Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-06
A CUP OF TEA.

And cheerily learn TO say:
Head. you may think, heart. you may feel,
But hand, you may work Away"
A CUP OF TEA.
To make good cup of tea you want to
begin with four things, viz: fire, water, a
kettle and teapot. Just word or two
about each of these.
The fire should he bright one, as free
from smoke as possible. This stands to
reason; we do not want to drink tea flaw
ored with either burning wood, coal or
peat. By boiling the kettle over hot
range you avoid any chance of smoky tea.
But every one is not possessed of range,
therefore, l say, boil the kettle over clear
fire.
The water should be soft rather than
hard; but no attempt should be make to
counteract its hardness by adding soda to
the tea in the teapot; soda in tea renders
it soapy, sloppy and unwholesome. The
water must be very clean and good, and if
possible should be filtered. Filters nova
days are very cheap to buy, and til ey can
be made at home still more cheaply.
The kettle should be kept most scrupu-
lousy clean, both inside and out. 1t must
not be furred inside, nor sooty or smoky
without. | prefer kettle that does not
take long to boil, for the water with which
good tea is to be made ought not to be
stewed, it should come to the boiling point
at once.
The teapot may be china or silver but
perhaps the best tea can be made in the
common, old-fashioned brown earthenware
glazed teapot. 1t is scarcely necessary to
say that the teapot should be kept very
clean, and never particle of the old tea
leaves left in when concocting a new cup.
Well, then, we have bright fire, clean
kettle filled with good, pure, fresh water
hung over it, we place our dry teapot
near the fire to get Thoroughly hot by tho
time the water boils and when the kettle
sings cheerily. giving evidence it will soon
be at the boiling point, we put the allow
ance of tea in and warm that too.
Now the kettle boils; do not lose
moment; add the water at once to the tea
Yes, all you want for first cups. 1t is
nonsensical putting in but a little, then
letting it stew and adding more. Set the
teapot in a warm place to draw for about
seven minutes; then pour out the tea and
serve at once.
Why do we heat the teapot and the tea
before putting in the water? Because
you cannot make good tea before the
water be at the boiling point, and if the
teapot were not hot several degrees of
heat would be lost in pouring the water
in, to the detriment of the tea.
Why should the water be fresh and not
allowed to boil or simmer long? Because
all water is to a certain extent aerated,
and boiled long the gases will be driven
off, the water then becomes fiat, and the tea
tastes fiat; hence the absurdity of letting
the tea a-kettle boil away until wanted.
The Chinese pour the hot water into cup
over the tea, and after time pour it off
from the leaves into another cup, and so
drink it.
The japanese eat a portion of their
leaves after drinking the tea, but we cannot
recommend this practice, because the tea
leaves of to-day contain the strong astrin-
gent called tannin. Long-drawn tea, or
tea that has been allowed to come to the
boil, also contains this tannin, and is,
therefore, unwholesome.
To the tea in the cup is added cream or
milk and sugar to taste. Both should be
exceptionally pure and good. Cream, /
think, is better than milk, on the princi-
pie that fat takes up and retains the fra
grant oils Of leaves and fowers-example
we get the perfume of roses in olive oil by
simply sleeping the petals in it.
If the refreshing qualities of good cup
of tea are to be enjoyed to their full ex-
tent, whatever is eaten Herewith should be
light-a biscuit, a morsel of cake, or por-
tion of dry or buttered toast
An egg beaten up with sugar and little
cream, and added to breakfast cup of tea,
makes in itself light but nourishing
meal that an invalid may sip with pleas
ure and profit.
A word about invalid's teas They should
be made as directed above, but as soon as
the tea has stood for seven minutes it
should be decanted into another hot tea
pot without the leaves, so that the sick
person shall imbibe none of the leaves
tannin.
An invalid may be able to partake of a
nicely made cup of tea when he can hardly
enjoy anything else.
In many cases of illness tea does vast
| amount OF good. 1t possesses singularly
soothing influence not only on the nerves,
but on the smaller blood vessels, hence the
benefit Of partaking of nice cup in head
aches, either those of nervous nature, or
those produced by overwork, tiredness,
wakefulness or worry. Those headaches
called bilious are often relieved by tea,
and fit Of vomiting may be oftentimes pre-
vented. The sufferer should retain the re-
cumbent position and sip the tea slowly.
For the same reasons, a cup of tea does
much good in some cases of neuralgia and
toothache.
In cases of recent colds and coughs a
| cup is also very valuable, as we'll as in all
cases of slight fevers, and in low stages OF
fevers generally.
In cases of wasting weaknesses tea is a
great aid to treatment.
In rheumatism and gout tea is about the
| safest drink that can be imbibed, and even
assists recovery.
Tea is capital digestive, and may be
| partaken with advantage in cases Of dys-
pepsia and to assist digestion, some two or
three hours after food has been taken.
| In inf iammation Of all kinds tea is used
with benefit.
And here is one concluding hint that is
well worth remembering: Whenever you
have to go on long journey by rail never
! forget bottle of nice cold tea TO drink by
the way, and use portion of it as soon as
you begin to feel tired. The tea You get
at stations is, for many reasons, seldom OF
never up to the mark but if you make
your own at home, adding plenty of milk
and sugar to it, you are independent, and
you feel so.
HOW TO SEW on BUTTONS.
"When l get bright idea ! always
want to pass it along," said friend oi
mine to little girl, as she sat watching
the child try to sew. "Do your buttons
ever come off, Nina p
Ever? They're always doing it. They
are ironed off, washed off and pulled off
until | despair. l seem to shed buttons
wherever CO."
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