If you look up 'tea' in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points.
This is curious, not only because tea is one of the mainstays of civilization in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.
When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than eleven outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own eleven rules, every one of which I regard as golden:
First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays - it is economical, and one can drink it without milk - but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase 'a nice cup of tea' invariably means Indian tea. Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities - that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad. Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water. Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes - a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners. Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly. Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference. Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle. Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup - that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one's tea is always half cold before one has well started on it. Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste. Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.
Lastly, tea - unless one is drinking it in the Russian style - should be drunk _without sugar_. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.
Some people would answer that they don't like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again.
These are not the only controversial points to arise in connexion with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tealeaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one's ration the twenty good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.
How to make your tea a taste treat
China is famous for its tea, but selecting a good brew - there are six kinds of Chinese tea including green, red, greenish black, yellow, white and black - like picking a good wine, requires a connoisseur.
"Tea on the market is of various grades, it's difficult for a layman to discern the quality of tea," said Liu Qigui, secretary-general of the Shanghai Tea Association. So Shanghai Star invited Liu to recommend some good stores where you can be assured of top quality cha.
Where to buy good tea
? The Centre of Tea from Home and Abroad at No 137 to No 147 on Daming Road. Here you have a wide choice of over 1,000 kinds of teas of different grades including home-grown and imported tea.
? Shanghai No 1 Food Store on Nanjing Road East also has counters selling Chinese tea. It is one of the most accessible, many buses and the metro line take you straight there.
? Shanghai Zhejiang Tea Store at No 333 Fujian Road Middle specializes in Longjing tea - the best green tea. The store has very good turnover, with daily sales of over 200,000 yuan ($24,200). Longjing is characterized by its green colour, strong aroma and pure taste.
? Xuyou (translates as "talking with friends") Tea Store has 20 outlets with its headquarters at No 851 Huaihai Road Middle. This is the place to shop if you're looking for tea exquisitely packaged for a present.
? Cheng Yu Xin Tea Store at No 53 Zhejiang Road Middle was established 163 years ago, making it the oldest tea store in Shanghai. It features tea from Anhui Province. The store sells wild tea at over 200 yuan ($24) for 50 gram. Wild teas are free from pesticide and chemical fertilizers.
Good teapot to suit tea
A good teapot is an essential part of the tea-drinking ritual. Generally speaking, big tea stores stock all the things you need for making tea. But there are some stores which specialize and so give you a wider choice.
According to Liu, a good teapot should pass two important tests: first, the lid should fit the pot very snugly; second, water should flow easily from the spout without spilling.
Experts say a teapot gains a natural gloss as it is used over time, which raises its value. So don't just put it on the shelf as an ornament - use it!
? Xu Sihai Teapot Store at No 322 Xingguo Road has top quality teapots ranging from 8,000 yuan ($967) to over 20,000 yuan ($2,400) which are designed and made by Xu Sihai, a well-known teapot maker.
? If you want cheap ones, try Chenghuang Temple and a market at the intersection of Jinshajiang and Meichuan roads. Their quality is inferior but a few dozen yuan will buy you one that does the job.
General ideas on tea
? How to make tea
Generally speaking, 2 or 3 grams of tea are enough or the tea will be too bitter. Boiled purified water and mineral water are better. The more ripe the tea, the longer you should let it stand. Tender tea should only be brewed a much shorter time.
? How much tea is good for the health?
Three to five grams of tea every day will benefit the health. Over 50 per cent of the protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and fat contained in tea will be absorbed by the human body.
How to Select Excellent Tea
Selecting tea is a subject of knowledge.
Aside from the variety, tea is classified into grades. Generally, appraisement of tea is based on five principles, namely, shape of the leaf, color of the liquid, aroma, taste and appearance of the infused leaf.
Speaking of the shape of the leaf, there are flat, needle-like, flower-like, and so on. The judgment is usually made according to the artistic tastes of the tea tasters.
The evenness and transparency of the leaf will decide the color of the liquid. Excellent liquid should not contain rough burnt red leaves or red stems.
Aroma is the most important factor in judging the quality of a kind of tea. Putting 3 grams leaves into 100 milliliters boiled water, people can judge the quality of the tea by the smell from the liquid.
The judgment should be completed through the taste of the liquid and the appearance of the infused leaves.
