Tea began to be imported to Rus' in the 17th century. Before the advent of this drink, our ancestors prepared herbal infusions, kvass, beer, and sbitny. After becoming acquainted with Chinese tea, the ritual of tea drinking quickly took a special place in the lives of Russian people, with its spiritual atmosphere, leisurely communication and the light aroma of flowering plants.
Tea etiquette gradually developed. Nowadays tea receptions are called. They are organized in Russian, French, English, Japanese, and Chinese traditions. Europeans have their own customs that differ from the eastern rituals of serving and drinking tea.

Tea etiquette

There are rules of etiquette that must be followed during the tea ceremony. How to set the table, pour tea, hold a cup - all this and many other knowledge is necessary for a well-mannered person so as not to lose face during tea drinking.

One of the most important rules is that you can only pour tea at the table, approaching each guest from the right side. Tea drinking etiquette requires that tea leaves and boiling water be served not separately, but in a large teapot, pre-mixed in a 1:2 ratio.

Table setting

Teaware should be from one set, preferably porcelain. According to etiquette, on the table during tea drinking are: cups and saucers, a teapot, a sugar bowl, a strainer, a milk jug, teaspoons, and a cover for the teapot. The tablecloth should be white.

Treats for tea are laid out on small plates. You can serve milk with the drink. According to the rules of etiquette, it must be poured before tea.

You can read more about table setting at.

How is the tea ceremony performed?

Tea is prepared in the presence of guests. The hostess can offer guests a choice of several types of drink. You should not walk around guests with a kettle of boiling water in your hands.

Each tea party participant receives his own cup from the hands of the hostess of the house. Tea should be poured so that the level of the drink does not reach the edge by about 1 cm. First, lemon is added to tea, and only then sugar. It is poured from the sugar bowl with a common spoon so that it does not fall into the drink.

How to properly hold a bowl and saucer

According to the rules of etiquette, cups with handles are supposed to be held by the handle with the thumb and forefinger, without leaving the little finger. If there is no handle, then in order not to spill hot tea on yourself, the thumb should be placed at the six o’clock position, the middle and index fingers at the twelve o’clock position.

Mugs of tea should not be kept in a canopy. It is not customary to lift a tea saucer with a cup. This can only be done to top up the tea. And the spoon must be removed from the cup. Drinking tea with a spoon is bad manners.

If during tea drinking a guest sits not at the table, but, for example, in a chair, then he should take the tea cup in his right hand, the saucer in his left.

How to drink tea correctly

According to etiquette, it is customary to drink tea silently, without sipping, in small sips. While drinking it, they look into the cup.

If the drink is too hot, you need to wait until it cools down. You cannot drink from a spoon or pour it into a saucer. This traditional Russian ritual of tea drinking does not allow this to happen according to modern etiquette standards.

The rules and prohibitions of the tea ceremony

In order not to violate the rules of good manners during tea drinking, you need to know the basic prohibitions and mistakes of etiquette. What should you not do at the table?

• Do not stir the sugar by tapping it on the bowl. You should not lick the spoon. It is carefully placed on the edge of the saucer.
• Etiquette dictates not to drink tea in one gulp and not to blow on the drink in order to cool it.
• The sight of greasy traces of treats on teaware is unpleasant. Therefore, you must eat cakes or pastries carefully so as not to leave marks along the edge of the cup.
• Lemon served with tea should not be eaten.

Treats for tea

The cake should not be cut on the eve of tea party. This is done after all the guests have gathered at the table.

• Sweets are served in a box.
• Jam or honey is offered in special vases with high legs.
• Etiquette dictates that milk or cream should be served only in milk jugs and creamers.
• Before serving, cut the lemon and place it on a plate, near which there should be a fork with two prongs.

You can read about how to eat desserts correctly and beautifully.

Tea ceremonies in different countries

Tea parties can be held not only taking into account the rules described above, but also in accordance with English, Chinese, Japanese and other traditions accepted in different countries of the world.

English etiquette

The rules of tea ceremonies developed in England are relevant throughout the world. The British drink an average of five cups of tea a day: early in the morning, at English Breakfast, at lunch, at five o’clock, and at dinner. They believe that this drink has miraculous properties, helps cope with physical problems and psychological trauma, treats mental pain and smoothes out minor everyday troubles.

In Britain they drink tea with milk. Brew tea and heat milk, then pour 2-3 tablespoons of milk into cups, after which tea is added. It is believed that this method of preparing the drink makes it special.

How do they drink tea in America?

Americans have their own rules for drinking tea. They prefer to add a large amount of ice to the drink, as well as rum. Sweet iced tea is considered a source of vitality.

It was in this country that instant tea first became widespread. Many residents of the country drink ready-made tea. They brew strong tea bags, adding sugar, lemon, and sometimes a little soda.

Chinese tea ceremonies

The history of tea in China dates back to the mythological deity Shen Nong, who is considered the ancestor of the Chinese people. The tea drinking ceremony in this country is called gong fu cha, which literally means “the highest art of tea.” The Chinese ritual is one of the most mysterious, because for the Chinese, tea is a wise plant that gives energy. To get it with a cup of tea, you must follow certain rules when brewing it.

Chinese tea is very aromatic, since when it is prepared, all the taste qualities of the drink are revealed. It is brewed slowly, in an atmosphere of tranquility, to the sounds of soft music, using fancy tea utensils.

Japanese ceremonies

The traditions of tea drinking in Japan were established during the Middle Ages. Buddhist monks practiced them as meditation. The essence of the Japanese tea ceremony is the meeting and communication of the tea master and guests, a leisurely conversation.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, several types of tea drinking are cultivated: night tea, at sunrise, morning and afternoon, evening and special. Traditionally, they are held in tea houses and gardens, in special areas closed from prying eyes.

13 rules for drinking tea correctly

1. Don't drink scalding tea

Too hot tea greatly stimulates the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, which does not allow you to fully enjoy the taste and aroma of the tea; in addition, such tea can burn the esophagus and stomach. Regularly drinking tea that is too hot can lead to increased vulnerability of the stomach walls and gives symptoms of various stomach diseases. The tea temperature should not exceed 56 degrees.

2. Don't drink iced tea

While moderately hot tea invigorates, cold tea has negative side effects - cold stagnation and phlegm accumulation.

3. Don't drink too strong tea.

The high theine content in strong tea can cause brain stimulation, insomnia, high blood pressure, and rapid heartbeat.

6. Don't drink tea before meals

Drinking tea before meals dilutes saliva, food begins to seem tasteless, and this can lead to difficulty digesting food. You can drink tea 20-30 minutes before meals.

7. Don't drink tea after meals

Tea, especially pu-erh, helps with good digestion. But drinking tea during and after meals can impair digestion due to the tannin contained in tea, which causes protein and iron to harden and impair their absorption. It is better to drink tea 30-40 minutes after eating.

8. Do not drink tea on an empty stomach

You should definitely not drink tea on an empty stomach. No matter what anyone says about the “strength” of the stomach or the “usefulness” of drinking the same shu pu-erh on an empty stomach, I can say that regularly drinking tea on an empty stomach can lead to unpleasant sensations and even stomach ulcers.

9. Do not take medications with tea

The tannins contained in tea, when broken down, form tannin, from which many medicines leave a sediment and are poorly absorbed. That's why the Chinese say that tea destroys medicine.

10. N eat yesterday's tea

Tea that sits for a day not only loses vitamins, but, due to its high protein and sugar content, becomes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria.

If the tea has not spoiled, it can be used for medicinal purposes, but as an external remedy. So, tea brewed one day is rich in acids and fluorine, which prevent bleeding from the capillaries, so yesterday's tea helps with inflammation of the oral cavity, pain in the tongue, eczema, bleeding gums, superficial skin lesions, and ulcers.

Rinsing your eyes with yesterday's tea helps reduce discomfort from burst blood vessels and after tears.

11. Do not drink more than 3-5 cups per day

No matter how beneficial tea is, do not forget about moderation. Excessive tea consumption increases the load on the heart and kidneys. Strong tea leads to stimulation of the brain, rapid heartbeat, frequent urination, and insomnia. Caffeine in large doses, as recent medical studies have shown, contributes to the occurrence of certain diseases. Therefore, you should know when to stop drinking tea.

On average, a middle-aged person benefits from 4-5 cups of not very strong tea during the day. Some people cannot do without strong tea, because otherwise they cannot taste it. In this case, you should limit yourself to 2-3 cups, at the rate of 3 grams of tea leaves per cup, thus, 5-10 grams of tea per day. It is better to drink a little tea, but often and always freshly brewed. Of course, you should not drink tea before bed. It is useful for older people to drink simply boiled water in the evening, preferably boiled shortly before and then cooled to room temperature.

The Chinese drink tea no more than three times a day.

12. Tea is not compatible with alcohol

Tea after alcohol has a negative effect on the kidneys. Theophylline contained in tea accelerates the process of urine production in the kidneys, which leads to the fact that still unresolved acetaldehyde can enter them, which has a highly stimulating harmful effect on the kidneys, in some cases posing a threat to life. Alcoholic drinks should not be mixed with tea, and especially with strong tea.

In addition, the alcohol contained in alcohol has a strong stimulating effect on the heart and blood vessels, and tea has a similar effect. Therefore, when the effect of tea is added to the effect of alcohol, the heart receives even stronger stimulation. People with weakened heart function definitely should not combine alcohol with tea.

11. About the long brewing of tea.

If tea is brewed for too long, tea phenol, lipids, essential oils begin to spontaneously oxidize, which not only deprives the tea of ​​transparency, taste and aroma, but also significantly reduces the nutritional value of tea due to the oxidation of vitamins C and P contained in tea leaves, as well as other valuable substances.

12. About multiple brewing.

The number of brews is determined by the brewing method and the quality of the tea. When brewing tea “European style”, when each brew is infused for 5-10 minutes, usually after the third or fourth brew there is little left in the tea leaves. Experiments show that the first infusion extracts approximately 50% of the beneficial substances from the tea leaves, the second - 30%, the third - only about 10%, and the fourth adds another 1-3%. If you continue to brew tea, then harmful substances contained in tea leaves in very small quantities may begin to leak into the infusion, since they are the last to be released into the infusion.

When brewing tea the way the Chinese do, when a lot of tea is placed on a small volume of dishes and steeped quickly (a few seconds), the tea can withstand 5-8 infusions, some collectible varieties 10-15 infusions.

13. It is good for children to drink a little weak tea.

It is generally accepted that tea is harmful to children because it has too pronounced a stimulating effect. Parents are also afraid that tea may damage the spleen and stomach, which are very delicate in childhood. In reality, there is no basis for these fears.

Tea contains phenolic derivatives, caffeine, vitamins, protein, sugars, aromatic compounds, as well as zinc and fluorine, which are necessary for the development of the child's body. Therefore, tea, in moderation, is undoubtedly beneficial for children. It helps in case of overeating, as it dissolves fats, improves intestinal motility and increases the separation of digestive secretions. The vitamins and methionine contained in tea effectively regulate fat metabolism and reduce the feeling of discomfort after fatty meat meals. Tea also removes the “fire”, the excess of which often affects children. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the symptom of fire is dry stool, which leads to difficulty defecating. The best way to eliminate “fire” is to regularly consume tea, which, according to traditional Chinese medicine, is “bitter and cold” and therefore removes fire and heat. In addition, microelements are necessary for the growth of bones, teeth, hair, and nails, and the fluorine content in tea, especially green tea, is much higher than in other plants. Therefore, drinking tea not only strengthens bones, but also prevents tooth decay.

However, you should not give children more than 2-3 small cups a day; you should not brew tea strongly, much less give it to drink in the evening. Also, the tea should be warm, not hot or cold. Large amounts of tea increase the water content in the body, thereby increasing the load on the heart and kidneys. Strong tea stimulates the child's central nervous system, increases heart rate, increases the urge to urinate, and can cause insomnia. In a growing child, all body systems are not yet mature, and therefore regular overstimulation and, especially, insomnia lead to excess consumption of nutrients and negatively affect the growth process. In addition, the stronger the tea is brewed, the less vitamin B1 it contains, and, therefore, the worse the absorption of iron.

So, a little weak tea will benefit children, but strong tea, and even in large quantities, will only do harm.

According to the classics of the tea ceremony, the entire process is guided by four principles:

1. Harmony. It is based on the spirit of unity between all tea party participants. There are no guests or hosts here, everyone is one and their mood echoes the atmosphere that dominates the room.
2. Reverence, which in turn is also divided into two sublevels. The first is general cultural, that is, each participant in the tea party respects his neighbor. And the second is Buddhist. This is the idea of ​​respect in general, to every person, to every rascal, because he is Buddha conscious. Likewise, those present treat the tea ceremony with great reverence, often unconsciously.
3. Purity. Only with pure thoughts and an open heart should you begin the tea ceremony. People should be kind in the absolute sense of the word. Before the action, all participants wash their hands and mouth with water and only then do they enter the place where the tea ceremony is taking place.
4. Peace. Only in a calm state of mind, without unnecessary irritability and fuss, do all participants begin the tea ceremony.

Over the centuries, the tea ceremony has undergone many changes, but its types have remained unchanged. There are seven of them: the tea ceremony takes place at dawn, in the morning, at noon, at night, with sweets, outside of time and for those who came after the main tea party. The ideal event is one that takes place in the middle of the day and coincides with lunch.

Rules of the tea ceremony

1. During the ceremony you need to completely relax. And for several hours, devote all your thoughts only to the amber drink. Before you start the action, you must take off your shoes, since it is believed that with them you leave not only garbage from the street, but also all your problems and burdens. It is best to sit on the floor with tea, sitting on soft, comfortable pillows. You can sit, you can recline, it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that it’s comfortable. This applies only to guests, because the owner of the house certainly sits and by this he shows respect to his guests. He can sit with his legs crossed or his knees tucked up.
2. Before drinking tea, you need to get acquainted with the tea, feel the aroma of dried leaves, to do this, pour the leaves into a special box, hold it with both hands, so because of the warmth of the body and breath, the aroma of the tea is better felt. While still in the box, you can admire the color of the tea.
3. The dishes need to be heated, that is, pour hot water over them one by one. Water can be kept in a thermos, so it will not cool down quickly. The dishes, of course, must not be dirty, but they must be washed without using detergents, because, settling on the dishes, chemical elements interrupt the true aroma of tea. It is better to choose a teapot made from fine clay, because it contains pores through which the clay can allow air to pass through. When brewing tea, the essential oil contained in the leaves spreads along the wall of the teapot and a film of this kind is obtained, which creates a unique microclimate in the teapot. Masters even classify teapots into “well-conditioned”, that is, those that have already been used many times, in which an ethereal film has already formed, and “ill-conditioned”, that is, completely new dishes. In order for an “uneducated” teapot to pass to a “well-mannered” one, it is necessary to brew tea in it and not touch it for seven days, then again brew new tea in the same place and again not touch it for seven days. Or do it differently: boil black tea and put the kettle in there, and boil, so the walls are saturated.
4. For the ceremony, the kettle must first be warmed up, then the tea board on which all the elements of the action will stand must be warmed up. Then pour boiling water over the tea vessel, cups, and then the rest of the tools. And during the ceremony, water must be spilled, and they say that the more water is spilled, the richer the participants will be.
5. Pour tea into a heated kettle and pour boiling water over it, then cover with a lid and pour boiling water over the top of the already closed kettle to heat it up even better. With good heating, the tea brews better, and also thanks to this there is no emptiness in the aroma, which can interfere with enjoying the smell.
6. Next, the tea is awakened by shaking the teapot nine times. This is how energy is transferred to tea and it is considered creative and active. And the aroma after this procedure becomes even brighter. Next, you need to pour the tea from the kettle into a special vessel, so it is enriched with oxygen and becomes saturated.
7. When pouring tea, the vessel is held high to charge the water with positive energy. Tea is poured into tall cups first, and then into low ones. Next, you need to cover the low dishes with tall dishes so that the masculine energy flows into the feminine. Then take two cups with one hand, with the thumb at the bottom and the middle finger at the top, and turn them over sharply so as not to burn your fingers. This process is a symbol of the unity of two principles.
8. Then they take a tall cup and turn it clockwise and taste the tea from it. It is imperative to do this clockwise and not counterclockwise, otherwise the turn will be destructive. The aroma is savored from a high cup, and the drink itself is drunk from a low container.
9. During tea drinking, the first tea leaves are poured out, and the second is drunk. This applies to black teas; if you drink it, then the first brew is important. It has a delicate taste and aroma. After taking a sip of tea, it must be spread from the root of the tongue to the tip, since different taste buds are located at different ends of the tongue, and in order to fully experience the taste of the tea, it must be held in the mouth for a while and then swallowed. It is also important to enjoy the aftertaste. Tea can be brewed up to 10 times; the most intense aroma will be with the fourth brew.
10. After the tea is drunk, guests admire the tea leaves. And during the ceremony itself, you can even taste the taste of the leaf, but this is optional.

Prohibitions on the ceremony

Everything needs to be approached wisely, the same applies to the tea ceremony, it has several prohibitions:

1. You should not drink tea on an empty stomach.
2. You can't drink scalding tea. Long-term consumption of very hot tea can lead to changes in internal organs. Scientists say that if you drink tea at a temperature above 62 degrees, you can damage the walls of your stomach.
3. You can't drink tea cold. This tea leads to the accumulation of phlegm.
4. You should not drink strong tea - a large amount of caffeine leads to and.
5. Tea should not be brewed for a long time, otherwise you can kill all the healing substances in it.
6. You should not get carried away with repeated brewing, because after the third brew, there are almost no useful substances left in it.
7. You should not drink tea before meals, otherwise the food will be poorly digested.
8. You should not drink tea immediately after a meal, as protein and iron will be poorly absorbed during this period.
9. You should not take the tablets with tea, otherwise they will not be absorbed by the body.
10. You cannot drink yesterday's tea, as organisms have grown in it.

Of course, such a tea ceremony is not an exact copy of the one that has been passed down from generation to generation of Eastern sages for centuries, but the most important thing is to create the very spirit of the tea ceremony in your home and with it will come soulfulness, warmth and the desire to enjoy peace.

But what if you yourself don’t like to have long, prim lunches, but just friendly get-togethers over a cup of tea or coffee? It is clear that in such cases it is not the setting of the table that is important, but the conversations that take place at it. However, if you want to surprise your guests with a tea ceremony carried out according to all the rules, then our article today will help you understand all the intricacies of tea drinking.

If you intend to arrange a traditional tea party for relatives and close friends, then a set is required, preferably an antique one and porcelain. Cups are placed on the table according to the number of guests and are not shared with saucers. It is customary to brew tea before the guests gather at the table: you should pour it into cups and only after that invite guests to the table.

You shouldn’t say: “I’ll go boil some tea” or “I’ll make us some coffee” - the correct phrase in this case is: “I’ll make tea/coffee.” Tea bags or instant coffee are inappropriate for such cases; offer guests only freshly brewed loose leaf tea or coffee beans. Additionally, set the table with a plate of lemon, a small vase with several types of cookies, a sugar bowl and a milk jug.

If there is a cake, it should be cut into pieces in advance and served on a separate plate to each guest. The cups should be positioned with the handle to the right, with a teaspoon placed next to it on the saucer.

If you are planning to have an afternoon tea party in a beautiful garden, then using a glass teapot would be a great idea. This option assumes a freer social circle and the absence of prim relatives in old age. A glass teapot can be filled with aromatic tea combined with chopped fruits or flowers. In addition to its unusual taste, this tea also has a festive appearance, so you don’t even need to decorate the table additionally.

A glass teapot can be placed on a small improvised candlestick or, conversely, on a vase with ice - depending on what time of year your tea party occurs. It is also better to use glass cups or glasses so that your guests can enjoy the beauty of the drink.

As for tea bags, as you already understand, this option has little in common with the canons of etiquette. However, in the modern world, with its fast pace and quick change of scenery, an impromptu tete-a-tete tea party can take place at any moment. Therefore, always keep a beautiful pair of tea and tea in individual bags ready.

At the right moment, all you need to do is arrange cups and saucers beautifully on a tray and begin discussing pressing topics. Be sure to provide a separate plate for your guest to place their used tea bag after their tea has reached the desired strength.

Conversations over a cup of coffee involve fewer people, and therefore a more restrained serving option. Traditionally, there should be an elegant coffee pot, several cups and saucers and a plate of pastries. Additional items should be placed as desired: If guests come to you not for the first time, you probably know their tastes.

Unlike tea, coffee is poured in the presence of guests (which is probably why the coffee pots are so elegant). However, this is appropriate if all guests prefer to drink one type of coffee; otherwise, give them the initiative by additionally placing a milk jug, a saucer with lemon and a sugar bowl.

The popular French press is best used only for sudden friendly get-togethers or if you want to surprise guests with some kind of coffee mix: coffee is placed in a French press in the kitchen and left for a few minutes, after which it is put on the table.

Of course, the serving itself also looks more casual: a modern version of cups or glasses, some sweets, flowers or fruits.

If you are the owner of an ancient elegant coffee pot – then, alas, you cannot serve coffee directly in it under any circumstances. Of course, if you have guests staying overnight, then you can have a leisurely conversation in the morning, while simultaneously preparing (not brewing, remember?) coffee in a silver Turk. Your conversations will be enveloped in the exciting aroma of coffee, setting your thoughts in the right direction. Then the coffee should be poured into small cups and only then taken to the table.

There are many different ways to brew and drink tea. There are a lot of national traditions (Japanese tea ceremony, Chinese art of gongfu-cha, Russian tea drinking, English tea drinking, etc.). In addition, there are modifications of tea traditions and a wide variety of specific brewing recipes.

In our opinion, before mastering all sorts of exotic subtleties, it is necessary, first of all, to learn how to brew ordinary “household” tea well. Brewing tea is one of the skills that we master in childhood, but for some reason, some people make their tea very tasty, while others, not so much.

1. Boiling water.

To brew tea, always use only freshly boiled water - it contains more oxygen, and its presence is important for the aroma of the tea.

With prolonged and repeated boiling, the oxygen in the water, of course, becomes less.

Tea will be tasty only if it is brewed with soft, non-chlorinated water. But many of us have running water and the water is chlorinated. And therefore it needs to be put in an enamel bowl to settle for a day. It is good to keep the water for tea in sunlight in a glass jar in advance. It is better to boil water in an enamel kettle. No need to wait for boiling water to make the lid dance. It is enough for the water to just boil.

2. Warming the teapot.

A teapot warmed before brewing is a very essential element in brewing technology. In a cold kettle, the brewing temperature can drop by 10-20 º C, the tea leaves are heated unevenly, and the brewing mode is disrupted, which has a very detrimental effect on the result.

When warming the teapot, it is important to follow three basic rules:

• the teapot should be heated evenly, and not so that one side is hotter and the other is colder;
• the teapot should not be heated too much, it should be approximately the same temperature as the water with which you are going to brew tea;
• Ideally, the heated teapot should also be dry.

The main and necessary condition is porcelain dishes, preheated to a high temperature. Porcelain heats up faster and stronger than earthenware and retains heat longer. This means that a porcelain teapot is preferable. The method of heating is absolutely indifferent - whether by fire, water, from the outside, from the inside of the kettle. Then, of course, there is no need for matryoshka heating pads, heating the tea leaves over a fire (which decomposes the tea), and a host of other tricks.

The best way to warm up the kettle before pouring the tea leaves is to pour boiling water over it from the outside and rinse it from the inside or immerse it in boiling water for 3 minutes (although this is not always possible in practice). Heating a dry teapot over a fire is dangerous, but it gives good results: even the worst tea acquires a pronounced aroma after being poured into such a teapot. In any case, strong preheating of the teapot is the most important operation.

3. Adding tea leaves.

The procedure for pouring tea into the teapot should be performed as quickly as possible: quickly open the teapot, quickly pour the required amount of tea into the teapot, pour boiling water over it and close it. It is recommended to pour tea not just in a heap, but to make a couple of shaking circular movements with the teapot, as if to “smear” the tea poured inside along the walls of the heated teapot. The brewing norm is considered a matter of taste.

It is interesting that our modern norm for the concentration of tea infusion, adopted in the public catering system (4 g of tea per 1 liter of water), is noticeably different, for example, from the “Japanese”, “Chinese” and “English” (25-30 g per 1 liter ), “Swedish” (12 g per 1 l), “Indian” (44.5 g per 1 l). Thus, our existing average standards should be considered minimal. What should be the average brewing rate at which tea can really be called a drink, and not slightly colored boiled water?

In other words, in a teapot with a capacity of 1 liter (4-5 glasses) you should put 4 teaspoons of dry tea and an additional 1 teaspoon, i.e. only about 25 g of dry tea per 1 liter of water, then topped up by about 50-75%, i.e. only 1.5-1.75 liters. This produces an infusion of medium-strength tea.

4. Pour boiling water over the tea leaves.

First, pour water only up to half the teapot or, depending on the type and type of tea, up to one third (a mixture of green and black tea) or up to one fourth or less (green tea).

After pouring dry tea into the first pour, the kettle should be quickly closed with a lid and then with a linen napkin so that it covers the holes in the lid and in the spout of the kettle. This is done not so much for insulation, but so that the fabric of the napkin absorbs the water vapor coming out of the kettle and at the same time does not allow (retain) volatile aromatic essential oils. For this purpose, it is even better to cover the teapot with a linen bag filled with dry tea leaves. But in no case should you cover the teapot with various insulating pillows, matryoshka dolls on cotton wool, etc. In this case, the tea will stale and become tasteless; as they say, it smells like a broom.

5. Infusion

Infusion is a very delicate process. Cover the teapot with a napkin and place it in a secluded place or directly on the table for tea drinking. Under no circumstances should the teapot be heated, much less boil the tea leaves.

The brewing time for each type of tea also varies. When the tea is steeped, the kettle is topped up with boiling water, but not completely to the top, but leaving 0.5-1 cm free to the lid (when brewing green teas, boiling water is added several times).

The point of several successive pours of brewing water is to maintain the same high temperature of the water all the time. Consistency of a sufficiently high temperature throughout the brewing time is even more important than the initial high temperature at the beginning of brewing. This makes it clear why the air temperature of the room in which tea is brewed is important.

The high air temperature of this room prevents a sharp drop in temperature in the kettle towards the end of brewing. The best ambient temperature for brewing tea should be considered 22-25 °C. At this temperature there is almost no need to make multiple pours.

At the end of brewing, you need to pay attention to the appearance of foam. If there is foam, it means that the tea has been brewed correctly: the time for boiling the water and brewing the infusion has been precisely maintained, the tea has not sat too long, and the aroma has not evaporated from it. If there is no foam, then, apparently, some violation of the brewing rules was committed.

This foam should not be removed unless it has foreign odors. It is also undesirable to allow it to smear and settle on the lid of the teapot - that is why the distance from the lid to the surface of the poured tea should be at least 1 cm.

So that the foam does not settle on the walls of the teapot, but enters the infusion, the tea is stirred with a spoon (preferably, of course, a silver one). You can also first pour some of the tea from the teapot into a clean cup and then pour it back into the teapot so that all the tea is well mixed. In the East, in Central Asia, the first bowl is always immediately poured back into the kettle. The local population calls this “marrying tea.”

6. After all this, the tea can be poured into cups.

Typically, instructions for preparing tea add: “pour to taste.” This somewhat vague instruction in practice led to the fact that already brewed tea began to be systematically diluted with boiling water. The reason for this at first was that they were saving tea, and then they began to do so due to a misunderstanding of the purpose of tea and even the belief that tea in doses other than microscopic ones is harmful.

It was then that the concept of “steam of tea” appeared in Russia, i.e. separation of tea into tea leaves and boiling water, contained in two different teapots. Meanwhile, in the East and in a number of European countries, especially in England, where there are long traditions of tea drinking, brewed tea is not brewed.

If the teapot for brewing is small, then you can add water to it during tea drinking, but so that the tea leaves do not drain more than half and the tea leaves are not exposed. Tea should be consumed within a quarter of an hour after brewing.

You can’t leave tea for several hours, much less the next day. “Fresh tea is like a balm. Tea left overnight is like a snake,” as one Eastern proverb says figuratively. This primarily applies to black teas, which can only be consumed fresh.

Black tea.

Good black teas should never be brewed for more than 5 minutes if they are loose leaf, and no more than 4 minutes if they are small.

The best time with increased heat conditions (hot dry kettle, warm room, soft water, boiling with a “white key”, and pouring twice) is 3.5-4 minutes.

Coarse black teas can be subjected to a slightly more stringent regime: a more heated dry teapot, keeping the dry tea in it for 2-3 minutes, then pouring it twice and three times for 4-4.5 minutes, in this case the weight of the serving should be increased by one and a half times (the total brewing time can reach 7-8 minutes, and in some cases (cold room) 10-12 minutes.

The water temperature should be 90-95 ºС;

Note that with a short infusion, the result is a drink with a high caffeine content, which will have a strong invigorating effect. Longer infusion (more than 4 minutes) results in a drink with a more expressive bouquet, but the invigorating effect of this drink will be minimal. This tea has a calming effect on the digestive tract.

Green tea.

For green teas, more stringent brewing modes are acceptable. You can insist for a maximum of 8-10 minutes (instead of 5-6). Green tea is brewed with fresh water, not slightly brought to a boil (65-80 ºС). It is best to fill it three or four times: the first fill is with a 1 cm layer of water and waits for 1-2 minutes; the second - up to half the kettle - after 3-4 minutes; the third - after another 2-3 minutes - to the top or up to 3/4 of the kettle; The fourth - in 2 minutes - to the top.

Flavored green teas can be brewed twice: for the first time, the infusion is kept for 4 minutes, after which the tea is drunk, leaving at least a third of it in the teapot, and then poured with water again for 6-7 minutes.

Green tea is bitter (unpleasantly tart) in only two cases.

• Firstly, when it is of low quality.
• Secondly, when it is brewed incorrectly. Good green tea has a mild, slightly sweet taste.

If they treat you to bitter green tea and try to convince you that this bitterness is a specific feature of green tea, do not believe it.