Theme Recipe: Hot To Make A Perfect Pot Of Tea

The British are well known for their tea drinking, and the 4 o'clock teatime traditions.  While all sorts of food goes with the tea hour, from tea sandwiches to scones to tea cakes; none of it means a thing without a properly prepared pot of tea.  Around here, despite being a US home, we are big hot tea drinkers; and I prefer (on most days) a pot of hot tea in the mornings, rather than coffee.

HOW TO MAKE HOT TEA

While I do think there is a right and a wrong way to make a good pot of tea, let me at least clear this up:  I am not a tea snob!!  While I do enjoy expensive loose tea when I can afford it, I don't mind a decent tea bag at all!

1 good teapot

1 tea cozy

1 to 3 ounces of loose tea (less if it's Assam), or 1 to 2 teabags

Kettle for boiling water.

1.  Bring the water to a boil.  Just before it boils, pour some hot water into the pot, and return the kettle to the stove to finish boiling.  Swish the hot water in the pot and pour it out.

2.  In a basket or tea infuser, place loose tea, place this in the pot.  Or place 1 to 2 tea bags to the pot (the number depends on the type of tea it is and how strong you want it).

3.  Just at the moment when the water just boils, pour water into pot and stir if it is in tea basket.  Lay on the lid and cover with a tea cozy.  Let steep for 3 to 5 minutes, remove basket or infuser and return the lid and the cozy.  Enjoy you tea plain, with milk and/or sugar or with lemon.  If you are using bags, it really does depend on what type of tea and how strong you want it, as to whether they are removed at all.

VARIATIONS

The traditional British 4 o'clock (or 5 o'clock high tea) hour tea service, places the loose tea in the pot directly and it stays there, which means that it gets stronger and stronger as the hour moves on.  To deal with that, a separate pot that contains only hot water is presented, so people can dilute individually according to taste.

Green tea is another matter.  It is best made with water that has boiled and left to sit for 2 or 3 minutes before pouring it over the tea.  Infuse as above.

Any tea left over can go toward a perfectly decent pitcher of iced tea.

The Halloween Tea Pot

As To Tea Cozies!