Two
minutes is long enough for tea to stand, and it should never be
boiled, or the fine aroma which exists in the volatile oil will
be thrown off by evaporation, leaving as flavoring only the
principle of the tannic acid extracted by boiling. If tea
be ground like coffee, or crushed immediately before hot water
is poured upon it, it will yield nearly double the amount of its exhil-
arating qualities. Freshly boiled soft water is the best for either tea or
coffee, and the tea should be added as soon as it boils, as boiling
expels all the gases from the water ; but if soft water can not be
had, boil hard water from twenty to thirty minutes before using ; the
boiling drives off the gases in this case, but it also causes the lime
and mineral matters, which render the water hard, to settle, thus
softening it ; and to avoid the limy taste often in water boiled in a
tea-kettle, put a clean oyster shell in the kettle, which will always
keep it in good order by attracting all particles that may be impreg-
nated in the water. If hard water must be used in making tea, a
little carbonate of soda put into the tea-pot will both increase the
strength of the tea and make it more nutritious, the alkali dissolving
the gluten to some extent. The best tea-pot is that which retains
heat longest, and this is a bright metal one, as it radiates the least
heat, but the metal must be kept bright and polished; some still pre-
fer the old-fashioned earthen pot. The most elegant mode of serving
tea is from the tea-urn, various forms and designs of which are made
in silver and plated ware. Always have a water-pot of hot water on
the waiter with which to weaken each cup when desired. To insure
** keeping hot " while serving in a different tea-pot from that in
which the tea is made, the simple contrivance known as the
" bonnet," or " cozy," is warranted a sure preventive against that
most insipid of all drinks — a warmish cup of tea. It is merely a
sack, with a loose gathering-tape in the bottom, large enough to
cover and encircle the tea-pot, with a small opening to fit the spout,
and a slit though which the handle
willlM exposed. Make it with odd
pieces of silk, satin or cashmere,
lined, quilted or embroidered ; draw
this over the tea-pot aa soon aa the
tea is poured into it ; draw up the
gathering, string tightly at the hot- t.. « co™ ai«d.
torn, and the tea will remain piping hot for half an hour. Some
make a simple, quilted, oval case entirely covering the pot and reach-
ing quite to the teapot stand, lifting it off each time the tea is poured.
Page 150
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Two minutes is long enough for tea to stand, and it should never be boiled, or the fine aroma which exists in the volatile oil will be thrown off by evaporation, leaving as flavoring only the principle of the tannic acid extracted by boiling. If tea be ground like coffee, or crushed immediately before hot water is poured upon it, it will yield nearly double the amount of its exhilarating qualities. Freshly boiled soft water is the best for either tea or coffee, and the tea should be added as soon as it boils, as boiling expels all the gases from the water ; but if soft water can not be had, boil hard water from twenty to thirty minutes before using ; the boiling drives off the gases in this case, but it also causes the lime and mineral matters, which render the water hard, to settle, thus softening it ; and to avoid the limy taste often in water boiled in a tea-kettle, put a clean oyster shell in the kettle, which will always keep it in good order by attracting all particles that may be impregnated in the water. If hard water must be used in making tea, a little carbonate of soda put into the tea-pot will both increase the strength of the tea and make it more nutritious, the alkali dissolving the gluten to some extent. The best tea-pot is that which retains heat longest, and this is a bright metal one, as it radiates the least heat, but the metal must be kept bright and polished; some still prefer the old-fashioned earthen pot. The most elegant mode of serving tea is from the tea-urn, various forms and designs of which are made in silver and plated ware. Always have a water-pot of hot water on the waiter with which to weaken each cup when desired. To insure ** keeping hot " while serving in a different tea-pot from that in which the tea is made, the simple contrivance known as the " bonnet," or " cozy," is warranted a sure preventive against that
most insipid of all drinks — a warmish cup of tea. It is merely a sack, with a loose gathering-tape in the bottom, large enough to cover and encircle the tea-pot, with a small opening to fit the spout, and a slit though which the handle will be exposed. Make it with odd pieces of silk, satin or cashmere, lined, quilted or embroidered ; draw this over the tea-pot as soon as the tea is poured into it ; draw up the gathering-string tightly at the bottom, and
torn, and the tea will remain piping hot for half an hour. Some make a simple, quilted, oval case entirely covering the pot and reaching quite to the teapot stand, lifting it off each time the tea is poured.