Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Tea With Miss Janice, Post #3

Today, I am going to address the procedure for preparing hot and iced tea, how to prepare tea for a large crowd, and how to partially decaffeinate your tea.

Please remember that tea is steeped and coffee is brewed.

To prepare hot tea, fill your tea kettle with cold filtered water and begin heating, bringing to a boil. Meanwhile, warm the teapot by filling it with hot water from the tap. Discard the water from the teapot. Put in one teaspoon of tea leaves for each cup, adding an extra spoonful "for the pot" if you like your tea strong. Or, use one teabag per 2 cups of water. Pour the water over the tea leaves or teabags as soon as it comes to a boil. Stir briefly, put on the lid, and steep.

Steep times:
~Green tea--3 min. at 170-180 degrees
~White tea--3-5 min. at 185 degrees
~Oolong tea--5 min. at 180-212 degrees
~Black tea--5 min. at 212 degrees
~Herbal infusions--5 min. at 212 degrees

After steeping, remove the tea leaves/teabags from the teapot immediately or decant to another teapot. Most green teas can be infused three or more times, so you may reserve your tea leaves if you wish to reinfuse.

To prepare hot tea for a large crowd, use an electric coffee urn that has been cleaned with vinegar. Fill the urn with cold water. Steep teabags only. Using a 50-cup urn, you will need about 25 teabags to serve three cups of tea per person. Put in the center post and basket. Place the teabags in the basket and leave them in the basket until it is time for another batch to be steeped; then remove the used teabags, add cold water and more teabags. If you want to use the urn just to heat the water, place three teabags inside each 5-6 cup teapot and pour the water from the urn into the teapots and steep the tea.

To prepare iced tea, boil 2 quarts of water in a saucepan and then reduce to low. Place 8 small teabags into the water and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of sugar and stir. Pour beverage into a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to serve. Restore cloudy tea by stirring in a splash of boiling water.

If you would like to partially decaffeinate your tea, pour water just off the boil over the tea leaves or teabags, and let it steep for 30 seconds. Discard the liquid, keeping the tea leaves or teabags. Add more boiling water to the tea leaves or teabags and brew for the recommended time. Tea can never be fully decaffeinated.

Now you have learned about the history of tea, the varieties of tea and where they are produced, some health benefits of drinking tea, and how to prepare your tea. Thank you for stopping by today and tomorrow I will continue this tea tutorial and explain the certain names for special times of the day to take tea. I hope that you will join me then!

To sit and have a cup of tea is one of the most relaxing things you can do. It is not the actual drinking of the tea, but the ritual of boiling the water, preparing the tea, and patiently anticipating some quiet time. It slows you down from your hectic pace and gives you a chance to take a deep breath and relax.

18 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I would love to have you as a follower. Oh how I miss my Fresh Market in Raleigh! They are the best. I'm hoping we will get one soon. You'll have to visit my web site and look at my Children's Parties page. Miss Majes-tea Parties!! www.grandoccasions-inc.com

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

Would you believe, I have never had hot tea! I know everyone enjoys it, but somehow it is not something I've done. I'm going to try it now that I have instructions. Thanks. laurie

Tardevil said...

You amaze me! Aren't you still unpacking? I've still got C-mas decor up, and still have boxes to unpack from when I moved over a year ago. I will never know how you're so organized!

Tootsie said...

I have never had home made tea! will definitely have to try this!thank you for the instruction!

Sandra said...

Miss Janice - could you educate me in the health advantages of green tea?? Thank you sweet girl!! :-)

Glenda said...

I wasn't quite clear on the procedure when making the iced tea. After the water boils and you add the teabags, do you leave the heat on, after it has been reduced to low, while the tea steeps?

Thanks for giving the steeping times for the different varieties of tea. Most helpful.

playsdolls said...

I am like Laurie I have never drank hot tea,never knew just how to make it.With your instructions I think I will try the hot tea.I am a avid coffee drinker ,but if I like the tea I think it would be much better for me than so much coffee.

Miss Janice said...

Glenda, yes you do...

Pug1 said...

Thank you for the great tea tips! I usually just microwave the water and dip a teabag in!!!! However, I'd like to have a proper tea sometime! I did have tea at the Ritz in Sarasota, Fl but the best one was at the historic Grant Hotel in San Diego...it was fabulous!!!! CHEERS! Michele

Glenda said...

Thanks!

CMB said...

Thanks for the tips...I am a tea lover (no coffee for me) and I hate when I order a cup of hot tea out and they bring the hot water in a carafe that tastes like coffee...yuck! I guess I am a tea snob...I will also only drink it out of a china cup!:)

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Good to hear from you again! I enjoyed reading your post about thank you notes. I think it is manner going by the wayside. I always try to send a thank you note for gifts, dinners, even just a nice afternoon spent shopping together...but I rarely receive them anymore. Have a great weekend!

Justabeachkat said...

Hi Miss Janice

Thanks for your visit. (Don't hold your breath waiting for my fairy...I'll be needing her for quite some time. LOL) I sure hope you'll come back and maybe even "follow" me. Gosh, what a lovely and informative blog you have! I never knew you could partially decaffinate tea. Great to know.

Hugs!
Kat

Rattlebridge Farm said...

This is a valuable guide for all tea drinkers--thank you. Someone gave me "Yorkshire Tea," and I haven't opened the box yet, but now I'm wondering about the type of leaf.

You'd asked about my rooster. He has no mark. Would he still be Lenox, then? I bought him several years ago at a discount shop (the same place where I bought my gorgeous plastic/silk orchids0. The store bought close-outs from TJ MAXX, Homegoods, etc. But the shop was only open at odd times. Every day I'd pass by that store and see that rooster in the window. One Saturday morning, my husband and I drove by, and I noticed the store was open. Well, our truck was filled with grain and hay and straw, but I demanded that he stop. The rooster was, like, $60. Can't remember exactly, but it was a buy, considering that he's as big as one of my goats. I carried him home on my lap. lol

Kathleen Ellis said...

Thank you for the great tips for teatime...I'm going to save them for future tea gatherings!
:-)

On The Wings Of Love said...

.....so true about it being a ritual. I have such fond memories of having tea precisely at 4
o clock on my grandpa's back verandha.

He and my Mom are the ones who both instilled my love for tea.Now my girls love drinking it with me too.

Cheers,
Bre

Lady Katherine said...

This was a great article on making tea. Thank you for sharing so much information.

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