Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 beta 4/10/84; site seismo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!harpo!seismo!flinn
From: flinn@seismo.UUCP (E. A. Flinn)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: More on tea
Message-ID: <1005@seismo.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Apr-84 18:34:33 EST
Article-I.D.: seismo.1005
Posted: Fri Apr 13 18:34:33 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Apr-84 09:30:49 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: Center for Seismic Studies, Arlington, VA
Lines: 36

Comments on the article by Betsy Cvetic:

|> Another important reason to preheat your porcelain or china tea
|> pot is so that it won't develop cracks.

	Absolutely right - I forgot about this.

|> Some people like to whisk the tea in the tea pot lightly with a
|> bamboo whisk right before serving.

	The reason is to mix up the tea, which will be weak on top
	and strong at the bottom.  Good teapots have the spout
	attached at the bottom (for this very reason), but stirring helps.
	
|> Don't forget to use a strainer when pouring the tea!  (This is mainly
|> for people who use loose tea leaves in the pot, which I prefer.

	English teapots have a built-in strainer that takes care of
	the coarse Indian or Ceylon tea.

|> Don't put cream in your tea.  It kills the taste.  If you must have a
|> dairy product, use milk.
	
	Right. I wonder why this should be?  Particularly vile are the
	'non-dairy creamer' things, which form clots in tea, but 
	apparently not in coffee.

On a somewhat different subject:  does anyone know how to make Chinese
tea properly?  In China you just shake out a little tea into the
covered mug and pour hot water on it from the thermos, but the water
is never really hot and there are all kinds of twigs and things
floating on the top when you take the cover off after five minutes.  I
usually keep the PanAm drink-stirrer to scoop them off, but the
Chinese just strain them out with their teeth or something, and don't
seem to pay any attention to the floating foliage.