Making a Fine Cup of Tea
Ben Peddycord
By, Lady Mary
The last time we visited, it ended with a promise to talk about how to prepare loose leaf tea. To honor Lewis Carroll, we will “begin at the beginning and go on till we come to the end and then stop.”
This time we will focus on how to make one perfect cup of tea. You will need a few items to begin. First, select a tea. Second, select a tea cup or a mug. Next, go to your junk drawer in the kitchen and find a tea infuser (that little wire mesh ball with a chain on it that you never knew what to do with). Lastly, you will need a method to obtain your boiling water (stove top, microwave oven, fancy coffee maker).
Measure out one teaspoon of tea leaves and put it into your infuser. Close and lock the infuser. Place it into your cup and then pour the boiling water over it until the infuser is completely covered. Now you are steeping your tea.
Steeping times vary by whether you are making an herbal tea (7 minutes), a black tea (5 minutes), or a green tea (3 minutes). Steeping times can vary with individual tastes. If you want your tea to have a more robust flavor, experiment with steeping it longer than the time suggested. Or if you want it milder, decrease the infusing time. This isn’t rocket science…….it is trial and error of what pleases the individual tea drinker.
After the steeping time is completed, remove your infuser and place it nearby. If you wish to add lemon, milk or sweetener, do so now. It is time to ENJOY your cup of tea. When this cup of tea is all gone, you can put that same infuser with the same tea leaves back into your cup and get a “second pour” out of it. Steep it again!
The last thing left to do is shake out and rinse your infuser. Leave it to dry and it will be ready for the next time you need it. You are now officially a STEEPSTER!
Leaving you with the tea drinker’s blessing: Bottoms up!