Road Trippin’ Refreshments

On day one of our road trip, the Infomaniac Bitches pause for a lovely cream tea (tea served with scones, clotted cream and jam) at Café C in Dorchester, Dorset…


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A lively discussion ensued ‘round the table when Mitzi enquired, “How do you take your cream tea?” Cream on the top of the scone first followed by a dollop of jam (Devonian method)? Or jam on the top of the scone first followed by cream (Cornish method)?

Feel free to jump in if you have an opinion to offer one way or another.

And we’d like to know your favourite tea room (phrase subject to interpretation) so that we might pop by when the road trip passes through your town.

DUNKING : Naff or Not?

As I’m about to embark on my British biscuit trial, I’ve noticed that some of you mentioned biscuit-dunking in the comments.

Dunking was discouraged in the Infomaniac childhood homestead as it was considered naff. Of course I dunked the minute my mother’s back was turned.

So, how about you? Are you dunkers?

Do you have a preferred method of dunking? A certain level of sogginess you must attain? How do you prevent the biscuit from disintegrating into a sludgy mess at the bottom of your cup? How much of the biccie do you dunk? A little at a time? Or the entire biscuit in one go? And for how long should the biscuit be submerged? Does dunking improve the flavour of certain biscuits? Are certain types of biccies more dunkable than others?

I’ve so much to learn.

And look at this clever bit of design. A dunk mug with a compartment to store your biscuits…