1919 Home made beverages

— N on- Alcoholic

Beverages

Tea

1. — In the best restaurants of the Chinese quarter in San Francisco tea is never made in a teapot, but each cup is brewed separately. The cup itself is different; it is a small bowl covered with a strainer and a lid. A tiny bundle of long tea leaves is placed in the strainer and the boiling water is poured over it. This first infusion is invariably thrown away as being unfit to drink. This procedure has caused the leaves to swell, and when next the boiling water is poured on it filters through slowly and is allowed to steep for a few moments. When the strainer is removed the golden liquid that re- mains in the bowl ready for drinking, without milk or sugar, is as different from the tea ordinarily served as champagne is from ginger pop. b. — In order to make good tea it is necessary that the water should be quite boiling, but it must on no account be water that has boiled for some time or been previously boiled, cooled and then reboiled. It is a good plan to empty the kettle and refill it with fresh cold water, and make the tea the moment it reaches boiling point. Soft water makes the best tea, and boiling softens the water, but after it has boiled for some time it again becomes hard. When water is very hard a tiny pinch of carbonate of soda may be put into the teapot with the tea, but it must be used very sparingly, otherwise it may impart a very unpleasant taste to the beverage. Tea is better made in an earthen than a metal pot. One good tea- spoonful of tea will be found sufficient for two small cups, if made with boiling water and allowed to stand 3 or 4 minutes; longer than this it should never be allowed to stand. The delicate flavor of the tea may be preserved and injurious effects avoided by pouring the tea, after it has stood 3 or 4 minutes, into a clean teapot which has been previously heated. 2. — By a new process the delicate aroma and flavor of the bloom-tip orange Pekoe blend has been retained. To 126 How to Prepare Tea. — a.