Feb 07, 2008 13:31
On the extremely rare occasion that I drink coffee, I usually have instant. I don't own a coffee maker because I drink coffee so very rarely.
Tea, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. First I boil the water using an electric tea kettle. For most teas, I use a glass teapot with a gold mesh basket. I fill the basket with loose leaf tea, then add water and let it infuse for an appropriate length of time. I then remove the basket, and the tea is ready to drink.
For white tea, however, I have a special Yixing teapot. The unique clay used to make the pot gives the tea a very interesting flavor, which improves as you use it. I place the tea leaves in the pot, then add water. I then have to pour the tea through a mesh strainer spoon because the pot doesn't have a filter. You can never wash a Yixing teapot, because the clay would absorb a soapy flavor; you merely rinse it out with warm water when you're done.
If I'm in a hurry, or I want an herbal tea, I'll sometimes use teabags, but they're really evil things. The flavor of whole tea leaves is incomparable to chopped, ground, mangled tea stuffed into constrictive paper bags.
writer's block,
tea