I am an avid tea drinker. All is right with the world when I'm curled up with a good book, my cats are sleeping all around me, and I have a good cup of tea. I'd like this post to be a primer on how to make a good cuppa, what kind of tea to drink, and crowd source opinions on kinds of tea people drink.
First things first, I use an electric kettle to boil my water. These range anywhere from $200.00 to $20.00. Buy one that fits your budget. However, and this is important, don't buy one that's lined with plastic. It will affect the taste of the water and ruin your tea. I made that mistake once and ended up returning the kettle after a few days.
Second, you'll need a tea infuser. (Stop right there. I know I've lost some of you. I know that some of you think of tea as this. It's bagged soggy crap that tastes like cardboard. Take this box of tea and go sprinkle it in your garden. It's only good for compost.) A tea infuser will allow the leaves to unfurl while the it steeps. You'll get a better taste and full bodied cup that way.
Third, you'll need the tea. Now, this is where tastes vary. My favorites range from Irish Breakfast to Ginger Peach. In my tea cupboard I've got Chamomile, Gundpowder, and Blueberry. There are also other varieties. I buy them in little plastic bags and their names escape me. When I want an adventure I'll pull one out and try one.
Now that you've got all that together you've got to make a cuppa. George Orwell wrote some fine directions, but it takes the English level of crankiness to a whole new level. Phil Prosser has an interesting method I've followed before (six paragraphs down). However, unless you want to suffer from Step 15, it's not the best method.
This is how I do it:
1. Set the kettle to boil
2. Select a tea cup
3. Select tea and fill the infuser half way on one side. (Make sure infuser is closed tightly)
4. Once kettle has clicked off and the water has boiled take a dash of boiling water and swirl it around the cup.
5. Dump out the dash of water.
6. Place infuser inside of cup and pour over the slightly off the boil water.
7. Steep.
8. Take infuser out of the water. Remove tea from infuser. Put it aside for compost.
It's important to note that steeping times vary here's a great chart on how long you should based on the type of tea in the infuser: Brewing Art of Tea.
I don't take sugar or milk in my tea, so that's it. However, there's a slight controversy on when milk should be added to tea. My Irish grandmother always added the milk, then the tea, then the boiling water.
If you've got anything to add, please leave a comment.
(Image from: http://bookshelfporn.com/)
First things first, I use an electric kettle to boil my water. These range anywhere from $200.00 to $20.00. Buy one that fits your budget. However, and this is important, don't buy one that's lined with plastic. It will affect the taste of the water and ruin your tea. I made that mistake once and ended up returning the kettle after a few days.
Second, you'll need a tea infuser. (Stop right there. I know I've lost some of you. I know that some of you think of tea as this. It's bagged soggy crap that tastes like cardboard. Take this box of tea and go sprinkle it in your garden. It's only good for compost.) A tea infuser will allow the leaves to unfurl while the it steeps. You'll get a better taste and full bodied cup that way.
Third, you'll need the tea. Now, this is where tastes vary. My favorites range from Irish Breakfast to Ginger Peach. In my tea cupboard I've got Chamomile, Gundpowder, and Blueberry. There are also other varieties. I buy them in little plastic bags and their names escape me. When I want an adventure I'll pull one out and try one.
Now that you've got all that together you've got to make a cuppa. George Orwell wrote some fine directions, but it takes the English level of crankiness to a whole new level. Phil Prosser has an interesting method I've followed before (six paragraphs down). However, unless you want to suffer from Step 15, it's not the best method.
This is how I do it:
1. Set the kettle to boil
2. Select a tea cup
3. Select tea and fill the infuser half way on one side. (Make sure infuser is closed tightly)
4. Once kettle has clicked off and the water has boiled take a dash of boiling water and swirl it around the cup.
5. Dump out the dash of water.
6. Place infuser inside of cup and pour over the slightly off the boil water.
7. Steep.
8. Take infuser out of the water. Remove tea from infuser. Put it aside for compost.
It's important to note that steeping times vary here's a great chart on how long you should based on the type of tea in the infuser: Brewing Art of Tea.
I don't take sugar or milk in my tea, so that's it. However, there's a slight controversy on when milk should be added to tea. My Irish grandmother always added the milk, then the tea, then the boiling water.
If you've got anything to add, please leave a comment.
(Image from: http://bookshelfporn.com/)
I like this gizmo better than infusers for brewing loose tea. http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Ounce-Selling-Accessory-Amazing/dp/B000XS56CQ Tea has lots of room to float freely. Easier to clean than infuser too.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great little device you've got there. I had a coffee pot similar to that in college.
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ReplyDeleteLove this post! I drink 48 ounces of tea a day. I'm a total American at it though. You turned me on to Republic of Tea for which I am grateful, though I use teabags. I bring my water as close as I can to a boil in a stainless steel sauce pan, pour the water into a 24 ounce mason jar, then add 3 bags of Organic Green Earl Greyer and 2 bags of Lucky Irish Breakfast. I usually let it brew for about 10 minutes to an hour. I usually end up putting too much sugar, but this concoction gets a real kick and good for laughs and lashings of the old ultraviolence.
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