• HOME
• FOOD
• RECIPES
• DINING
• DRINKS
• SHOP
• TRAVEL
• ABOUT

Paris, France. Until last week, I thought I knew how to brew the perfect cup of tea.
You need a warm tea pot, water on the boil, and a teaspoon of tea leaves per person plus one for the pot. Right? Wrong. Making the perfect cup of tea is far more complex, an art that varies depending on the occasion, where you are from, and of course on the variety of tea.

I am sitting in one of the most famous tea salons in the world, Mariage Frères on the chic Faubourg St. Honoré in Paris. Opposite me is Philippe Cohen, head buyer and tea taster for the 150-year-old company. “What you describe is the British way of making tea to be served with milk, and often with sugar”, he explains. “It calls for black teas (many from India such as Darjeeling and Assam), and suits northern climates that need a robust, warming drink.” Tea with milk is to be found in the former British empire, points out Monsieur Cohen, and tea houses there are a social gathering place, like cafés in France. However in China and South-east Asia tea is likely to be drunk plain.

At Mariage Frères the master brewer – the equivalent of the coffee barrista -- is flanked by a battery of more than 200 types of tea, each made its own way. The very best green tea, for example, is infused with water at only 160°F, whereas lesser green teas and black teas take a higher temperature, usually just below boiling point. The time of infusion for extracting maximum flavor and perfume varies from 2 minutes for powdered tea, to 3 minutes for crushed tea leaves, 5 minutes for whole leaf teas, and 7 minutes for the best whole-leaf Oolongs.
Then the leaves are strained out, so there’s no danger of the tea turning bitter with the tannin that is so characteristic of black teas. The tea pot matters too: delicate teas require glass or porcelain, while metal or faience is fine for more robust brews. A built-in strainer makes it much easier to remove leaves so the tea does not over-infuse and stew. “And what about tea bags?” I ask. A shadow passes over Philippe Cohen’s face. “With a tea bag, you have so little control”, he says. “So many contain cheap tea that is too finely crushed. We sell tea bags as they are so convenient, but nothing replaces tea leaves and a pot”.

Fine, now we can put on the kettle. Here’s another caution: use cold water that is fresh from the tap (or bottled water if your local water is high in chlorine). If you reboil water, or boil it for more than a minute or two, your familiar cup of tea will taste flat and subtly different. So make tea as soon as the water boils. (It is all a question of pH, and M.F.K Fisher once wrote a whole essay on the subject.)

How much tea? The rule of a teaspoon per person, plus one for the pot, comes from my mother. Using black Ceylon or Indian tea it makes a deep mahogany liquid that shines cheerily through a hefty tablespoon or two of milk. That’s too strong for me, so I use a generous pinch per person, particularly of leafy teas such as Lapsang Souchong. I turn to a teaspoon only when the tea is so powdery that it slips through my fingers. For professionals like Monsieur Cohen, teaspoons and pinches are arbitrary, varying too much with the type of tea. He measures by weight, allowing as little as a tenth of an ounce per person for black or highly perfumed types.

At this point our tea arrives in an art deco white pot. Note the wait: in a good tea salon, the customer must allow time for the tea to infuse. We savor the aroma, then sip the tea, a mellow blue from Thailand’s Opium Hill, where the land is so sought-after that tea bushes grow side by side with opium poppies. Tea cultivation is labor-intensive: As the bushes sprout, the top sprigs are hand-picked from the stems. After being treated and dried, the leaves of many of the world’s most expensive teas are carefully rolled so when infused in hot water they unfurl, as if they were returning to life.

Blue tea?  I start to get confused. “The world of tea divides in families” Philippe Cohen reassures me. “Most common is black tea that has been oxidized (sometimes called fermented) by drying in the open air. Some black teas such as Orange Pekoe consist of whole leaves, but most break up into fragments. Green tea, as the name suggests, is made from leaves that are prevented from oxidising by heat (the Chinese method), or by steam (as in Japan). The flavor of green tea is very different from black tea, fresher, sharper and more grassy. The blue tea we’re drinking is Oolong, halfway between black and green tea, and partially oxidized.”
A cup of plain tea is just a beginning. “We’ve not even mentioned flavored teas!” exclaims my host. “They are like perfumes, creative and very individual.” Tea can be scented with flowers, notably jasmine, rose, and orange flowers; it can be flavored with fruits such as apricot and raspberry, or spiced with cinnamon or vanilla. The best known flavored tea of all, Earl Grey, varies widely from maker to maker, but always includes bergamot. Tea can be a foundation or flavoring for many drinks – here are some ideas.

For more information and buy tea online, visit www.mariagefreres.com

Green Tea Milk Shake:
Use any green tea for this energizing drink that adds a note of color to breakfast or brunch.
Serves 3-4
In a blender combine 1 quart chilled semi-skimmed milk with 1 teaspoon each of powdered green tea and powdered sugar. Blend 3-5 seconds – the shake will froth vigorously. Taste, adding more tea and sugar if you like. Pour into a pitcher and chill 5-10 minutes. Serve in tall glasses while still foaming, sprinkled with a pinch more green tea.

Indian Lassi:
A refreshing drink based on yogurt, for serving with food.
Serves 3-4
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan, add 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon black tea, possibly flavored with vanilla. Leave to infuse over low heat 3 minutes, then strain and chill. Just before serving, whisk the tea syrup with 2 cups chilled milk (full cream, or skimmed) and 1 cup plain yogurt. Serve chilled in tall glasses.

Red Wine Grog:
Red wine infused with a robust black tea and a spice such as star anise makes a great pick-me-up. Choose a simple, fruity wine such as a Merlot.
Serves 3-4
Heat 1 bottle (375 ml) red wine almost to a boil. Tie 2 tablespoons black tea with 2 star anise in a piece of cheesecloth, immerse it in the wine and leave to infuse over low heat 3-5 minutes. Discard the bag and stir 1-2 teaspoons sugar to your taste into the wine. Serve very hot in tea glasses.
  
 Tea-time Apple Juice:
A soothing alternative to iced tea, with the natural sweetness of apple. Fragrant Earl Grey tea is a natural here.
Serves 3-4
Bring 1 quart unsweetened apple juice just to a boil and pour it over 4 Earl Grey tea bags. Cover and leave to steep at room temperature at least 6 hours, or overnight. Discard bags and chill before serving.

© 2004, Anne Willan. Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.

Anne Willan is the founder of the famous French cooking school, LaVarenne, and has also served as president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of over a dozen internationally published cookbooks, including her latest book, A Cook’s Book of Quick Fixes & Kitchen Tips ( John Wiley & Sons, September 2005).