"I suspect this is why from China and Japan to here in the UK, slow and elaborate practises have formed over centuries around the proper way to drink tea."
The author is a Brit, ie one of us.
We own a built in coffee machine that does bean to cup - I insist on an Italian standard type blend (but wifey is starting to chafe about that - we'll see, ie I'll change it eventually) - 75% Arabica and 25% Robusta.
We also drink an absolute shit load of black tea. Nothing fancy because all black tea is roughly the same. I use to work in a tea plant in Hampshire (UK) many years ago so I have a fair idea about the stuff. We generally go for Yorkshire for no particular reason.
Tea is superb on a hot day and we have had quite a few recently. I have no idea why it works so well but when it is 40C+ outside then why not reach for a 90C cup of tea?