The Art of Serving Tea

After water, tea is the most frequently consumed beverage on the face of the earth. In ancient China tea was regarded as one of the seven daily necessities of life; for many Japanese it has served as a ritual element in the quest for enlightenment. For Americans it is often associated with the American Revolution; in the Middle East and North Africa it is a sign of hospitality and poured with dramatic flair; and in England afternoon tea holds an immutable place in the popular imagination. Some like it hot, some like it iced, some with milk, some with lemon. Some want tea black, some green. Some tea drinkers prefer whole leaves, while others use tea brick shavings or tea bags. Whatever form it may take and whatever context it is taken in, enjoying a cup of this ubiquitous beverage is an act performed no less than three billion times a day all around our planet.



For me, serving tea is one of the most sincere and genuine acts of hospitality. Whether I serve tea to my dinner guests or to the blokes who repair my roof, I am making a statement. I'm saying, "welcome and thank you." But except for movies of the week, all traces of offering a cuppa seems to have all but disappeared in North America. I say, let's make it part of the North American cultural revolution to reinvent tea service. Get out your best tea service tray; teapot (there are hundreds of variations, including those with infusers built right in); honey pot; milk; sugar; china. The next time someone comes to visit--whether it's a friend or a contractor--offer them a cup of tea. It's just so darn polite and, for the recipient, a warm, intimate and welcome offering.

Serving the perfect cup of tea is an art form, in my humble opinion. Scientists have discovered that the key to the best tasting brew is to let it sit for six minutes before drinking. Not only does it avoid scalding but by then it has cooled to 60C, the optimum temperature to let the flavours flood out.

But leave it until after 17 minutes and 30 seconds and the tea will be past its best.

The team at the University of Northumbria's School of Life Sciences spent 180 hours of testing and a panel of volunteers consumed 285 cups of tea in the laboratory to come up with an equation for the perfect cuppa.

Instructions for perfect cup of tea for two:

1. Add 500ml of freshly boiled water to your teapot - 1 bag of tea.
2. Allow the tea bag to brew for 2 minutes.
3. Remove the tea bag.
4. Pour.
5. Add 10ml of milk (if desired) and honey or sugar (if desired).
6. Wait 6 minutes before consumption for the cuppa to reach its optimum temperature of 60 degrees centigrade.

If you found this article useful, you may just want to purchase the equipment to make the perfect cuppa. Check out http://www.culinary-kit.ca to find the best tea service tools.

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