The List

I like to cook. It’s true. I invest in good quality pots and pans- and I use them.  Over the years I’ve found a few suppliers of items I can’t get just anywhere. After scouring the grocery stores for quality coffee I decided I needed to expand my horizons. It was in doing research for a novel I was writing that I discovered a wonderful world of coffee that can be ordered over the Internet. If you want exquisite flavor, quality information on the specific coffee you are ordering, and to feel a bit like like an adventurer then I highly recommend Counter Culture Coffee  (www.counterculturecoffee.com).  My favorite is the Red Mountain from Papua New Guinuea. Sweet and luscious.

When I was in Minneapolis visiting my best friend I discovered another fantastic roasting company that delivered not only around the Twin Cities but all over the world via the Internet. Peace Coffee (www.peacecoffee.com) has incredible coffees and you feel like you’re doing your part by ordering from them. I mean, seriously, if you are going to drink coffee you should do it with some care for the planet and both of these companies are the fine  stewards with the best coffees I’ve tasted (and I purchased probably close to 20 different types, only one of which was icky to my tastes).

Over the past year, my tummy has been less welcoming to coffee.  As I’ve always been a big tea drinker I switched primarily over to tea.  It’s not so difficult to find decent tea in the grocery store but I wanted more range and occasionally less caffeine. I’ve done plenty of Lipton and Tetley and still enjoy them. But I wanted more! On my last vist to Minneapolis I visited the SpyHouse, a funky little coffeehouse off of Nicollet Avenue. It was on a grey and cold morning that I strolled up to the counter and looked at the list of teas.  On the list was the Empire Keemun (the Original English Breakfast tea). It was morning, therefore, I figured breakfast tea was in order. They fixed me up with a little teapot and a retro cup from which to drink. The tea steeped. I waited. Then I poured. With some half and half and a little something sweet in the cup, I took my first sip. My heart stopped. My mind exploded. It was the best cup of tea I’d ever had in my life.   The journey began.  I asked if they sold it in bulk. No. But, the store that sells it is not far. I took the name down, looked up the address in the phone book, and drove all around Northeast Minneapolis in search of The TeaSource (www.teasource.com). Eventually, I found it, after calling the store for directions when I couldn’t.  I bought 4 ounces of Empire Keemun, tucked it into my suitcase and flew back to Nashville.  It lasted from December 1 to the end of February. Seeing the bottom of the bag meant it was time to order from their website. I think I ordered a two-year supply of tea- 8 different varieties, some in 2 ounce portions, others in 4 ounce.

This post is getting quite long so I will finish the list on another post. Until then, be sure you drink the best whenever you can.

How To Make the Perfect Cup of Tea

How to Make Tea

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit
A well-made cup of hot tea can warm the heart and soul of any tea lover, but it can be unpleasantly bitter or disappointingly tasteless when improperly steeped. A conscientious approach to tea preparation can maximize the flavor and health benefits provided by the tea bush, Camellia sinensis. Here’s how to get it just right.

Steps

1. METHOD 1
2. Bring more than enough water to a boil in a non-reactive tea kettle.
   • The better tasting your water, the better tasting your tea. The best water is filtered or bottled (but not distilled). If using tap water, let it run cold for 10 seconds before using it for tea.[1] (To not waste water, let it run into another container and use it to water plants or rinse dishes later.)
3. Pre-heat the vessel. This will prevent the steeping water from dropping in temperature as soon as it is poured in. Add a little boiling water to a ceramic or porcelain tea pot or the individual cups–wherever the tea will be steeped (ceramic and porcelain retain heat well). Cover the tea pot with the lid and a cozy, if you have one. Let stand until the vessel is warm, then pour out the water and proceed immediately to the next step.
4. Put the tea in an infuser, strainer, or directly in the bottom of the tea pot. Steeping without an infuser or strainer gives the tea more room to unfold and release additional flavor.[2][1] Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea to be made, unless you have instructions which say otherwise. The amount of loose tea you use will depend on the type and strength of the tea, as well as your individual taste, so a little experimentation may be in order.
   • If using tea bags, the measuring has already been done for you – generally it’s one tea bag per cup. However, make sure that the bags are fresh, since most commercially produced bags consist of small pieces of leaves that are susceptible to becoming stale faster than the loose leaf variety.[1]
5. Add hot water. Pour it over the tea. Use an amount in proportion to the quantity of tea you’ve added (e.g. 5 cups of water for 5 teaspoons of tea). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped. The more oxidized (fermented) the tea (e.g. black tea) the hotter the water should be, whereas less oxidized teas (white, green) should be steeped in water that isn’t as hot.[3]
   • white or green teas, well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C)[2] When the water boils, turn off the heat and let the water cool for 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves[4]
   • oolongs (185-210 F or 85-98 C)[2]
   • black teas, just off a boil (212 F or 100 C)[2] The most common mistake is to steep black tea with water that is not hot enough, which can prevent the active substances in black tea from developing[3]
   • pu-erhs, full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C).[2]
6. Let steep. Cover with the cozy to retain warmth. Different teas require different steeping times. Check the box for guidance. If there are no instructions, steep for a minute or two, then taste frequently until it’s flavorful but not bitter.
7. Remove the tea leaves from the pot (if you have a strainer or infuser) or pour the liquid into another vessel (a cup or a pot, with a strainer to catch any tea leaves). Tuck the tea pot back inside a tea cozy if there is tea remaining in the pot after serving everyone. This helps keep the tea hot longer.
8. Infuse again. Many teas can be infused multiple times, so repeat the above steps, increasing the steeping time with each infusion, to get the most out of your tea.[2] In some Chinese traditions, the tea is first steeped for 15-30 seconds to rinse any surface contaminants from the leaves, and the resulting liquid is also used to rinse any cups and utensils that will come in contact with the following infusions, which are the ones to be served.[5]
9. Serve the hot tea with milk, sugar, lemon or honey. Do not serve the tea with lemon and milk. Choose one or the other. If you use milk, add the milk to the cup first, then add the tea. This prevents the hot tea from scalding the milk, by heating it up gradually, this happens if you add the milk to the hot tea rather than the other way around.
12. METHOD 2
13. If you just want a mug of ‘proper’ English brew, boil the kettle, chuck a teabag in the mug, pour in the water, leave for a couple of minutes, squeeze the teabag against the side of the mug to get all the flavour out, then add the milk and stir. Behold, a proper mug of tea. You can’t get better than that!

Tips

• Store tea in an airtight container to limit exposure to oxygen or moisture in a container that won’t impart flavor on the tea.[6] Black tea has a longer shelf-life than green tea, while Pu-erh tea actually improves with age.[3] If you might be storing the tea for an extended period of time, use desiccant packets or oxygen absorbing packets and vacuum seal.[3]
• If making tea from whole leaves, it can be enjoyable to steep them in a French press and watch the colors radiate from the unfolding leaves.[4]
• Descale your kettle often to remove mineral deposits.
• Many people like their tea one way, unlike the exact way of anyone else. Find the way you like tea the best — some like it with only cream, others just sugar; some like honey instead of sugar, while others prefer an artificial sweetner; yet others prefer both cream and honey; some like nothing but lemon or lemon and honey.
• Perhaps the most common way is with cream and sugar. Depending on if you want a strong tea flavor and a more watery tea or a creamier tea, you may want to adjust the amount of cream you put in, and how much sugar or sweetner you put in obviously depends on how sweet you want your tea.
• For a sweet, creamy dessert-like tea, add half cream and half tea, and then add three hefty spoons of sugar.

Warnings

• If you live in a mountainous, high-altitude area, the lower boiling point can make it difficult to properly steep teas that require a high temperature (e.g. black, pu-erh).[3]
• If you boil water in the microwave, take precautions to make sure the water doesn’t explode (a dangerous phenomenon known as superheating).[7]

• Water cycles endlessly through the earths atmosphere, over and under its surface, as such it cannot be wasted. Money, used to purchase water, can be wasted.

Things You’ll Need

• Non-reactive tea kettle to boil the water
• Ceramic or porcelain tea pot
• A bowl to pour the leftover hot water from the tea pot
• Tea strainer or tea ball
• Sugar and creamer
• Tea cozy (optional)

Related wikiHows

• How to Serve Low Tea
• How to Make Iced Tea
• How to Make Herbal Tea
• How to Make Chai Tea
• How to Brew Kung Fu Tea
• How to Minimize Green Tea Caffeine
• How to Make a Good Cup of Tea
• How to Make a Cup of Tea Using the Microwave
• How to Make Tea in a Pot
• How to Make Scones
• How to Make Lemon Curd
• How to Make Strawberry Tarts

Sources and Citations

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.learn-about-tea.com/brewing-tea.html
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 http://www.inpursuitoftea.com/Brewing_Guide_s/30.htm
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea#Preparation
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.2basnob.com/brewing-tea.html
5. ↑ https://secure.worldsourceintl.com/infusion.htm
6. ↑ http://www.timanatea.com/teafacts.shtml
7. ↑ http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/superheating.html

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Tea. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.