A CUP OF TEA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24721, 25 September 1941, Page 12

A CUP OF TEA

Nearly every woman thinks she can make a “ really good cup of tea.” But can she? Haven't you often tasted tea that was insipid or full of tannin, or so strong that you could barely swallow it? We all have our fads about tea; but most of us have this m common; we like it hot and tasting of tea, not merely of water! To make fragrant tea. you must first have a good tea. Store it tightly shut up in tins, and don’t keep more than a-quarter of a pound in the canister you open daily. The kettle should be filled with fresh water and should have come to boiling point once only. Water that has been boiling and simmering all afternoon does not make good tea; neither does water that has been standing cold m the kettle for hours. When the kettle Is nearly Polling, heat the tea pot thoroughly, drain away every drop of water and measure in the tea. Less tea than the regulation teaspoonful per person is required if you are making China tea, or if the water is very soft. When the water is really boiling, pour it at once on the tea, and then leave it two minutes to infuse if it is Ceylon, and about four minutes if it is China. Pour the tea through a strainer into the cups, and be sure to pour more boiling water on to the te,a, and give it a stir, after the first cups have been filled Don’t allow the tea to stand 100 long, and as soon as the meal is over empty away the tea leaves, rinse the pot thoroughly and dry well. Tannin is caused by tea being allowed to stand too long in the tea pot, and by tea pots being insufficiently washed and dried