How to Make Tea: The Ultimate Student Guide
The standard cup of English Breakfast Tea is the backbone of the Nation; warming, refreshing with just a hint of caffeine. Here’s what you need to know to make the perfect one.
The default cup of tea:
- Boil fresh water in the kettle.
- Place tea bag in cup. Yorkshire tea is, obviously, preferred but other brands of Breakfast Tea will suffice.
- Once kettle has boiled count to 5 before carefully pouring the water into the cup.
- For a standard cup, fill to a level about 7 millimeters from the rim. Let it stand for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes stir with teaspoon and remove the tea bag, ensuring to squeeze the bag against the side of the cup for maximum extraction.
- Add cold milk to refill the cup to the same 7mm level. Stir again and serve. Allow the beverage to cool to the Perfect Tea Drinking Temperature.
Common requests:
Just a dash of milk — default tea, should be this colour:
White and one — Default tea plus 1 level teaspoon of sugar
Milky — Complain, refuse but then relent. Follow steps for default tea but allow more room for milk, and do not press the bag against the side of the mug. Add milk to make it this colour:
More than one sugar — only put more sugar in if they are looking if not, think of their health and just add the one.
Other types of tea:
Builders Tea: Praise them on their choice. Brew for 3 mins plus and add the smallest amount of milk, ask if they would like the bag left in.
Earl Grey: Refuse. Only alcoholics drink perfume.
Green Tea: Acceptable but remember to not add milk to this one.
Fruit Tea: This is for people who like the idea of tea but don’t like the taste of tea. Let them make it themselves as the flavoured water doesn’t really taste of anything and this will be your fault.
Making a Pot
A good pot of tea is what separates us from other mammals.
- Start with fresh water, boil the kettle.
- A good sized pot should hold enough for at least four cups of tea, any less and you should consider getting a better pot.
- Only heathens add all the boiling water to the pot at once. Boil more water than you need, use the excess to warm the pot prior to adding the teabags.
- Swill around the warming water in the pot and discard. Add teabags then add the rest of the water to the now warmed pot.
- Allow for 1 tea bag per person and one for the pot.
- Stir with teaspoon. Lid on. Cover with cosy or folded tea towel and leave to brew for 2 minutes.
- Pour and add milk. Do not try to be fancy by putting the milk in first, you will end up with a substandard cup which is a waste of time.
