How to prepare to tea

 

Preparing tea is a difficult art. Requiring focus, skill, finesse and love, the talents of pouring tea demands the individual to tap into a place they might have not have thought they possessed. Here I will attempt to break down these steps.

Step 1 :Fill your teapot with water

Step 2: Fire

Tea does not exist without heat. Though you can attempt to heat your pot by intensely staring at it, I recommend a stove top or heated kettle. It is essential when making tea, that the individual has access to a heat source. Its from this heat that we'll steep our leaves.

Step 3: Teapot meets fire

While the act of teamaking is dictated by traditions, breaking these traditions is not blasphemous. Above all, it's important that the individual enjoys their cup. Heat is one of these traditions. Though some tea purists insist on a specific tempurature for all teas, i've found through extensive studies with my research partner that sometimes the best cup is one is served with considerable warmth. This will deepen the tea's hue while also extracting a more intense flavor.

"When is water boiling? It can be said, with few people to argue the point, that water boils when it has been heated to two hundred and twelve degrees fahrenheit. Myself, I would say that when it bubbles with large energetic bubbles, and looks like its ready to hop from the kettle[..] A friend of mine who grew up alongside a samovar has only one way to describe the water proper for tea:"a mad boil." in the same forceful way she never says rolls or toast must be hot or very hot. They must be "hot-hot-hot!"

Step 4: Assemble your tools

As the water is boiling, its time to choose its contents. Ideally using loose leaf tea (or botanicals), grab your preferred tea and separate it into a strainer. 

Step 5: Teapot meets tea

Now we will steep the tea. After adding your preferred tea to your strainer, submerge the strainer into the water. Its crucial that the strainer is submerged while the water is still hot-hot-hot. Allow the tea to steep until the water and tea have reached a state of connubial bliss.

Step 6: Pour tea

Pour the well steeped tea into your cup of choice. For this example I'll be using a beautiful blue and brown stripped cup. This cup was found by my research partner during one of their field excersions. Though its not necessary, tea tends to taste better when drinken from something beautiful. Pour generously.

Step 7: Find your loved ones

Once your tea is prepared, there are two ways to enjoy it. 

1. A cup enjoyed by oneself 

2. A cup enjoyed with loved ones

If enjoyed with loved ones, be sure to continously refill their glass (if enjoying with your partner make sure to kiss them on the cheek. Example shown below).