Do you warm the pot ??!
Do you warm the pot ??
I think it makes the tea taste better
Answers:
One or two Americans have asked me why it is that the English like tea so much, which never seems to them to be a very good drink. To understand, you have to know how to make it properly.
There is a very simple principle to the making of tea and it's this - to get the proper flavour of tea, the water has to be boiling (not boiled) when it hits the tea leaves. If it's merely hot then the tea will be insipid. That's why we English have these odd rituals, such as warming the teapot first (so as not to cause the boiling water to cool down too fast as it hits the pot). And that's why the American habit of bringing a teacup, a tea bag and a pot of hot water to the table is merely the perfect way of making a thin, pale, watery cup of tea that nobody in their right mind would want to drink. The Americans are all mystified about why the English make such a big thing out of tea because most Americans have never had a good cup of tea. That's why they don't understand. In fact the truth of the matter is that most English people don't know how to make tea any more either, and most people drink cheap instant coffee instead, which is a pity, and gives Americans the impression that the English are just generally clueless about hot stimulants.
So the best advice I can give to an American arriving in England is this. Go to Marks and Spencer and buy a packet of Earl Grey tea. Go back to where you're staying and boil a kettle of water. While it is coming to the boil, open the sealed packet and sniff. Careful - you may feel a bit dizzy, but this is in fact perfectly legal. When the kettle has boiled, pour a little of it into a tea pot, swirl it around and tip it out again. Put a couple (or three, depending on the size of the pot) of tea bags into the pot (If I was really trying to lead you into the paths of righteousness I would tell you to use free leaves rather than bags, but let's just take this in easy stages). Bring the kettle back up to the boil, and then pour the boiling water as quickly as you can into the pot. Let it stand for two or three minutes, and then pour it into a cup. Some people will tell you that you shouldn't have milk with Earl Grey, just a slice of lemon. Screw them. I like it with milk. If you think you will like it with milk then it's probably best to put some milk into the bottom of the cup before you pour in the tea.1 If you pour milk into a cup of hot tea you will scald the milk. If you think you will prefer it with a slice of lemon then, well, add a slice of lemon.
Drink it. After a few moments you will begin to think that the place you've come to isn't maybe quite so strange and crazy after all.
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1 This is socially incorrect. The socially correct way of pouring tea is to put the milk in after the tea. Social correctness has traditionally had nothing whatever to do with reason, logic or physics. In fact, in England it is generally considered socially incorrect to know stuff or think about things. It's worth bearing this in mind when visiting.
how do u warm yours? i put hot water from the kettle in mine.
Of course, vital to the whole tea making process
nope, i am a coffee drinker.
only if i'm smoking it.
yes but its a habit i have not noticed a difference in taste.
I rarely make a whole pot of tea; usually I'll make one or two individual cups.
Either way, just when the water boils in the kettle, I dump some into each tea cup (or the kettle, if I'm using one), swirl the water around for a few seconds, then pour the water out. You're right, I think the tea does turn out better that way....pre-warming the cup (kettle) allows the tea to steep more quickly.
yeah it does make your tea taste better, i warm my cup up as well. (fill it half full and put a plate on top). there's nothing worse than taking a sip of a cold brew !
Yes. I also try and wash it out every few days as I think the flavour of the tea remains, which adds to the next brew.
For sure!
=]
It makes it all that much better.
If I'm using a pot then yes I do.
Of course it does.
yes you supposed to warm the pot. use loose tea not tea bag in the tea pot it will taste even better.
it keeps it hotter longer too
Yes I do as i think that that is the best way to do it
hi,yes of course i warm the pot.i love to drink tea.