The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-04-21

These are the rules for making a cup
of tea, as laid down by WI Ting Fang,
the Chinese Minister, to a woman re-
! porter who recently called upon him to
| ask him few important questions on
! tea making.
ITO get down to the basic principles
of tea-brewing and tea-drinking as
/ 1T is done in China you must realize
| that at home we do not drink tea on
stated occasions or only at meals. as
you do here. With us tea is the ma
tional beverage.
Il might almost say, speaking to an
! American, that tea is the ice water of
China. Instead of the silver water
! cooler, which constitutes an almost in
variable ornament of your dining
rooms, you will find everywhere in
China the teapot. Whenever we are
thirsty we have recourse to the teapot
| instead of the cooler.
Let us first consider the teapot it
self. 1t is invariably Of porcelain and
varies in style, cost and dimensions in
accordance with the taste, wealth and
size of the family possessing it. 1t is.
as you say, constantly in commission
In the morning a sufficient quantity of
the dry tea leaves is placed in it and
on this is poured hot water Let this
infusion stand for few minutes-say
four or five-and you have what we. 1
think rightly, regard as a drink fit for
the gods
ct is always ready. Whenever the
pot needs replenishing all we have to
do is to add a little more tea and a
little more water. There is no hard and
fast rule as to the proportions of tea
and water or as to the character of the
tea itself. It is all a matter of individ-
ual taste. We use black or green tea,
and have it either weak or strong. lust
as our tastes direct.
I'VE never drink it boiling hot. as is
done in America and England, but at a
moderate degree of warmth. To main
tain this desirable temperature it is
customary to cover the teapot with a
sort of bag padded with cotton and
lined with silk. A similar ARRANGEMENT
is often used in England and Isl there
known as a 'cozy.'
This is the usual family manner of
preparing and drinking tea in China,
but when visitors core courtesy de-
mands that we should be a little more
ceremonious Then we have the tea
brewed in individual cups, covered with
dainty lids in order to retain the heat
and aroma. As matter of course, tea
is always thus offered to a visitor the
moment he enters the house.
The family teapot is simply emptied
and replenished every morning. and not
secured inside. as that would rob the
vessel of it's delicate aroma. In this
way an old teapot acquires d degree of
fragrance that is analogous to the sea-
soning of pipe that has been long in
use
I'VE would regard with horror the
suggestion that we should add anything
to the contents of our teapots beyond
not water and tea" said the Minister
with a visible shudder. Imagine put
ting rum in tea. as l am told is some !
times done here, and is said to be a |
practice in RussiaI A Gull
tured taste revolts from the thought |
The idea of milk and sugar is almost |
as bad.
Just one more hint regarding tea !
and I am done" said Minister WI. !
Remember that while there are ex-
pensive teas and cheap teas, there are
no really bad teas except those that |
have been adulterated with deleterious
ingredients. and this very adulteration
is practiced solely to meet the taste. or
lack of taste, of consumers who persist
in so spelling their tea by the addition
Of such adulterants as rum and milk
and sugar.
IF only they would drink their tea
pure, as nature intended it to be
drunk, they would instantly detect any
attempt at adulteration, and that
would be the end of the importation of
impure teas -