MAKING TEA

Of all "cups that cheer," there is nothing like the smoking-hot cup of tea, made with ioiling water, in a thorougJily scaldeclieti-])oi, which is thus both cleansed and heated. Put into the pot the re- quired amount of tea, allowing one teaspoon tea and one tea-cup water for each person, or one gill tea for five persons, though some who like it very strong add "one for the pot," while the rule of oth- ers is one teaspoon tea to two cups water, pour over it boiling water, cover the tea-pot so that no steam may escape, and allow the tea to stand in a hot place and infuse, not boil, for seven minutes, Avhen it should be poured at once into the cups, or instead of pouring over the tea all the water needed at first, only pour from a half to three- fourths pint, or simply cover the tea and let it stand to infuse in same manner, then add remainder of boiling water and serve. If allowed to infuse longer than this time, which is sufficient to draw out the strength of the leaf, the tannin is developed, which gives an acrid, bitter taste, and, being a powerful astringent, is destructive to the coating of the stomach. The tea will be quite spoiled unless made with Avater that is actually hoiling, as the leaves will not open, and the flavor not be extracted from them ; the beverage will conse- quently be colorless and tasteless, — in fact, nothing but tepid water. Where there is a large comiiany, it is a good plan to have two tea- pots instead of putting a large quantity of tea into one pot ; the tea, besides, will go further. When the infusion has been once completed, the addition of fresh tea adds very little to the strength ; so, when more is reijuired, have the pot emptied of tlie old leaves,

Tea is one of those luxuries wliieh custom clothes in the gar- ments of necessity. There is, however, in connection with tea one point which should not be forgotten. To maintain ordinary health the body requires immediate nourishment early in the morning, and for that reason tea, which retards the action of the natural functions, should be banished from the breakfast table, and should appear at lunch and after dinner. Certain rules should be followed by habit- ual tea-drinkers, if they wish to use their favorite beverage without

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njurious effects : After a full meal, when the system is oppressed; for the corpulent and the old ; for liot climates, and especially for those who, living there, eat freely, or drink milk or alcohol ; in cases of suspended animation ; for soldiers and others marching in hot climates ; for then, by promoting evaporation and cooling the body, it prevents in a degree the effects of too much food, as of too great heat. It is a mistake to make tea strong, if the full flavor is desired. Professional tea-tasters use but a single pinch to a cup of boiling water. In China and Russia, where tea is made to perfection, it is very weak, boiling water being poured on a few leaves, the decoction covered for a few minutes, and then drank hot and clear. 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 oy

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most insipid of all drinks — a warmish cup of tea. It is merely a sack, with a loose gatlicring-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 ; draA\ i this over the tea-pot as soon as the tea is poured into it ; draw up the gathering, string tio;htly at the hot- to* or con-.e stand,

torn, and the tea Avill 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.

The tea-float is a very useful addition to the tea-pot. The tea is placed in the float, and the float in the tea-pot. Boiling water is added as in ordinary tea-making. The fl.oat rises to the surface and thus retains the tea at the hottest part of the water, instead of its sinking to the bottom, which is the coldest part. By this applica- tion of natural laws and the chemistry of tea-making all the strength of the tea is withdrawn, and the infusion is far stronger than when prepared in the usual way. A smaller quantity of tea is therefore required when the tea-float is used. The float can be procured of any grocer or tea dealer. Some consider high priced teas less desir- able for general use than the medium qualities, both on account of their prices, and because, owing to their purity and strength, they abound in deleterious properties.

The tea-pot should not only be emptied after being used, but made perfectly clean inside as well as outside. After a thorough wiping turn it upside down, that the drops may run from the spout, and when ready to be put away twist the corner of tlie towel and wipe the inside of the spout, and put the tea-pot in its place with the cover raised ; when it is again required pour in boiling water to heat it thoroughly. It is well to keep a small tea-kettle for the express purpose of boiling water for tea, thus surely avoiding for this delicate drink the Avater Avhich has boiled and re-boiled repeat- edly during the day for filling up the various kettles.

The green teas are the CJun])Owder, considered the best, and Hyson sorts, with their different varieties, both of which are manu- factured in China and Japan, while only the former is obtained from

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Java. The black teas are manufactured in China, Assam and Java, and from the two former countries come the Congo and Pekoe sorts under the latter of which the Oolong, a general favorite, and Souchong varieties are classed. Java exports the Congo, and also a black tea made up into little balls the size of a pea, known as the Imperial. India gives the English Breakfast and Caper varieties. As is now well known the difference between green tea and black lies in the fact that in the former fermentation has been arrested b}^ '' firing, " the color of the leaf being in this way partially preserved and fixed, while with the latter, by a much longer process, fermen- tation up to a certain point is permitted, and the leaves are not "fired" until they have become oxidized by exposure to the air. Only green tea is manufactured in Japan, and is considered superior to that of China and Java, where the black teas are principally produced. The Chinese give an artificial coloring to the green teas ex^Dorted, em- ploying for this purpose native indigo and gypsum. In Japan, tea is not grown for export only, but is the chief article of home consumption ; and the domestic teas as procured in that country are probably the only samples of unadulterated green tea to be had, and are known as the green Japan and uncolored Japan. In common usage Japan tea means the green variety, which is used largely in tea mixtures, while the uncolored is used more often by itself as is also the Gun- powder and Hyson. The first pickings of teas are considered choic- est, containing more of the oil, and prices are established in that way, consequently each variety will have a first, second and third grade. A cup of the finest tea wil

The Chinese employ numerous odoriferous plants for the pur- pose of giving special scents to different varieties of tea. Some mixtures well liked are as follows, and it is most generally conceded that mixed tea is preferable : An excellent English mixture of black teas combines cheapness with fineness of flavor, and is composed of one pound of Congo tea with a quarter pound each of Assam and Orange Pekoe ; a mixture of black and green teas is four parts of black to one of green, but a very fine mixture in point of flavor is one-half Oolong (black), one quarter each Gunpowder and green Japan, or three-fourths green Japan and one-fourth Oolong, or three- fourths English Breakfast and one-eighth each Gunpowder and green Japan ; or half each English Breakfast and any green tea. Where

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a mixture of uncolored Japan is used it is with an equal part of Oolong. Where health is taken into consideration the mixture using less of the green should be preferred, as owing to the different process of drying the green contains more of the injurious tannin.

To preserve the strength of tea or coffee requires a close receptacle. Nothing is better than the tin cans with close covers, japanned on the outside sur-| face, kept for sale for this purpose. They are made neatl}' labeled on the side for "tea" or "coffee," so that there is no mistaking the one for the other, and no loss of time in getting Avhat is wanted.