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 Each
tea drinker has his or her own idea about what constitutes
a perfect cup of tea. It's like seeing your true love across
a crowded room some enchanted evening - you'll know it when
you see it. Some folks like their tea strong and others like
it quite weak. Some like it with sugar and others do not.
Some like their tea in a delicate porcelain cup; others prefer
to grab their cuppa in a man-sized mug and swig away beerhall
style. There are even some tea drinkers who will insist that
a drop of condensed milk in the cup is a joyful thing. It
is everyone's right to drink their favorite beverage the way
they like it and not have to undergo harassment by those who
claim that their way of brewing is the only way.
Having said that, it should be noted however
that there are some simple rules for brewing that are followed
by most people who take their tea seriously. Common sense
rules.
The first is to fill your kettle with cold
and fresh water, not water that has been hanging around half
the morning waiting to be used. Use fresh water with a bit
of life in it.
It is best to use a glass or steel kettle,
both of them neutral materials that will not impart any outside
flavor or kettle character to the tea. That is not always
possible, of course, if you are brewing your tea while camping
in a blizzard on the slopes of an Alp and are forced to depend
upon your aluminum alloy utensils. But, in general and in
more comfortable situations, glass or steel should be chosen.
Bring the water to a boil, and let it boil
away for a few minutes until it reaches the state of what
the experts call a "rolling boil." To prevent heat loss during
the brewing period, pour some of the boiling water into the
teapot and swirl it around before throwing it out. This will
help prevent the tea from becoming lukewarm - which is absolutely
no way to serve it to yourself or your guests.
The amount of tea you use depends on how
strong you like it. For many the rule of thumb is a teaspoon
of leaves or a teabag for each cup plus one extra for the
teapot. Pour the boiling water over the tea, place a tea cozy
over the pot and let it steep for about five minutes.
Some tea lovers drink it unadorned with
anything at all - just the plain reddish-brown beverage. To
many others, however, tea reaches its full glory when it is
served with milk and sugar. It is also popular with a slice
of lemon or a dash of honey.
If you are brewing with loose leaves, a
tea strainer is useful because nobody - except fortune-tellers
- wants leaves floating in their cup. With teabags, a strainer
is unnecessary. And talking of teabags, there is nothing wrong
with providing teabags to be brewed individually in each mug.
It will allow drinkers to steep for as long or as short a
period as they like. Just be sure to remember, though, that
a small container should be provided also for discarded teabags.
Finally, if for some annoying reason your
pot of tea is allowed to become lukewarm or even cold in severe
cases, don't bother to heat it up again. The tannin in the
tea will spoil your enjoyment - so start afresh with a new
pot. It is worth it.
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