How to Prepare English Tea
English tea is traditionally a black tea, and you can serve it with snacks or a meal as part of afternoon tea or high tea. Use filtered water to make your tea if the tap water in your area has too much chlorine or minerals. If you do not like the taste of your water, you will not like the taste of your English tea. Proper English tea uses loose tea leaves instead of tea bags. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tea kettle or pot
- Teapot
- Black tea leaves
- Tea ball or infuser basket
- Milk (optional)
- Sugar (optional)
Instructions
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1
Heat cold water in the tea kettle or pot until it comes to a rolling boil. Pour a small amount of the water into the teapot to preheat it.
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2
Add 1 full tsp. of loose black tea to the teapot. Add another teaspoon of leaves to the pot for best flavor. You can add the tea directly to the teapot if the teapot has a strainer built into the spout. Use a tea ball or infuser basket to contain the leaves if the teapot does not have a strainer.
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3
Steep for three to five minutes. Remove the tea ball or infuser basket. You will need to drink the tea more quickly if using a teapot with a strainer in the spout because you will have no way to stop the brewing process. If tea steeps too long, it will become bitter.
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4
Pour a small amount of milk into the tea cup if desired. Always pour the milk in before the tea so the milk mixes in better. Add sugar to taste. White sugar works best.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a tea cozy to keep the tea in the teapot warm.
References
- Photo Credit tea image by Andrey Kulygin from Fotolia.com
