Some people believe that there are many equally good ways to make a pot of tea. Generally speaking, these people are wrong. A few people believe that an acceptable cup of tea can be made by dunking a bag of Lipton in a cup of water heated in the microwave. Generally speaking, these people are barbarians.
In order to assist those who would select, prepare, and present tea in a manner that is pleasing to those who are serious about the beverage, I have assembled the following list of DOs and DO NOTs.
DOs
- Do select a black tea of good quality. The best teas come from India: Ceylon, Assam, and Darjeeling are all good choices. Breakfast teas are usually Ceylon, or blends of the above; they are an excellent choice. Earl Grey is also a Ceylon, but flavored with Bergamot; it is especially nice in the afternoon.
- Do buy a good brand. The best tea I have had in the states comes from the Upton tea company: http://www.uptontea.com If you want to buy tea in your local grocery store, look for Taylor’s of Harrogate, or Stash. The best value for money is PG Tips or Barry’s.
- Do use loose tea if you have the time. While it is possible to make a good cup of tea with a tea bag, the very best results do come from loose tea.
- Do use water that is just coming to a boil, (about 212 Fahrenheit.) Water that has had time to cool will not steep the tea properly. (Note that if you are drinking green tea, the water should be somewhat cooler.)
- Do pour the water over the tea bag or loose tea. This method results in a superior cup of tea. Tea does not steep properly when dunked in hot water.
- Steep for an appropriate length of time. Different black teas need to steep for different lengths of time, and a pot of loose leaf tea takes longer to steep than a bag of tea in a mug. Generally speaking, a pot of Ceylon should steep for 4-5 minutes, a pot of Darjeeling needs a minute less. A cup of black tea made with a tea bag should steep about 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of the cup.
- Add milk to the cup before the tea when brewing a pot of loose tea; add milk after the tea when using a tea bag.
- When serving tea made from a tea bag, do give guests somewhere to place the bag when it has been plucked from the water.
- Do, for perfection, consider filtering water for tea through a Brita or Pur filter before boiling. Mineral content significantly affects the flavor of tea, which is one reason the same tea can taste so different when prepared in different parts of the world.
Do Nots
- Do not use inferior teas. There is no reason to drink Lipton or Salada. For a few pennies more per cup, one can drink a tea with depth, flavor, and quality.
- Do not use a microwave to warm the water. To properly steep, black tea needs to be brewed in water that is just at its boiling point. Also, the water needs to be poured over the tea bag.
- Do not let the tea bag sit in the water indefinitely. When over steeped, tea becomes acrid and bitter.
- Do not use cream or half and half in tea. This gives the tea a slimy quality that spoils the experience.
- Do not use tap water that tastes or smells of chlorine to make tea. Such water greatly degrades the flavor of tea.
- Do not confuse herbal tea with actual tea. Tea is another name for the plant Camellia sinensis and for the beverage made from its dried leaves. In French, hot herbal beverages are referred to as “tisanes” to distinguish them from tea
A NOTE ON SUGAR: Many tea drinkers begin drinking tea to which they have added sugar. While this practice does result in a tasty beverage, what one primarily tastes is hot sugar water, not tea. George Orwell suggests that anyone who refrains from putting sugar in his or her tea for a fortnight will come to prefer tea without sugar. I tend to agree.
Special Dos for Restaurants
- Do give customers a place to put their used teabag. It is annoying to tea-drinking patrons to have to plop a used tea bag on the side of a plate, or balance it precariously on a spoon while tea drips onto your tablecloth.
- Either pour boiling water over the teabag yourself, or bring customers a cup and pot of water at the point of boiling. It is not possible to steep tea properly in water that is merely very warm.
Special Do Nots for Restaurants
- Do not, under any circumstances, serve your customers Lipton, Salada, or Red-Rose. You wouldn’t serve instant Sanka to your patrons as their only coffee option; don’t force Lipton on your tea drinkers.
- Serve milk on the side, NOT half and half.
