Brew yourself a cup of tea and then settle in for 10 minutes to watch this wonderful 1941 movie from the British Film Institute and Empire Tea Bureau called Tea Making Tips. It focuses on brewing a hearty cup of English style black tea but most principles are the same apart from a reduced water temperature when brewing oolongs, greens and whites plus steep times.
6 Golden Tips to Making Tea
We couldn't help but share these six tips with you: a kind of sneak preview from the movie below.
- Always use a good quality tea.
- Always use freshly drawn water.
- Remember to warm the teapot or urn.
- Make sure the correct amount of tea for the amount of water in the pot.
- The water must just be boiling.
- Let the tea infuse properly before serving.
The movie explains further the importance of each of these tips, as well as details about tea storage, what happens during a tea infusion, the best types of teapots and the strong reminder that "Tea is not a manufactured article which can be made, bottle up and served at will." There are some wonderful examples of using urns to provide tea to troops and civilians during the Second World War, with demonstrations of how to use muslin as a 'tea bag' in an urn and how to sweeten tea in bulk.
We think it is almost impossible to watch this without an affectionate smile on your face. A big thank you to the British Film Institute for making this available.
In the word of the British, "Let every cup be a cup that cheers."
Alternatively read our brewing tips here.- pdf download
Posted: Tuesday 7 April 2020
