When it comes to brewing a cup of tea there’s a right way and a wrong way. The right way results in a delicious, warming nectar that represents everything good and true. The wrong way just results in a cup of tea.
Now if you’re worried that perhaps you’ve been brewing your tea incorrectly don’t despair, it’s never too late to make things right. Here’s the secret to making a perfect cuppa.
First off, have a look at the image below:
To the untrained eye this probably looks like a cup of tea, when it’s in fact a cup of tea flavoured hot water with some milk in it. It’s fine, it tastes ok, but it could be so much better.
Now this is a cup of tea. It was brewed in a teapot and served in a cup with a saucer. The saucer is not strictly necessary, but you get the idea.
All joking aside, there are a couple of good reasons why you should be making your tea in a teapot.
1. Milk first, tea second
This is huge. The real reason why tea tastes better out of a teapot all boils down to the order that the milk goes in the cup. Putting milk into the cup before pouring in the tea makes the fat in the milk emulsifying in a certain way which results in a creamier flavour profile. When making tea in a cup it’s necessary to put the milk in last in order to give the hot water enough time to brew the tea.
2. Temperature
A preheated teapot will maintain the water temperature for longer, resulting in a better brewed cup of tea.
3. Seasoning
Some may find this a little icky, but ceramic teapots are slightly porous and have a tendency to retain some of the flavours of whatever tea is brewed in them. Some see this as a bad thing, but I think it enhances the flavour.
4. A chance to slow down
We could all afford to relax more often. Taking the time to brew a perfect pot of tea is a great excuse to take a moment from everything and catch your breath.
5. An excuse to reconnect
Finally, and most importantly, tea drinking is an inherently social act. Hauling out the teapot to brew one cup of tea can seem like more effort than it’s worth. Instead, try and make tea drinking as social as possible. A pot of tea is always better when shared with friends and family.