Tea Time is should be relaxing and can be casual. It does not need to be formal, and you certainly do not have to eat those unappealing little cucumber sandwiches if you do not want to!!! You can have tea everyday, all by yourself, although it is a great deal tastier if you share it with friends!
Here in America, high-tea is incorrectly used to describe a very formal, social tea. The meaning, however; should be used to describe simply a tea served with the dinner meal. You can choose to have “high-tea” everyday if you would like.
Here is how to brew a “proper Tea”
1. Fill tea pot with hot tap water to warm it up prior to adding tea leaves and boiling water.
2. Fill tea kettle with fresh, cold, non-distilled water.
3. Place kettle on stove and bring to boil.
4. Just before kettle begins to boil, pour water from tea pot and add one teaspoon tea leaves per cup to pot, plus an additional teaspoon 'for the pot.
5. Remove kettle from heat right after it comes to a boil, and pour 6 ounces per cup into tea pot.
6. Let tea steep 3 - 7 minutes depending on desired strength.
7. Pour tea into cups using a strainer to catch loose leaves.
8. Add cold, whole milk, or lemon to tea cups depending on preference of guests.
* often directions for tea will instruct you to add milk before pouring tea. This was done to temper the fragile porcelain of the 16th and 17th centuries. The practice continued as habit only. It is perfectly correct to add milk and lemon after the tea has been poured. This method is also preferred in order to maintain taste consistency since we have little control over the strength of the leaves being brewed.
There are many teas on the market. My personal favorites are Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea, or Earl Gray (Twinings or Bigelow).
Most of these come in teabag form- Use about 3-4 teabags per teapot and let steep for about five minutes.
Here in America, high-tea is incorrectly used to describe a very formal, social tea. The meaning, however; should be used to describe simply a tea served with the dinner meal. You can choose to have “high-tea” everyday if you would like.
Here is how to brew a “proper Tea”
1. Fill tea pot with hot tap water to warm it up prior to adding tea leaves and boiling water.
2. Fill tea kettle with fresh, cold, non-distilled water.
3. Place kettle on stove and bring to boil.
4. Just before kettle begins to boil, pour water from tea pot and add one teaspoon tea leaves per cup to pot, plus an additional teaspoon 'for the pot.
5. Remove kettle from heat right after it comes to a boil, and pour 6 ounces per cup into tea pot.
6. Let tea steep 3 - 7 minutes depending on desired strength.
7. Pour tea into cups using a strainer to catch loose leaves.
8. Add cold, whole milk, or lemon to tea cups depending on preference of guests.
* often directions for tea will instruct you to add milk before pouring tea. This was done to temper the fragile porcelain of the 16th and 17th centuries. The practice continued as habit only. It is perfectly correct to add milk and lemon after the tea has been poured. This method is also preferred in order to maintain taste consistency since we have little control over the strength of the leaves being brewed.
There are many teas on the market. My personal favorites are Twinings Irish Breakfast Tea, or Earl Gray (Twinings or Bigelow).
Most of these come in teabag form- Use about 3-4 teabags per teapot and let steep for about five minutes.
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