We’ve been working with Yorkshire Tea now for over a year, and one of my favourite spots from our TV campaign talks about how “apparently the average person, on average, drinks three cups of tea a day.” That’s over one thousand cups of tea a year. What I find strange is for something that so many people drink so much of, so few take the time and effort to make it properly.
(image nicked from Karmarama)
Hence, I share with you my simple guide to making a proper brew:
1) Use a clean vessel (I’m steering clear of the cup vs mug vs teapot debate) By clean I mean washed, cleaned and rinsed. Not just flashed under a tap to get the remains of the last cup out.
2) Place one bag of Yorkshire Tea Gold in each cup/mug/plant-pot. There is no arguing with this. It is the best. FACT. If you take sugar, you should add it at this point.
3) Boil a fresh kettle. I’d also recommend filling the whole kettle during peak tea drinking times (8-10am, 3-5pm). Once it has boiled, don’t reboil it. This has something to do with science and the oxygen levels in the water. You don’t need to know any more than that.
4) Pour the boiling water (don’t wait for it to cool) into your vessel, but not directly on top of the teabag – try pouring it down around the edge of the vessel. This stops the leaves from being directly blasted* by the boiling water.
5) Now leave the bag for a minimum of three minutes**, probably no more than five. DO NOT STIR – you must leave time for the leaves to open.
6) Once it’s had time to brew properly, give the bag a quick stir, anti-clockwise.
7) Remove bag and place in bin. DO NOT LEAVE IT IN AN EMPTY MUG NEXT TO THE KETTLE OR IN THE SINK. 
Add desired amount of milk.
9) Stir anti-clockwise for five revolutions, plus an additional five for every spoonful of sugar, then once clockwise. (ie Milk, 2 sugars = 16 circulations in total.)
10) Serve/ enjoy
Please note, I’m not going to give you a pantone reference number or anything like that. How strong or weak you want your tea is entirely up to you. The above information has purely been designed to help you get the best out of your teabag. Please use it wisely.
* this is not a technical term
** Some people suggest that this is a waste of time, but try using that time wisely by emptying the dishwasher or sending a text.
David at howies loves his tea, and styles himself as Head Of Tea (H.O.T.). If you ever want to exchange tea-making tips with someone, he’s a good man to speak to.
Also, just to reiterate our thanks to Yorkshire Tea (see here http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2007/03/yorkshire_tea.html).
Whoops. Correct link – http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/2007/03/yorkshire_tea.html
Pantone Reference for Tea:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15076029@N00/436264654/
(by PG not Yorkshire… soz… ;o)
If Carlsberg were to make tea it would probably be better than Yorkshire Tea!. In fact it would be the best tea in the world
Wow, okay… so, my method of microwaving a paper cup (used coffee cup) of tap water, then dropping the teabag into the warm/nearly hot water, squeezing the teabag with a spoon against the cup to the point of oblivion (being careful not to tear the bag), THEN adding sugar, stirring a few times clockwise, then drinking at 1pm …is NOT the proper way to make tea?
Well, different people, different methods, I guess. Maybe this is why I’ve never really ‘enjoyed’ tea.
Look what you’ve started. Naturally I can’t resist a tea post. While a I agree everyone has there own method, proper tea must be made in a warmed pot, MUST I TELL YOU. Unless you have the science to prove me wrong.
As for personal quirks – milk in the cup first, pour a little bit of brewing tea into the milk- it warms it up, so the overall drink is warmer, and infuses a bit more depth into the overall drink.
Trust me.
Dan – loved the YT story. The kind of thing I wished we’d recommended them to do. Coincidentally, both our company juicer and blender simultaneously packed up yesterday (this is the place where I’m meant to put one of those smiley, winking faces made up of a semi colon and an bracket, but I just can’t bring myself to do it)
Garf – see above
Best Tea Maker – the Danes drink tea out of glass mugs with metal handles. I wouldn’t trust them.
Mr Vazquez – your story brought a tear to my eye. If you email me your address I’ll put at least four bags of Yorkshire Tea Gold in the post. Hopefully it’ll make it through customs.
NP – The teapot is a brilliant thing. I read recently that the swiss tried for years to incorporate one into their famous army knives, but sadly failed.
The definitive rules from the master:
http://www.booksatoz.com/witsend/tea/orwell.htm
Thank you tea king. I will print this out and stick it up on our studio wall at work. Too many people make crap cups of tea. I personally think it is an excuse for them to get out of tea making and leave it to us tea artists, although today there are too few of us around. Coffee is for wimps.
It’s a shame isn’t it? I’m constantly disappointed by colleagues’ weak attempts at tea (the worst being when they use the same spoon for stirring coffee for the tea. In fact, that shuld definitely be one of the “Tea Commandments”: Thou shalt not use the same spoon for stirring tea and coffee.)
I actually became so disillusioned by their attempts that I drew up an “Individual Contract for the Exchange of Tea” (ICET). Unfortunately no one’s signed it yet. I’ve emailed it to you (Kath), but feel free to adapt it to suit your own purposes.
I now understand your reaction early last week when i offered to make you a cup of tea, and you declined with haste; proclaiming you would make your own, politely may i add. It all makes sense now.
A friend of mine has a routine of seperate spoons for adding sugar into the cup and stirring, as i presume he feels it’s dangerous to insert a tea tainted implement into the pure white sweetness of the sugar vessel.
I’m all over that contract ASAP, to recieve a brew from the Tea King would be a treat i’m sure. I only hope you live up to your hype.
Point 9 is the clincher. But I think it’s worth noting that the speed and velocity at which you complete each revolution is paramount to finishing the perfect tea.
Unlike a handshake, it is in fact a firm stir that defines a man (or a woman).