Many of you know of Elaine’s Tea Shoppe in Sylvania, Ohio. Many don’t. If you are ever in the Toledo area, this is a wonderful stop. We were there today and it is still a wonderful stop, well worth the detour. She has a great selection of loose leaf tea, tea accessories and knowledge. We had a light lunch – a cream tea, actually. The scones were wonderful. Her menu is a sight to behold, not just the selections, but the information in the mini-manual is quite valuable. For those serious about tea tasting, she has developed a Tea Taster’s Journal that contains a primer and a wonderful tasting form that can be completed for each tea tasted. With this book you can jog your memory and develop your own listing of great teas. Thanks, Elaine. It was worth the drive.
Iced Tea on the Go
A lot of you have probably seen the promotions from a big fast food chain for sweet tea. All well and good, if that’s your “cup of tea.” However, what do you do if you are dining out and the tea tastes hours old? Or the tea is fine, but sugar just won’t dissolve. This could be at one of your favorite places to eat, but they just cannot make good tea. There are a few things you can do besides bringing your own.
If the tea is fine, but the sugar doesn’t dissolve and they have no idea or time to make a simple syrup, you can ask for some hot water and ice. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water, add it to the tea and add ice as needed. The traditional recipe is 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. Others prefer a 1 to 1 ratio. To make a syrup so that 1 teaspoon simple syrup equals 1 teaspoon sugar use 4 parts sugar to 3 parts water. If entertaining at home, you may want to serve a simple syrup with unsweetened iced tea and let your guests sweeten to taste.
If the tea at the restaurant is not tolerable, ask for hot tea and a glass or two of ice. Brew the tea as you normally would, sweeten to taste and then add to the glass of ice. If using loose leaf tea, it is recommended to use twice the normal amount of tea to the water, steep the usual amount of time and then dilute with either the ice or an equal part of cold water. Recommended teas are unflavored teas such as Ceylon, Darjeeling and Dragonwell.
Try these ideas and see if your tea improves.
The Tea Bag has Turned 100
Yes, it’s true. The tea bag is 100 years old. Still favored by many for their convenience, the tea bag was invented in June 1908 quite by accident. Tea merchant Thomas Sullivan of New York City sent samples of tea leaves in small silk pouch-like purses to potential customers, meaning for the bags to be opened and the leaves brewed as usual. Several Americans, not quite sure what to do with the little bags, dunked them into hot water. And liked it. So was born the tea bag.
After complaints that the mesh of the silk was too fine, Mr. Sullivan developed gauze bags which later became the paper bags we know and (some) love. However, there were complaints about being served lukewarm water for the bags and distust of the short string and attached tag. In 1930 William Hermanson of Boston’s Technical Papers Corporation patented the heat-sealed paper fiber tea bag. Shortage of materials during WWII prevented mass production. In 1953, Tetley, the British tea producer, spotted the commercial potential (and convenience) of the tea bag and worked to perfect the tea bag. Finally, in 1964, the finely perforated tea bag was developed and sales soared.
In 1989 Tetley switched from the square tea bag to a round one and a few years later it introduced the drawstring tea bag. In 1996 Lipton and PG Tips introduced the pyramid-shaped tea bag. Some criticize the pyramid-shaped bag stating the nylon will not degrade in landfills. Others praise it because it allows for better expansion of the tea leaf. Whatever your personal taste in teas Mr. Sullivan’s tea bag is here to stay.
Making the Perfect Pot (or Cup) of Tea
The perfect pot or cup of tea is more than just some hot water and a tea bag. It is both an art and a science, just like any cooking project. The first step is to select your tea or tisane. For this discussion we will choose a tea. If you add sugar, sweetener, honey, milk or lemon gather it now. As with any cooking project, you don’t want to have to run to the store in the middle of preparations. You will need cold, fresh water. If your tap water is hard or tainted with other flavors a better product will result with the use of filtered or bottled water. Do not use distilled water. You will also need some implements: a kettle (preferrably made of a non-reactive material such as stainless steel), teapot and/or cup or mug (all these do best as ceramic or porcelain), strainer, teaspoon, and perhaps a cozy or cover.
Begin by placing enough fresh, cold water in the kettle for the number of cups you plan to make (up to the maximum volume for the kettle, of course.) If you are conserving water and there is a bit left in the kettle from your last boiling, either use it to water the plants or save it in another vessel for rinsing dishes. Ditto for any water you get from the tap as you will want to run it for at least 10 seconds before placing any in the kettle. While this water is coming to a boil, preheat the teapot, mug or cup with boiling water. (If you are using antique porcelain you may want to use water at a slightly cooler temperature.) Cover the pot, mug or cup with a cozy or lid. The purpose of this is to warm the receiving vessel so the tea does not cool too quickly and the tea leaves can open fully.
When the water in the kettle comes to a boil, turn off the heat and pour the water being used to heat the receiving vessel out of the teapot, cup or mug. (Again, if you are conserving water save this for rinsing dishes.) Fill the teapot, strainer or mug with the amount of tea recommended on the packaging or by the tea purveyor. Placing the tea directly in a teapot will allow the leaves to fully open. The usual is one heaping teaspoon of tea per cup to be made with another for the pot if over six cups. Experiment with this amount. You may want to keep a record as you may need more or less depending on the blend and your tastes. To keep the heat as high as possible, bring the pot to the kettle and pour in enough water for the desired cups of tea. Use the teapot’s (or mug’s) lid to hold in the heat.
For black tea the proper steeping time is 3 to 5 mintues. For green or white tea, boiling water can harm it so use water slightly below boiling and let it steep only 1 to 2 minutes. The recommended temperature for pu-erhs tea is a full rolling boil (212 degrees F.), black tea is just off boil at 212 degrees F., oolong is 185-210 degrees, green and white 170-185. If not using a thermometer, 185 degrees is reached when the kettle is off the heat for about 30 seconds and 170 at 60 seconds. This may vary depending on your kettle.
Allow the tea to steep the requisite time and then pour into mug or cup using a strainer to catch the leaves. (If using a strainer in a mug or teapot remove this so any remaining tea does not strengthen.) Keep any remaining in the pot warm with a cozy or towel. Do not try to express more tea by pressing or squeezing the wet tea leaves. This can result in a bitter taste from the release of too many polyphenols. If there is tea left in the teapot after all have been served strain it into another vessel or remove the tea leaves.
Serve with honey, sugar, sweetener, lemon or milk, as desired.
Tips: Remember lemon and milk combined will curdle the milk.
In England, and for many others, making tea by the cup is improper and taboo. It is properly made in a teapot.
In some countries the habit is to cover the leaves with water for 30 seconds and then pour that water out to cleanse of contaminants. A second pour of fresh water is then used. This practice can also be used to lower the caffeine level of the tea. Ninety percent of the caffeine leaches from the tea leaf in the first sixty seconds.
Many teas may be used more than once. To do this, increase the steeping time a bit for each subsequent preparation. Oolongs are especially known for this trait.
If you are using teabags, the standard is one for each cup of water and one for the teapot. If possible, experiment with the new pyramid shaped tea bags. They allow the tea to unfold more than the traditional bag.
Honey is best used when milk is not. Some feel that sugar and sweeteners numbs the tastebuds and therefore affects the taste of the tea. Some teas are actually designed to taste better with a little added sweetness.
Use of water that has been heated in the microwave is not recommended as the water can be superheated and “explode.” The oxygen content of water that is microwaved is altered. Have you noticed how sugar or tea added to this water will make it bubble and spurt?
If you live in a high altitude the lower boiling pressure of water may affect the brewing of pu-erh and black teas.
Keep your vessels in proper working order by descaling them often. You will need to do this more often if you live in an area with hard water. Check for chips and cracks as the minerals in the clay in a ceramic or porcelain pot or cup may leach into the tea.
There has been a longstanding argument of whether to add milk first or last. One camp feels that the tea should be tasted first and the other feels that the milk does better to cool the tea than the tea to warm the milk.
Tea is a plant. Store the tea properly for best taste. Keep it in a cool, dry place with low humidity. It is best kept in a tightly sealed tin or a glass container with a rubber ring. If using glass, be sure to keep it out of the light. Light, heat and moisture can ruin the tea before you get a chance to use it.
Teas and tastes vary. If you have never tried tea from loose tea, take the jump. As the wave of tea drinking increases it is possible to find more quality products at your own grocery store. With a little practice and sampling you will find the right one for you.
What to do with used tea
O.K. So you’ve been consuming more tea and you are getting into this recycling trend. So, what do you do with tea that’s been used for a cuppa? Here are a few ideas:
1. If your cat isn’t too picky about the litter (and I’ve had one that is) you can add green tea to your cat’s litter pan to help reduce the smell. It is suggested that you let the old tea leaves dry first.
2. Used tea bags can be placed in the refrigerator. They can be used to place on the eyes as a compress and help reduce swelling, making those tired eyes feel better. Of course the twenty minutes recommended for this can also be a great stress reducer. A little nap can work wonders. Regular Lipton tea bags has been recommended for the tannin in them. Also recommended is Chamomile tea
3. Used tea can be added to your compost pile.
4. Tea is also beneficial to your plants. Sprinkle the tea leaves around the base of your plants.
5. Used tea can also be used to make the refrigerator smell better.
6. I will mention that they are also useful as a dye for muslin.
Other uses will be discussed in the future, but this should give you some food – or tea – for thought.
Just What is Tea?
All teas are made from the top two leaves and bud of the Camellia sinensis plant. The way and length of time they are processed determines whether they are known as White, Green, Oolong or Black. Various fruits, herbs and other flavorings may be added, but they are still teas. However, your favorite “tea” may have no tea plant in it, but may be made of flowers, herbs or even roots. These are technically called “tisanes” even though Americans still call them “tea.” Second to water, tea is the most widely-consumed beverages in the world. It has almost no carbohydrates, fat or protein. Tea is a source of theanine, caffeine, theobromine and antioxidants. We’ll discuss caffeine at a later time. However, let me say that studies show that while there may be more caffeine in a tea leaf than in a coffee bean the way these two are processed results in less caffeine in the brewed tea than in coffee. Herbal tisanes usually have no caffeine.
There is no right or wrong tea to drink, unless you have some health issues. The idea is to drink what you enjoy. If your physician has recommended you refrain from caffeine you may want to explore your tea options a bit more. There are some wonderful herbal and decaffeinated teas. Talk to your local tea pervayor or spend some time reading the labels in the tea aisle of your grocery store.
Tea at the Unicorn Wine Guild 