White Tea (Tea with milk)

Should the milk be added before or after the teabag. Here are some opinions -

• You need a British Racing Green chunky china tea-pot, enough to hold about a pint of water (small but perfectly formed).
  
  Fill that pot with boiling hot water.
  
  Then, while the kettle is reboiling take out three tea-bags, or even better 'prepare' (ie ensure you have) three heaped teaspoons of fresh packet tea.
  
  One per cup and one for the pot. Here we have two cups.
  
  Kettle boiled. Empty the other water, put into the teapot the tea and then cover vigorously with the new water. No hurry, allow this to brew for a few of minutes. Let the flavour flood out. But not too long or you'll get tannin attack.
  
  In each of two good strong cups/mugs, (none of this frilly bone china nonsense), put a half teaspoon of white sugar.
  
  Cover with tea from the pot (use a strainer if you used tea-leaves) and then dribble in a few spots of milk.
  
  That's it. Ready for drinking.
• A Brown Betty teapot. Use freshly drawn water, unless it's from a jug-type water filter (some purists will only use bottled water for their tea). The water with which you warm the pot doesn't have to be boiling, perhaps use a little water from the kettle just before it boils. The water should be at full boil when you pour it over the leaves, and always take the pot to the kettle, not the other way around. Depending on the type of tea used, infusing can take anything from two (for tea-bags) to five (for good quality loose tea) minutes. Keep your tea in a proper tea caddy, or similar airtight container. Sugar to taste (optional). Use the milk first and soya milk these days rather than cows milk.

• Now, putting in the milk first
  
  1. Saves having to wash up a spoon (unless you have sugar) as it...
  2. produces a homogenous, homely, not-too-hot-not-too-cold, beverage, which...
  3. Makes it nectar of the gods.

1. This method involves a good tea such as South African Kwazulu or a good Indian tea such as Assam, a large pot (1 litre or 2 pint), boiling water, pottery mugs, a tea strainer and biscuits.
2. Put 2 to 4 heaped teaspoons of tea in the pot (depending on preference) and when the kettle boils, fill the pot with water that is still boiling. Cover the pot with a tea cozy and leave for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the tea to brew.
3. Put a generous splash of semi-skimmed cows milk in each mug and pour the tea through a metal strainer.
4. You can refill the teapot from the kettle without reboiling it to allow for a second cup. This is, however, frowned upon by experts.
5. Then sit down with tea and biscuits of choice and enjoy.
6. Optional extras include the papers, a crossword, a good book, the cat, cake instead of biscuits, the list is endless.

Black Tea (without milk)

What makes the perfect black tea for some -

• Strong Earl Grey, made in the mug (as opposed to the teapot), brewed with a teaspoon for about 25 seconds.

• Boil the kettle and pour some hot water into a cup - very little hot water.
• Dip a tea bag in and squish it against the side.
• Get a tablespoon and ladle sugar in until it's absorbed the tea.
• Get a can of nice squirty cream and squirt until the cream goes over the edge of the cup.

I use a 3/4 pint pot with a built-in plastic infuser. I take the infuser out, put a little boiling water in the pot, put the lid back on and leave it to warm. Meanwhile I reboil the kettle and put two teaspoons of loose tea in the infuser. Then I empty the pot, put the infuser in and fill with freshly boiled water, taking the pot to the kettle. I give the tea a quick stir, and leave to brew.

After 3-4 minutes I give it one more stir and remove the infuser. Then I serve (without milk or sugar) in small Chinese style porcelain cups (so the remaining tea stays hot in the pot). Lovely!

To Tea-bag or not Tea-bag?

The debate on whether loose tea should be used to make the perfect cup of tea rages on...

For Loose Tea

The process of buying loose tea often appeals to people as buying them in quaint little shops gives you the oppurtunity to describe your likings to the person behind the counter, asking for their suggestions, who usually is more than willing to come up with tin after tin, opening the lids, allowing you to sniff appreciatively. Whereas in supermarkets, often the place where people buy tea-bags, does not offer the luxury for customers to sniff and find their prefered tea flavour because they are packed in plastic with little or no scent.

I use one of those fancy pots with an infuser inside - perfect loose leaf tea, no bits. You can prepare the infuser with tea whilst you're warming the pot.

Tea bags do not really make a great cup of tea. You can always taste the bag and the tea inside them is dusty to allow it to brew through the bag (smaller particle size = larger surface area).

For Tea-Bags

• Some brands of tea bags are OK if you store them properly after having opened the plastic-packaged box - that is, in a tin. A tin will keep the aroma longer even in tea bags - dry tea bags are the worst thing there is.
• Tea-bags are good if you are wanting to make a quick, single cup of tea.

Variations on the Classic Cuppa

There are many variations on the classic cup of tea (made using tea-bags that produce a brown liquid). Here is a selection of them -

• From a travel in North Africa, this researcher found the local very ceremonial way of preparing the fabled "thé à la menthe" (green tea + mint):
  
  1. Boil water
  2. Rinse teapot (usually a metal teapot) with a little of the boiling water
  3. Put leaves of green tea in teapot
  4. Add some boiling water and immediatly throw it away (to "rinse the tea")
  5. Repeat 4 until the water coming out is almost colourless
  6. Fill teapot and wait a few minutes
  7. Add sugar (solid block of brown sugar if possible)
  8. Add fresh mint leaves (generously)
  9. Serve a glass of tea and pour it back on top of teapot
  10. repeat 9 several time (this releases the aroma of the mint)
  
  Then serve (traditionally in small glasses) and enjoy!

Let's hope that this entry has gone some way towards helping you make your Perfect Cuppa. If it hasn't, consider coffee.