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Perfect Cup
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Preparing Tea
1. Start with the freshest, highest quality loose tea.
2. Store your tea in an airtight container in a cool, dry area (away from
sunlight). Do not store tea in a refrigerator or freezer because it may pick
up moisture or unwanted flavors. Tea will remain fresh for several months.
3. Always use fresh cold water to brew tea. Oxygen plays an important role
in brewing tea. Oxygen helps to release the best flavors of tea; therefore
one must use water that is aerated (full of oxygen). Run cold tap water for
a few seconds to allow aeration. Always use fresh water; water that is
boiled more than once contains less oxygen. Bring the water to a rolling
boil in your kettle and pour over the tealeaves. Always rinse your teapot.
Pre-heat your teapot by swirling some hot water through it and pouring it
out. By doing this your teapot will not absorb the heat of your tea as it
steeps.
4. Use one teaspoonful of tea leaves for each six ounces of water. For more
than six cups, add one teaspoonful 'for the pot". Steep your tea for three
to five minutes, depending on tea type and taste preference. Small leaf teas
infuse more quickly than long leaf teas, and flat leaf infuses more quickly
than well-twisted leaf. Green teas generally require only a three-minute
brew. Brew by time rather than by color. The coloring components of tea
infuse very quickly so brewing by color can easily yield an underdeveloped
pot of tea. Some teas never show much color during brewing.
Using a tea ball or a teapot with an infuser enables you to remove the
tealeaves when you no longer want the tea to steep. Never fill the tea ball
or infuser more than half way so that the tealeaves have room to expand.
5. Briefly stir the tea before serving to insure uniform strength of brew.
Rinsing the cups with hot water before serving helps the tea keep warm.
6. Keep your tea in the teapot warm by wrapping the teapot with a tea cozy.
Applying direct heat to the teapot might harm the subtle flavors of the tea.
(If no infuser has been used, pour the remaining tea through a strainer into
a separate warmed teapot to separate the leaves from the brew.)
7. Many tea drinkers add milk and sugar or honey to their tea. Milk is most
often preferred with the heartier black teas. Cream is not used because the
tannin in tea may cause the cream to curdle. if using milk, pour the milk
first, then add the tea. It is said that the "scalding " of the milk is a
desirable effect. Green tea is generally taken without anything in it.
Herbal Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your favorite cup. Add boiling
water and let steep 4 to 6 minutes. Sweeten if you desire -- we recommend
honey!
Black Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup: Place one tea bag in your cup and pour boiling water
over it, cover and steep 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired strength.
Remove tea bag. We recommend adding honey to sweeten.
Green Tea
Hot Tea by the Cup. Place one tea bag in your cup. Pour very hot (just at
the brink of boiling) water over the tea bag. Cover and steep 3 minutes.
Remove tea bag and add lemon and/or sweetener if desired. Traditionally,
green tea is served without milk.
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