How To Make Perfect Tea

As a tea drinker of some 30 years experience here is my contribution as to what makes the perfect cup of tea. The best way to make tea has been a subject of great debate for centuries.
Good quality water is essential for the perfect cup of tea. If you use tap water then run the tap until the water is cold and fresh. Spring water is best due to its purity and lack of additives such as chlorine and fluoride which can affect the taste. Always use fresh water if possible.

1.
2. Preferably use a teapot made of china or earthenware.
Pots made of certain types of metal such as enamel silver
or copper can impart flavor to the water. Stainless steel
is okay.
Warm the pot beforehand with a little hot water. 3.
4. Add at least one level teaspoon for each cup of water
that you are going to add. Adding loose tea to the pot is
the best way for the tea to infuse properly but many people
prefer to use a tea strainer or infusing basket for
convenience sake.
Pour boiling water directly onto the leaves and then stir the water before placing lid back on the teapot. 5.
6. Let the tea steep for between four and five minutes. If
using green tea three minutes is best.
Remove or strain the leaves to avoid overbrewing. 7.
8. The cup that you drink out of can greatly affect the
taste of the tea so choose wisely. A good quality cup made
of china will definitely enhance the whole tea drinking
experience. Avoid wide shallow cups which cause the tea to
cool in next to no time.
9. Pour milk into the cup first. Ah, yes this is the step
that causes most controversy. Many an argument has been
had concerning whether or not it is best to add the milk to
the tea or vice versa. I have always preferred milk first
then tea but my husband argues that it is easier to
regulate the right amount of milk by adding milk
afterwards!
Now scientists have waded into the debate and the verdict
is clear. The UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)has warned
against the practice of adding milk to tea after it is
poured. It seems that dribbling a stream of milk into hot
water makes "denaturation of milk proteins" more likely.
And who would want that?! At high temperatures, milk
proteins - which are normally all curled up foetus-like,
begin to unfold and link together in clumps. This is what
happens in UHT [ultra heat-treated] milk, and is why it
doesn't taste as good a fresh milk," says Dr Andrew
Stapley, a chemical engineer at Loughborough University.
It is better to have the chilled milk massed at the bottom
of the cup, awaiting the stream of hot tea. This allows the
milk to cool the tea, rather than the tea ruinously raise
the temperature of the milk.
Umm, somehow I don't think so!! The milk or tea first debate is now over! So it is now settled.
10. Lastly, drink tea without any sugar. I must admit to
being a reformed sugary tea drinker and you know what that
means. Yes, I am now passionately against putting sugar in
tea. As one who has sat on both sides of the fence I can
say that tea is so much better without sweetening. Sugar
only serves to mask the taste of the tea. Not only that too
much sugar is not good for you and why spoil what is now
being recognized as one of the world's great health drinks
by adding sugar. When I stopped taking my two spoonfuls of
sugar in my tea it took me about three or four weeks to get
used to the new taste. However once I got used to it there
was no going back.
So there you have it - the perfect cup of tea!
Lorraine Bevere is the webmaster and operator of FOG
Tea
For questions or comments about this article, please visit: which is a premier source of information about tea.
http://fogtea.com

How To Make A Cup Of Tea

Before the British declare war for such sacrilegious treatment of our favourite beverage, I thought it necessary to provide a short instruction on the ancient art of tea making. It has come to my attention that many Americans believe that all tea should be made with ice. English readers, this may shock you.
For those still living in the dark ages a saucepan or a small bowl over a campfire will suffice, but cold water straight from the tap will not. * Boil a kettle full of water.
You can always water it down afterwards. However, make sure you read the packet beforehand and if in doubt make it too strong rather than too weak. Different brands of tea require different amounts of tea leaves for required strengths, but in general it should be one teaspoon for each person drinking and one for the pot. Empty the water out, then place tea leaves into the pot (these can be placed within a tea ball if you have one).

* Pour a little hot water into the teapot (preferably china rather than novelty) to warm it.
Merely leave to brew for between three to five minutes - any shorter and you will not get the flavour, any longer and it will stew. Do not drop the pot or stick it in the microwave. Do not add ice cubes or sugar. * Pour boiling water into the teapot.
It is also an offence to use milk in certain brands of tea, so do remember to check whether your chosen variety is better served with milk or lemon. This is an offence on a line with spitting into the pot, which should also be avoided. Never, ever add it afterwards.

* If you are using milk, pour it (from a china milk jug) into the matching china tea cups first.
* If you had not used a tea ball, you will have to strain the tea before pouring it into the china cups. A tea strainer is similar to a small sieve and does the job easily.
Until the invasion. Wonder out loud if this was really what the Boston Tea Party was all about, then dismiss it as paranoia and get on with your sweet iced-tea drinking lives. Sit back, relax, put on fake British accents and wave your pinkie around wildly, mocking pretentious Englishwomen who do not believe Americans can make tea. * Add sugar as required and stir with your solid silver teaspoons.
Andrea drinks tea, and a lot of it. She actually quite likes Americans, but that doesn't stop her disapproving of their beverage choices.
Andrea is an author on
http://www.Writing.Com/
which is a site for
Poetry
.

Gyokuro Green Tea - What It Is And How To Brew It

If you consider yourself an "advanced" green tea connoisseur, perhaps you may have considered or have even tried brewing gyokuro. Since good gyokuro is expensive, it's common for people to try it once, not find it to their liking, and then give up on it. This is often a result of an enthusiast brewing it like they brew their normal sencha green tea. Once you have tried a good gyokuro brewed correctly, however, you will understand what a great green tea it actually is.
Obviously, there is a reason why growers go to all of this trouble - gyokuro is delicious! All of this of course means extra labor, which has a lot to do with why gyokuro is so expensive in the first place. This is accomplished by building an enclosure around the plants using bamboo poles covered with rice straw.

About 3 weeks before the anticipated harvest date, the tea bushes are covered under 90% shade. In case you are not aware, gyokuro is shade grown green tea.
Probably the most important aspect of brewing gyokuro is temperature. Gyokuro needs to be brewed at a lower temperature than other green teas, about 155 Fahrenheit (68 Celsius.) Since water boils at 212F, obviously the temperature needs to be reduced somehow. Even when cooled, however, one can't really start the process with water that is 155F for numerous reasons. If one pours 155F water into a teapot that has been sitting at room temperature, expect that the water will no longer remain at 155F, but will instead drop about 15 degrees. Great, now we're at 140F - too cool for brewing. If in turn one pours that tea into two teacups sitting at room temperature, expect another 15 degree temperature drop. Now we're at 125 F, and two cold, boring cups of improperly brewed gyokuro. So the devil is in the details, and to brew a good cup of gyokuro, these things need to be taken into consideration.
Where you normally can get away with a teaspoon of loose leaf sencha in an 8 ounce teapot, for gyokuro you will need instead about 1 tablespoons of tea per person, and about 5 or 6 ounces of water for each person served. Where you normally can get away with a teaspoon of loose leaf sencha in an 8 ounce teapot, for gyokuro you will need to use more tea. Where you normally can get away with a teaspoon of loose leaf sencha in an 8 ounce teapot, for gyokuro you will need to use more tea.

Where you normally can get away with a teaspoon of loose leaf sencha in an 8 ounce teapot, for gyokuro you will need to use more tea. Where you normally can get away with a teaspoon of loose leaf sencha in an 8 ounce teapot, for gyokuro you will need to use more tea. To brew a good cup of gyokuro, you will need to use more tea.
Western teapots and the like can be used as long as you know what you are doing and take all of the above into consideration. This is not to say you can't use other types of teapots. Additionally, Japanese teapots are usually just the right size for the job. That means it needs a lot of room to expand.

Gyokuro, like other green teas, is compact. One other aspect of brewing gyokuro that is often overlooked is the teapot that one brews it in.
To get down to brewing, I think I can best sum this up by saying the traditional Japanese way of brewing their green tea is also probably the best way to do it, no surprises there. So let's make two cups of gyokuro green tea. You will need three empty teacups, your teapot, and a good gyokuro. Start off by boiling your water in a kettle. When the water "just" starts to boil, immediately turn off the heat and allow the water to cool on it's own for a few minutes. Pour your hot water directly into the empty teapot, filling it, and allowing the teapot to sit a minute or so and warm up. This not only warms the teapot, it also cools the water some. Next, pour the hot water from the teapot into two of the three cold teacups, and then empty the remaining water from the teapot. At this stage we now have a warm teapot, two teacups with hot water in them, and a cold, still empty third teacup. More likely than not, the hot water in those two teacups is still a bit two warm for gyokuro, so what you will want to do is pass back and forth the water between the three teacups, warming the cups and cooling off the water. You usually only have to do this once or twice. This also has the effect of adding oxygen to the water and will improve the taste of the finished product.
All of this does take a little practice to get the hang of, but you'll soon be able to sense when you have cooled the water enough. Put about one and a half tablespoons of loose leaf gyokuro into the warm teapot, and pour the hot water from the two filled teacups directly into the teapot. Brew for 2 to 3 minutes, not disturbing the teapot. Lastly, pour from the teapot back into the warm teacups, draining all of the tea to the very last drop. If you've done that correctly and were patient, you should have one of the finest cups of green tea you've ever tasted. For subsequent infusions, simply re-brew for 30 seconds. It's normal for the second infusion to have a more "green" color than the first. Enjoy your superior cup of green tea!
Kevin Moore is the founder of O-Cha.com, one of the internet's first and largest websites dedicated to Japanese green tea. Based out of Japan, in addition to offering a wealth of information on the health benefits of green tea, O-Cha.com offers a large selection of loose leaf green tea, matcha, and tea brewing supplies.
http://www.o-cha.com
Contact him at
kevinrm@o-cha.com

When Water Meets Tea

But here are the alternatives for us city folk: The best possible water to use for infusing tea is well water.
Tips for a pure brew:
* Tea leaves love spring water, so use it if you have it available. This is my first choice because it is the next best thing to well water.
* Use purified or filtered water. Don't use water directly from your tap unless you live in an area where tap water is drinkable. Your tap water may be absolutely fine for other things like boiling pasta or steaming veggies, but could have contaminants that will make your tea taste funny. The easiest solution for most people is a Brita pitcher with a built-in filter. They are widely available.
This oxygenates water that has been sitting in your pipes. * Run tap water for 30 seconds before putting into your kettle (assuming your filter is attached to your faucet).
* Distilled water does not make good tea. It does not have its minerals and can make a flat-tasting pot of tea.
Use the best water you can in your teapot and you are halfway to a divine infusion.
Temperature, Quantity, Timing
Just as important as water quality is water temperature, amount of tea, and timing your steep.
I recommend beginning with the rule of thumb for your type of tea and start experimenting from there.
When I began, I had no idea idea how to brew and I over steeped green tea many times. (I pour undrinkable tea into my potted geraniums. They love it and it doesn't go to waste.)
Your green or white tea will get bitter fast when it meets too-hot water. This is one of my pet peeves in establishments using scalding water for their tea service. Use a candy or meat thermometer to measure the temperature (at least in the beginning).
Green/white tea * 160 - 175 F (70 - 80 C) * Steep for 1-3 minutes
Oolong tea
* 180 - 190 F (82 - 88 C)
* Steep for 3-5 minutes
Black tea * 212F (but don't let it boil too long) (100 C) * Steep for 3-5 minutes
The quantity of tea you put in your teapot will make a difference. In general, I put approximately 1 teaspoon and a slight bit more per cup of water in a Yixing Teapot or my grandmother's tiny Brown Betty. (Both are clay pots, one unglazed and one glazed.)
It's up to you! Black tea can handle longer steeping. Longer steeping equals bitter green or white tea. A stronger brew may be desirable when cooking with tea, making iced tea, or it may just be your preference.

More tea equals a stronger brew.
copyright 2006 Terry Calamito
TO USE THIS ARTICLE KEEP RESOURCE BOX AND LIVE LINK INTACT. Tea Educator and Healthy Lifestyle Advocate Terry Calamito publishes the fr*ee online mini-course "Start Sipping." If you're a tea lover or just want to increase your knowledge about tea's health benefits and maybe slow down a little to have a cup, subscribe for free at
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The Mad Hatter's Tea Natter

Alice strolled down a long winding lane
and saw the tea party of the mad hatter
three creatures drank tea right out in the rain
dormouse, march hare, and mad hatter having a natter.

Alice thought the behaviour of all was insane
the march hare and hatter continued to chatter
march hare and hatter seemed not to engage their brain
instead march hare continued to chat to the latter
whose hat was forced down and failing to drain
much more talk and his hat would only get flatter.

Alice suggested his hat would not regain
its shape while the rain continued to batter
wind, rain and hail caused Alice such pain
as the rain came down and continued to splatter
the hatter was upset because he was so vain
and his hat was broken and continued to tatter.

The hatter ate hot tarts so warmth he would gain
but Alice told him he would only get fatter
his good sense was lost as he went against the grain
to steal from a queen who might chop the head of a hatter
eating tarts he stole from the queen through her reign.

They moved 'round and knocked things that fell with a clatter
the teapot fell down and started to stain
and the tarts were spun 'round on their silver platter
the dormouse hid away from the noise and the rain
as rain fell down with pitter and patter.
The wind was so fast it blew over a vane Alice left for shelter away from the hatter from those that still would stay out on the plain and not have the common sense to stay in through the splatter. Alice and dormouse were the only ones sane and mad hatter threw tarts angrily at 'er.
Inspired by the work of Lewis Carroll. The dormouse in his teapot now slept through the chattery refrain as the other two argued and knocked dishes which did scatter they were hare brained and hat rained and fighting again. She went off to find some sheltered terrain away from the dormouse, the march hare and hatter.

The patience of Alice had seen too much strain from the chatter, the hatter, and the heavy rains' patter.
I normally add my PhD research but this time thought I'd submit this poem.
I am a Researcher in the final year of my PhD. I specialise in applying Semantic Web techniques. My current research is on a technique of 'User Driven Modelling/Programming'.
My intention is to enable non-programmers to create software from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. I am attempting to develop ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages.
My wife has written many poems and they are at -
Ezines -
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Joanne_Hale

home page -
http://www.johalepoetry.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

blog -
http://jo-hale-poetry.blogspot.com