A Nice Cup of Tea
Photo: Vanderdecken, Public domain
This is the British and Irish pot of tea made properly, with a warmed pot and leaves left to steep undisturbed. The method rests on two small habits that change the cup. Rinsing the teapot with hot water first keeps the brew from cooling the moment it lands, and leaving the bag or infuser alone, with no stirring or dunking, holds back the bitter compounds that agitation pulls out. Add milk or lemon, never both.
Instructions
Fill a kettle with freshly drawn cold water and heat it to the temperature that suits your tea. An electric kettle does this quickly.
Warm the teapot while the kettle heats by pouring in some hot tap water and leaving it for a few seconds up to a minute. You can also swirl in a little of the hotter water from the kettle instead. Tip the water out before the tea goes in.
If you are using loose tea, put it in an infuser, close it tightly, and set it in the pot. If you are using tea bags, drop them straight into the pot. Plan on one half to one measure, or a rounded teaspoon, per cup, plus an extra one for the pot if you like it stronger.
Once the water reaches the right temperature, pour it into the teapot, aiming beside the tea rather than directly onto it. This matters most with green and white teas, whose leaves scald easily.
Leave the tea to steep without stirring or dunking the bags, since agitation draws out bitter compounds. Keep an eye on the time, and lift out the infuser or bags as soon as it is up so the tea does not over-infuse.
Pour the tea into cups and add sweetener and either milk or lemon to taste. Never add both, or the milk will curdle into lumps.
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