How to Brew the Perfect Pot of Tea

The first thing you need to determine is the quality of your water. If you live where there is a lot of lead in your water, or where the water has a strong smell or flavor, use bottled water for your tea. Otherwise your water could change the flavor of your tea. If you are using tap water, let the water run for a minute or two to clear the pipes for fresher water.

Place a kettle of cold water on to boil using medium heat. Just before the boiling point, pour a small amount of the heated water into your teapot. Swirl this around so the inside of your teapot is heated by the water, then pour the water down the drain. This is to ensure the teapot doesn't leach heat from your tea.

Now its time to add the tea to the teapot Add one teaspoon of tea per person and one for the pot. I recommend using a tea ball infuser. This way when the tea is brewed to perfection you can remove the tea leaves to prevent the tannins turning the tea bitter. If using tea bags, remove after proper brewing time, gently squeezing the tea bags to release more flavor.

Once your water is boiling, quickly remove and pour into the tea pot onto the tea leaves. Over boiling can cause your tea to have a bitter flavor. Under boiling can prevent the full flavor of the tea to emerge.

Let the tea brew for 3 to 6 minutes depending on the type of tea you are using. Large leaf teas such as Oolong, Earl Grey or Jasmine should brew for 5 to 6 minutes. Never brew for longer than 6 minutes or you will have a very bitter flavor. Medium leaf teas such as Queen Mary, Orange Pekoe, or Ceylon Breakfast should brew for 4 to 5 minutes. Small leaf teas such as English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast should brew for 3 minutes. Tea bags should be brewed a shorter amount of time, read directions on package. Do not judge the strength of your tea by its color, some teas naturally brew a lighter color than others. Remember to remove tea leaves after the proper brewing times to prevent bitterness.

Pour and enjoy!

Welsh Rarebit (also known as Welsh Rabbit)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup dark ale or dark beer
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound sharp cheddar, grated
4 to 8 slices of toasted bread


In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, continuously stirring for 3 to 5 minutes, until light golden brown. Stir in mustard and cayenne, then whisk in beer and Worcestershire sauce. When mixture is uniform, turn heat to low and stir in cheese, again stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and pour into a shallow broad container to set (you can refrigerate for up to a day).

Spread mixture thickly on toast and put under broiler until bubbly and slightly brown in spots. Serve immediately.

Recipe Courtesy of Patti's Tea Party

Afternoon Tea: The History of the English Tradition

As legend has it afternoon tea was concieved in the early 1800's by one of Queen Victoria's Ladies-in-waiting, Anna Marie Stanhope, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. The tradition of the time was to have only two main meals during the day: breakfast and dinner. Dinner was usually served between 8:30 and 9 p.m., maybe even later during the summer. The Duchess would find herself feeling hunger pains in the late afternoon around 4 pm, so she asked her servants to secretly serve her tea with bread and butter and cake. She decided she liked this afternoon treat so much she started inviting her friends to join her for her afternoon tea. It soon became popular among the aristocrats in her circle including Queen Victoria.

Afternoon tea became more elaborate as time progressed. In the 1880's ladies where changing into long tea gowns for the occasion. Tea serves also evolved thanks to Josiah Spode, who at the start of the century invented bone china. Bone china was a beautiful and inexpensive form of porcelain, which kept tea hot even though it was so thin you could see the shadow of your fingers through it. The small snack evolved into including hot dishes being served by footman and professional musicians playing in the background.