Anyone who has ever visited England knows that the phrase "a
nice cup of tea" means so much more. It is an irreplaceable
moment that is as calming and soothing as it is encouraging
and invigorating, and one emerges all the wiser and more competent
for it. In 1946, George Orwell wrote an article for the Evening
Standard in which he set out eleven rules for making a "nice
cup of tea". Tea drinkers are an opinionated folk, each
devotedly preening his or her own idiosyncrasies --- and Mr.
Orwell is no exception. I, on the other hand, am completely
unbiased and disagreeing with both the honorable Mr. Orwell
and our own distinguished Daniel Rogov right here on Strat's
Place on several points, I shall post my own golden rules for
brewing a pot of tea.
1. There are various processing methods for tea producing six main types: white,
green, oolong, black, scented, and compressed. Excellent qualities are available
in all categories with at least 3,000 different sorts of tea available world
wide. There is no need, like Mr. Orwell, to limit one's self to only black teas
from India. Important is the quality of tea, that it is loose leaf, and that
it has been carefully stored. It should be stated here that the quality of tea
available in tea bags has greatly improved over the past years. Despite their
convenience there remain some disadvantages. Tea bags often release too much
tannin because they contain smaller pieces of leaf and lack the fine subtlety
of larger loose leaf tea. Tea bags also loose their flavor more quickly. Despite
this, good quality tea bags are indispensable for the traveling tea connoisseur.
2. The quality of water for brewing tea is also of utmost importance. Fresh
spring water is the best, while soft water, permanently hard water (containing
CaSo4), or distilled water are acceptable. Tap water containing chlorine and
fluoride that tastes like a swimming pool or temporary hard water (containing
CaCo³) are completely unsuitable. With inferior water the tea will not
only be dull and flat, if let to stand for only a short time a scummy film
will form on the surface.
3. Tea should be made in a suitable teapot. A pewter pot is excellent for
strong teas such as Ceylon, African, and Assam. Porcelain or china are ideal
for lighter teas such as Darjeeling, oolong, and green teas. Another consideration
is the Yixing teapot made of unglazed stoneware which keeps the tea hotter
than porcelain and with time acquires a lining which gives its own flavor to
the tea. One should have a different pot for each sort of tea and should never
use soap, only fresh clear water to clean their interior. The teapot should
be warmed in advance. This is easily done by filling it with freshly boiled
water and emptying the teapot shortly before brewing the tea.
4. Tea should either be put directly into the emptied, pre-warmed teapot or
into a suitably large infuser in the pot. Small tea infusers such as a tea
ball do not give the leaves enough room or enough contact with the water. A
swiss gold tea filter or other large infuser is a better solution. One teaspoon
of tea per cup plus one for the pot is the general rule for portioning, but
this will vary according to the type of tea and personal taste.
5. To bring out the full flavor of tea, plenty of oxygen should be in the
water. Black and oolong teas should be infused in water that has just come
to a rolling boil --- take the teapot to the kettle. You can leave yourself
a little more time (take the kettle to the pot, make some toast, read the front
page, etc.) with white and green teas for these types generally prefer water
between 70° and 95°C for temperature recommendations for individual
teas, ask your knowledgeable tea merchant.
6. Stir the tea or give the infuser a few vertical plunges. Put the lid on
the pot or over the infuser and leave to brew for the correct number of minutes,
depending on the type of tea (again, you may ask your well-informed tea salesperson).
If using an infuser, lift it out of the teapot. If the tea leaves have been
put directly into the pot, decant the liquor into a second warmed pot. This
will keep the tea from becoming over-extracted and bitter. The tea leaves may
be use again for a second pot of tea.
7. Just as with wine, the enjoyment of tea includes the appreciation of color
and scent. The delicate light golden liquor and green muscatel perfume of a
Castleton first flush, the rich red color and smoky fragrance of a Lapsang
Souchong, the bright yellow-green and subtle scent of a Gyokuro, or the dark
translucent amber liquor and malty full-bodied aroma of a Napuk are just a
few examples from an entire world of culinary enjoyment. Adding milk to a cup
of tea destroys the very first impression and a bright translucent liquor with
many different hues telling of its geographic heritage and production methods
is turned into an indistinguishable murky mud.
The habit of putting milk and/or sugar in tea should be reserved for children
or for nasty, poor quality teas that are otherwise undrinkable. Should one
for some other reason feel absolutely predisposed to put milk in tea, it should
be remembered that this severely spoils the flavor of all but the most robust
teas. Should one decide to cloud one's tea with milk, whether the milk or tea
is poured first is purely a matter of personal preference. There is some logic
to pouring the milk first in order to reduce the risk of scalding the milk,
which would make it even more unpleasant.
8. A pre-warmed bone china teacup with a handle is my own personal preference
for enjoying a good cup of tea.
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