Making a Perfect Cup or Pot of Tea
photo by BecR2400
- Ready In:
- 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Serves:
-
2
ingredients
- 3 teaspoons loose tea (1 teaspoon or 1 tea bag per person, plus one for the pot)
- water
- sugar cube
- honey
- lemon slice
- milk
directions
-
Steps to Make Proper Cup of Tea:
- Bring enough water to fill your teapot twice to a full, rolling boil in a kettle.
- Bring the teapot to the kettle and fill it with the boiling water. Put the kettle back on the stove and bring it back to a full boil.
- Let the teapot sit with the hot water in it for a moment or two to warm it up, then pour out the water.
- Add one teaspoon of tea per cup of tea to the teapot, plus one for the pot.
- Add the boiling water to the teapot, put the lid on and cover the teapot with a tea cozy.
- Let the tea steep for three to five minutes.
- Pour the tea into each cup using a tea strainer.
- Offer guests sugar cubes (or honey) and a slice of lemon or a small serving of milk.
- Tips for Making the "Perfect" Tea.
- * A teapot doesn't have to be expensive, but it should be made of china or earthenware.
- * When you pour the water over the tea in the teapot, make sure it is at a full boil.
- * If you are using very fragile bone china, add a bit of milk to the bottom of each tea cup before pouring to reduce the shock of the heat on the fine china. In that case, don't offer lemon slices!
- * Do not use cream in tea, always use milk.
-
* Choose fermented teas, not Asian style green teas. Some popular teas are:
- o English Breakfast Tea (may be too strong for an afternoon tea).
- o Earl Grey Tea, which is flavored with the rind of bergamots.
- o Darjeeling Tea (full-bodied).
- o Ceylon Tea (very popular).
- o Lapsang Souchong Tea (distinctive, smoky flavor).
- o Chamomile Tea (not caffeinated).
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Reviews
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Thank you for posting this! I had an uncle who would never drink tea brewed properly. He always poured boiling water into a cup and then sunk a teabag in it. I tried to tell him to pour the water over the bag and he said, nope - it will float. He didn't understand about aerating the tea. I hope more people try this method and then they, too, will start loving tea. I use a cobalt porcelain pot to brew my tea and prefer china cups but still love my huge mugs! Thanks BecR! ;)
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Married to my sweetheart for almost forty years and we have two wonderful children who are grown and have flown the coop. Also, we have been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law and beautiful daughter-in-law, plus FIVE grandchildren: two beautiful granddaughters ages five and eight, and three sweet adorable little grandsons ages 2 months, 2 years and 3 years. My husband and I share a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, German and French heritage, and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law are both Hispanic. We've traveled extensively to many countries abroad (we lived in Germany), and have traveled and lived in several states here in the U.S.A. Many of the recipes I post here are influenced by our combined heritage or from our travels, or they are old family favorites that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy! Have been to culinary school with many years of cooking (mostly for my family) under my belt, so know my way around a kitchen. And I'm very lucky to have the best sous chef in the world, dddddh! One of my favorite chefs of all time is Jacques Pepin! I have several of his cookbooks, and enjoy watching his television cooking show Fast Food My Way. Another top favorite is Julia Child (of course!). A few other chefs I read/enjoy watching on t.v. are: Giada At Home, Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites, and Patti's Mexican Kitchen, and many more. On my bucket list is dining at Thomas Keller's establishment The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California... as well as Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the James Beard award winning Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco. One day!! Hobbies/Interests: Decorating with fresh flowers and herbs from the garden is my passion, and brings me deep joy! It's really hard to beat!! I love connecting with others who enjoy the same. Gardening, decorating, sewing, music, dancing, film, and reading are also up there. Spending quality time with my grandchildren, family, and friends (and cooking holiday meals!). Currently, a newfound passion has been so richly rewarding for me: genealogical research. I heart ancestry dot com. And last but certainly not least, I absolutely LOVE cats--we have two half-Siamese fur babies (cats) that allow us to live here!! A Note of Thanks~ I try to personally thank everyone who kindly makes and reviews my recipes, but sometimes I am busy, late, or may forget. Please know that I am always humbled that you would try one of my recipes, and I enjoy reading the reviews and seeing all the pretty photographs. Thanks so much! </p>