"Come, little cottage girl, you seem
To want my cup of tea;
And will you take a little cream?
Now tell the truth to me."
She had a rustic, woodland grin
Her cheek was soft as silk
And she replied, "Sir, please put in
A little drop of milk."
*******
Making the perfect pot of tea
Good quality water and the proper brewing time
are essential for the perfect cuppa.
Preheat your pot with boiling water
and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.
Use the freshest water possible,
I prefer using bottled or filtered water.
Never use hot water from the tap!
Make sure if you are to use tap water
that you allow it to run for a few minutes
to become very cold.
This ensures that it is fully aerated and
the oxygen will release the
full flavour of the tea.
Pour the boiling water over the leaves.
Brew for 3 to 5 minutes, remembering it is 'time' and
not 'colour' of the infusion.
Offer sugar, milk or lemon to your guests.
Serve with tea biscuits, shortbread or whatever you fancy.
What is tea?
True teas are made from the dried leaves
of the tea plant,
Camellia Sinensis. It was first cultivated in
China and found
grownig wild in India.
European traders and Chinese monks
introduced it to Japan, Ceylon and other countries.
There are over 3000 varieties of tea,
each with its own distinctive character
and named for the district in which it is grown.
Green tea is produced by steaming
fresh-picked leaves before heat-drying.
Black tea is allowed to ferment before firing.
Oolong teas are only partially fermented.
*******
Tea was a drink introduced to Edinburgh in 1681 by Mary of Modena
when her husband, the future James VII, was Duke of York and
Lord High Commissioner at the Court of Holyrood.
It quickly became fashionable but was frowned upon
by both medical and clerical men as bad for the body and soul.
Many ministers of the kirk considered it a greater evil than
whisky, and some people resolved the quandary by adding
a dram of whisky to their cup of tea to couteract its bad effects.
Cinnamon was also sometimes added to enhance the flavour.
So quickly did tea become popular that by the middle of the
century it had replaced ale or spirits as the morning beverage,
and the practice of tea drinking as a social pastime in the
morning and afternoon was considered by the self-righteous
to be a great time waster. Good quality tea remained expensive,
however, and the customs duty high, so a lot of cheaper tea
was smuggled in from the Continent, and simulated teas
were made from the leaves of local trees, such as hawthorn,
ash or sloe. These were coloured and mixed with China tea
to make a product known as smouch.
