Guest Post: How to Make a Proper Cup of Tea
Tea, being the magical all-purpose beverage that it is, has been an everyday part of my life since birth. In fact, I still have what I’ve always referred to as “my birth teapot,” purchased by my mother and her mother in honour of the blessed event. (Is that something all good Englishwomen do?) My mother drank a lot of tea, and I drink it a minimum of four times a day. My grandmother Elizabeth (from the Lake District) drank tea around the clock, including once in the middle of every night. Her mother Mary Ann was, I’m told, constantly putting the kettle on. These are my basic qualifications for being The Resident Tea Snob!
Any self-respecting Britophile (not just Anglophile) needs to know how to make what my mum always called “a proper cup of tea.” It is nearly impossible to get such a thing in the U.S. without doing it yourself. Most restaurants give you a tiny stainless steel pot of water that has been warmed, not boiled, on one of the burners of their coffee maker, along with a teabag of uncertain quality for you to dunk into the tepid water. The result is so insipid that people who have never had properly made tea think they don’t like tea.
Though I enjoy many types of herbal infusions, they are not tea; they are tisanes. I sometimes enjoy a green tea or oolong or some of the specialty teas that have recently come to the fore. But when I say “a proper cup of tea,” that means a good black tea, such as Darjeeling, Earl Grey or English breakfast–organic, if possible. I usually prefer loose teas, but occasionally use teabags.
You will need a tea kettle and a ceramic teapot, both of a capacity to make the quantity you desire. I have a 4-quart kettle and a 3-quart teapot for large crowds, but I most often use a smaller kettle and one of my average-size teapots. One needs to know the precise capacity of one’s teapot to ensure that the tea is of the proper strength.
To make a proper pot of black tea, just before a kettle of freshly drawn water comes to the boil, warm the teapot with hot water, empty it, add one teaspoon of tea leaves for each 8 ounces of water. Immediately (that’s why the teapot is on the stove in the photo above) pour in the freshly boiling water, let it stand for 5 minutes, stir, and then strain into cups. If you prefer to use a tea ball, be sure it is large enough to allow the tea leaves to unfurl. Serve with sugar or sugar cubes, thin slices (not wedges) of lemon and a small pitcher of milk (never cream).
That’s all there is to it. I know there is a how-to video on this site in which we are directed to put just one little teabag into the teapot because “the tea’s strength comes from the length of the brew time, never extra tea bags.” Well, I say Piffle! Use one teaspoon of loose tea or one teabag for each 8 ounces of water. If it’s a very strong tea, make that 10 ounces of water. But one teabag in a full-size teapot will not make proper tea no matter how long you brew it! (Copyright 2011 Jean at Delightful Repast delightfulrepast.com)
Jean at Delightful Repast is a freelance writer who writes mostly about food, tea, weddings and etiquette for numerous publications. Her blog reflects her English culinary heritage. A lifelong tea aficionado, Jean has proposed being The Resident Tea Snob at Smitten by Britain.
Gosh, I’ve been doing it wrong all these years! Actually, I know you’re supposed to warm the pot, (and use fresh water for that matter) but I can never be bothered.
The one thing I don’t think you emphasized quite enough however is that the water MUST be properly boiled. That means NEVER ever put in a microwave for the purposes of tea-making. Yuck! That’s my pet peeve! DId I say that loudly enough? Can you tell it’s my pet peeve?
Comment by Expat Mum — November 16, 2011 @ 3:45 pm
Toni, I don’t warm the pot either.
Comment by smittenbybritain — November 16, 2011 @ 3:55 pm
Yes, Expat Mum, I mentioned the “boiling” matter in paragraphs 2 and 5; but it cannot be overemphasized! Or said too loudly!
Fresh water, in a kettle, electric or on the hob, definitely. And it will be emphasized in future posts as well. Thanks, and keep “shouting” about it!
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 16, 2011 @ 4:25 pm
This is wonderful, Jean! I have got to purchase some loose tea. All I have are boxes of tea bags, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Yorkshire Gold, and Irish Breakfast. And I bet you’re right about the strength of tea. I love strong flavors, and yet I think I’ve always had weak tea. ICK.
P.S. Your pal says hi.
Comment by Cranberry Morning — November 16, 2011 @ 5:16 pm
Judy, thanks for popping over to Smitten by Britain for my guest post. The Britophile is a hoot, isn’t she! So glad I could contribute to your tea education! I like Yorkshire Gold, too. It is a strong tea, one for which you’ll want to use 10 ounces of water per level teaspoon. I think you’ll find the loose teas are often better than the teabags from the same company. Not always the case–there are some high quality teabags out there–but often. Be sure to let me know when you get some loose tea.
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 16, 2011 @ 7:04 pm
Guess I’m working class since I use tea bags and a mug.:) I do use an electric kettle, which I love and can’t understand why they aren’t as popular in the states.
My favorite part of going to the UK is getting a proper cuppa whilst at home I never order tea at restaurants.
Comment by Heatherfeather — November 16, 2011 @ 11:48 pm
Heather, me too. Love a builder’s brew.
Comment by smittenbybritain — November 16, 2011 @ 11:59 pm
In Yorkshire, the rule is one spoonful of tea for every cup plus “one for the pot.”
Comment by louise — November 17, 2011 @ 1:02 am
Well, Heatherfeather, a teabag and a mug *can* work. If the water is actually boiling, it can “cover a multitude of sins”! Electric kettles are great–I bought one for an office I used to work in–but I don’t use one at home because I’m not willing to give over the counter space for it. Maybe that’s why they’re not as popular here, maybe we all need the counter space!
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 17, 2011 @ 1:42 am
Yes, or one bag per person and one for the pot.
Comment by smittenbybritain — November 17, 2011 @ 1:48 am
Great post! I would add that the milk, if you use it, needs to be fresh. Not UHT. That will definitely ruin the taste.
Comment by Gail — November 17, 2011 @ 10:39 am
Excellent article. In England most folks like a good strong cuppa. Real tea junkies often say they like to be able to stand the spoon up in it for it to be the right strength. This is, I hasten to add, metaphorically speaking. But it gives an idea of the colour it should be once brewed. Long live the great British cuppa. Oh, now that reminds me …
Comment by Robert Parry — November 17, 2011 @ 12:02 pm
test comment
Comment by smittenbybritain — November 17, 2011 @ 1:52 pm
A strong milky brew is the best IMHO.
Comment by smittenbybritain — November 17, 2011 @ 1:53 pm
That’s true, Louise. Those who like to add a lot of milk to their tea can definitely use that extra “one for the pot.” (I love Yorkshire! My grandfather is from there.)
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 17, 2011 @ 2:12 pm
Thanks, Gail! I definitely agree with you about the milk.
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 17, 2011 @ 2:14 pm
Thanks so much, Robert! Yes, long live the great British cuppa! Down with weak tea!
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 17, 2011 @ 2:18 pm
I’m an Englishman from a working class background – probably closer to lower-middle class now, which I think is the equivalent of the American middle class? You guys don’t have all of the underserving toffs hogging the “upper class” label!
I make my tea with an electric kettle, PG Tips or Tetley tea bags, a splash of milk and two sugars! All in a mug. That’s how everyone I know makes it, but it may very well be a working class thing. I bet some of my posher countrymen would consider my builder’s brew a crime against tea!
I’m a 21 year old student and I drink more tea than beer. Put it this way… If I drank as much beer as I do tea, I would be looking for a new liver. That really says something about the English and our tea.
Comment by Chris — November 21, 2011 @ 1:37 am
Chris, I’m so glad to meet a 21-year-old student who drinks more tea than beer!
I have on occasion used a tea infuser that’s made to fit in a mug (use a saucer as a lid for the mug), but I usually like to have a couple of cups so it just makes more sense to make a small pot. A couple of my English friends even–and I know this is shocking, and I can’t recommend it–heat a mug of water in the microwave! Do stay with the tea, Chris, and make your original liver last a lifetime!
Comment by Jean | Delightful Repast — November 21, 2011 @ 3:16 pm