How To Prepare A Proper Pot of Tea
There are many versions of how to brew tea. Here is the abbreviated Sims
version:
1. Boil a kettle of freshly drawn water. (My favorite kettles are electric—the
Bodum Curl) which perfectly boil water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and automatically
turns off.
2. Pour some of the boiling hot water into your pot and cup— swirl
it around and pour out through the top or spout, to warm them both up.
3. Measure the tea using 1 teaspoon per person plus one teaspoon for the
pot. You may put the tea directly into the pot or use an infuser, which
of course we prefer with our Chatsford teapots. (Small versus heaping
teaspoons may depend on how large a leaf the tea is as well as your personal
taste. I agree with Malachi Mccormick that the teaspoon for the pot may
make the brew too strong.)
4. Add rapidly boiling water (less than boiling for green tea) to the
pot. Cover the pot and steep for 2-5 minutes, depending on how strong
you like it and what kind of tea it is. Set the digital timer. (The moment
the boiling water touches the tea has been called "the agony of the
leaves." During the infusion, two things occur—the flavor of
the leaves comes out, and the tannin is released. A certain amount of
tannin adds to the flavor, but too much makes the tea bitter.)
5. When the brewing time is up, remove the infuser and pour into cups
using a strainer if necessary. If there is tea left in the teapot, cover
with your tea cozy to keep it hot for the next cup. For serving a large
group of people, you may keep pouring boiling water into the pot several
times over the infused leaes.(After the first pot, your tea is decaffeinated).
Then begin again with fresh leaves. (The used tea leaves are great to
feed to your geraniums!) The key to good black tea is the boiling water.
Enjoy!
Preventing Thermal Shock
Occasionally when brewing tea, especially in a new teapot, "thermal
shock" can occur. This is when the teapot or cup cracks because it
is heated up too quickly from cold to hot. This has never happened to
me personally, but there is no way of knowing if it will happen. Some
precautions to take to prevent this are:
1. Heat the teapot with very hot water, but not boiling water before brewing
your tea with boiling water.
2. Insert a silver teaspoon in the teapot while pouring the boiling water
into the pot. The spoon will absorb the heat before it gets to the teapot.
How To Repair Cracked China
When you find a crack in your china, you can mend it with milk. Immerse
your cup or dish in a pan with milk to cover. Simmer gently for 45 minutes.
Let cool and remove the cup or dish and wash and dry. The protein in the
milk is what miraculously repairs the china.
Another helpful thing to do when purchasing antique teapots or cups is
to ask the vendor if you can fill it with water before you purchase it.
Sometimes you can discover fine cracks this way.
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