Expedition cuppa making ‘Tea or Coffee?’ Or is it that simple…?

David Hempleman Adams, expedition leader, 24 July, middle of the Barents Sea

So you need some imagination for todays blog.

I have spent hundreds of days skiing to different parts of the World, with Rune Gjeldnes, my Norwegian partner in crime.  We stop, put the tent up, all the gear goes in, nothing is said at all. When relaxing, the first cup of tea comes into my hand after 20 mins. Same cup, same tea, same pack of Ray Gray Pork scratchings. Only then do we start to chat.

So today we had all 7 of us in the Galley and around the table. I asked a basic question. who wants a cuppa?

Nikolai, yeeees please, coffee. (Then one of the ladies, ‘ooooh, Nikolai, we now have instant coffee, decaf instant, ground coffee or David could grind some beans for you!!’) ‘Oh really’ I thought.

‘Nyet!! I just want coffee. Coffee. Put water on it!’

Benji,  ‘Mint tea please’ (Then another lady, two octaves higher, ‘Benji darling, we have mint tea bags or fresh mint leaves. David could make a cafetiere for you’ ) ‘Oh really’ I thought.

Ros, could I have decaf tea please? (Then one of the ladies, two octaves higher, ‘oooh, Ros, we have Cinnamon, lemon & Ginger, Camomile’,)

Constance, ‘could I have earl grey, put into my blue thermos, then I can transfer it into my red mug. Could I have two sugar lumps’. (Another lady, two octaves higher, ‘oooh constance, we have lump sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and Cinnamon sticks’)

Dennis. ‘Tea please’

I take over, ‘right, builders tea, Two lumps of sugar, milk?’ ) (Another lady, two octaves higher, ‘oooh Dennis, we have fresh milk, UHT milk, powder milk’)

Babs, could I have tea, with milk. (‘oooh Babs, have you tried that with Honey’)

At which point I say (I’m making this up now .. !) Ladies, my Dear lovely ladies, I thought we were on an expedition not at Mosimanns)

Rune, where are you? help me!

David