Write-up by Jared Smilton
Despite what the modern day globe believes about gourmet tea there is an historical context to tea preparation that goes beyond a packet of instant tea or a teabag and a bath of boiling water. In truth, most individuals do not even boil the water in a classic stove best teakettle anymore. To accomodate contemporary life’s demands several use a microwave oven. Microwaves will frequently super heat a cup the water. Super heated water in a smooth container lacks a particle or edge on which a bubble can form and result in a typical boil. Thus, when what appears to be just a cup of warm water has an element added to it which can let a bubble to form, such as a teabag or grains of sugar, the super heated water rushes to an instant boiling state which can result in a boil over and regrettably, a quite nasty burn.
The traditional preparation procedures for creating the ideal cup of gourmet tea have remained fairly consistent throughout history. There are some variations with an eastern twist, but the finest English cup of gourmet tea consists of a pan or whistling teakettle of boiling water, and a ceramic teapot with a secure fitting lid. Most ceramic teapots make use of a notch and tongue system for restraining the lid. The key to the ceramic teapot technique of gourmet tea preparation is pre-warming the ceramic teapot. This is simply achieved by boiling an added quantity of water just for the teapot. Once the teapot is suitably heated, take away the water and add your teabags or gourmet tea in an infuser. Add boiling water to the tea and pot, place the lid on and surround your teapot with a teapot cozy to maintain the temperature up while the tea steeps for precisely five minutes. Once the correct amount of time has passed, get rid of the cozy and serve the best conventional cup of tea.