8 comments

[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 29.4 ms ] thread
quite interesting but I would have expected some insight into the preparation itself as how long do you have to steep, what temperature should the water have, etc
of possible interest

George Orwell's 11 rules of tea making

https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwel...

6 heaping teaspoons of tea per quart of water seems like a lot of tea.
Lot's of red flags in his way of tea making, but what can you expect from a British born in India on foods or drinks.
> "First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays—it is economical, and one can drink it without milk—but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea."

These are some of the worst tea-making tip I've ever seen. I get that taste is subjective and all, but come on... This is like saying:

"Al Pastor street taco in Mexico has its virtues - it is economical, and one can eat it without salsa - but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after eating it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase 'a great taco' invariably means Taco Bells"

CTC tea [1] is inferior in quality. They are mass-produced, brews quick, and tastes way too strong (hence the milk). Tea was invented in China and tea culture goes back thousands of years. India and Sri Lanka only started producing tea in the mid 1800s. Robert Fortune literally dressed up as a Chinese merchant, snuck into some rural village in Fujian, and smuggled some teas back so the British East India Company can cultivate it in and around India.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crush,_tear,_curl

Worth mentioning that though tea does contain polyphenols and flavinoids which are good for us (and l-theanine and caffeine which we enjoy introducing to our nervous systems), it's had a much bigger impact on health historically because it required us to heat water to boiling (or near boiling, depending on what kind of tea you're making).

Also, can't miss a chance to spice things up with the mention of adding salt to brewed tea[1]. Which is heretical, but seems palatable to me, though I probably wouldn't do it to good tea.

1: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68085304

You can brew your tea extremely strong, and get a hallucinogenic prisoner's drink called "Chifir"