A Perfect Proper Cup of Tea

This is a subject I have avoided.  Most long time tea drinkers have their favorite brewing methods and it would be presumptuous of me to instruct them on the "How To's" of steeping tea! And I guarantee there are probably as many techniques for the "perfect cup" of tea as there are tea drinkers!

However, if you are new to the world of "loose" tea...tea that doesn't come in a bag with a little string and tag attached...then perhaps a few helpful hints will insure your success.

***Use loose tea*** Usually loose tea is better quality than tea in a tea bag.  Broken leaves or leaf "dust" is what goes into tea bags.

***Add tea to teapot***Using an infuser or tea filter measure about one teaspoon per cup into the teapot.  If you have a 4 cup teapot, you would add 4 teaspoons of tea.  I usually add a little extra because I like a full bodied tea. You will have to experiment and decide how you like your tea. In some tea circles the loose leaves are deposited directly into the teapot and a strainer is used when pouring the tea into a cup.  I prefer the filter or infuser method...much easier to clean and the tea doesn't become bitter.

***Water and Time*** Heat the water to boiling for black tea & steep between 3-5 minutes.

Cool water slightly for Oolong tea and steep between 2-5 minutes.  Oolong can be steeped again using the same leaves.

Cool water to about 180 degrees for green tea. Steep between 2-4 minutes.

If you are using a white tea you only need the temperature of the water to reach about 165 degrees and steep it  between 3-7 minutes.

If you use water that is too hot for green or white tea, it will become bitter.

Milk, lemon, or sugar can be added if you desire.  Milk is not generally added to green, Oolong or herbal teas.

Store unused tea leaves in an airtight container.

And now you have one method of making a perfect proper cup of tea!  Make a pot of your favorite tea and enjoy!

Happy Infusions,

Kate

http://tea4kate.com

Not Your Momma's Iced Tea--Celebrate National Iced Tea Month in June !

In the summer, at our house, there were always two pitchers of iced tea in our refrigerator. One of them, my mother referred to as " Your Father's Tea" (meaning sweet tea--southern style) and the other was, regular plain iced tea, no sugar. These were the two choices available. My mother made the iced tea from tea bags, although our neighbors used that very modern, "Instant Tea". ( You can taste the difference).

Growing up in the '60's, I started making sun tea in the summertime, and have continued the practice. Now, however, warnings about bacteria that can grow in sun tea may cause me to consider it a "Steep Risk" http://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/suntea.asp.
If any of us got sick from sun tea, I didn't know it. I probably blamed some other "germ" or even
decided that a small child must have shared his illness.



The popularity and availability of a wide variety of flavored black and green teas has greatly increased my iced tea choices. (See list below for teas that are excellent iced). Magnificent Mango, quite popular in our tea room, competed with Arctic Raspberry and Shanghai Lime (photo) as favorites for iced teas. My iced tea choices are not limited to tea bags, instant tea, sweetened or unsweetened. .....I can celebrate incredible abundance !

Oregon Street Tea Company's Great Iced Tea Recipe:

For 2 quarts (1/2 gallon)

* In a 6 cup teapot, place an infuser filled with 12 teaspoons of tea.

* Fill the teapot with water heated to 195 degrees.

* Brew 5 minutes.

* In a 2 quart container fill 1/2 with ice.

* Pour tea over ice.

* Add cold water if needed to make 1/2 gallon of great iced tea !

The following teas make excellent iced teas and can be purchased from
http://www.oregonstreetteacompany.com

Black Flavored Teas:

Arctic Raspberry
Cranberry Breeze or Cranberry Orange
Lemon Lift
Magnificent Mango
Peach Apricot
Wild Cherry Blast

Green Flavored tea:

Strawberry Fields Forever
Shanghai Lime



The Very Popular "Arnold Palmer" http://www.arnoldpalmertee.com/news.asp

Fill a glass with ice and add:

1/2 lemonade
1/2 black tea (brewed)
1/2 Lemon slice to decorate the rim of the glass

Very Refreshing !


Hawaiian Iced Tea

Make 2 quarts of Oregon Street Tea Company's Great Iced Tea

Add:
1 can (16 oz) pineapple juice
1/2 cup simple syrup (recipe follows)
Refrigerate until chilled.

Garnish with fresh pineapple spears and serve


Simple Syrup: ( You can also purchase this)

1 cup white sugar
1 cup water

Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Cool.

Happy Iced Infusions !
Kate

"Camellia Sinensis, please"

Sometimes, if I ask for hot tea at a restaurant, a mug of lukewarm water and a colorful assortment of little square packages are set in front of me. I inhale and politely thumb through the Herbal Peppermint, Berry Berry (no caffeine), and Chamomile packets, and finally inquire, "Do you have any Black tea?" Off the server trots, returning with an off brand lifeless tea bag. The temptation to expound on real tea, is overwhelming. Keeping my hand on my mouth & shoving the tea information file to the back of my mind, allows me to remain a decent, sweet, smiling human being.

Anything that can be infused is referred to as "tea". Herbal concoctions, often consumed for medicinal purposes, abound. Common herbal "teas" include Chamomile, Hibiscus, Lemon Grass and various Mints ( Spearmint, Peppermint). Fruit infusions like Raspberry, Cranberry, or Apple are popular "teas". However, unless one of these infusions contains some form of the Camelllia sinensis plant, it's not really tea!

Camellia sinensis , an evergreen bush, is a single species, of many varieties. The tea plant can grow easily in most conditions, but does not always produce "good" tea. ( My own little tea plant is "failing to succeed" in this Redding, California heat..see photo). Tea, like wine, is influenced by the soil, rainfall, elevation and a myriad of other factors which contribute to its characteristics. Countries that have perfected specialty teas include India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and some South American countries. In the United States, there is one tea garden that produces and sells tea. The Charleston Tea Garden, on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, owned by Bigelow, still harvests and manufactures tea. All real tea, whether it is white, green, black or oolong, is produced from this Camellia sinensis plant.

I think when I'm eating out, my drink order will be, "Cameillia sinenis, please". Then, I'm sure there will be no confusion. Just in case though, I do have my own real tea, in a zip-lock baggie in my purse ! Some people carry a flask with their favorite alcohol, I carry a plastic baggie with my favorite tea!
May all your infusions be tea-lightful !
Kate