The Water Used. — In making tea the water used is an important
consideration. Soft water is better than hard, but if it is too soft
it is apt to extract too much of the general properties of the tea and
sacrifice its delicacy of flavor, and if too hard it does not extract the
theine and volatile oil readily enough. Do not use water which has
been twice boiled, or which has boiled long before being used, be-
cause boiling expels the air and gasses and makes the water flat and
tasteless. This is really an important item — far more important than
many people imagine. The more rapidly the water is heated the bet-
ter the tea. When the water is poured on the tea it should be boiling
hot, and not either cold or lukewarm, and it should be poured on as
soon as it boils. If poured on cold and brought to a boil it will
extract the tannic acid, injuring both the flavor and the value of the
tea. Carbonate of soda has been sometimes used in making tea; it
may soften very hard water, but it will spoil the flavor and effect of
the tea.
556 BEVERAGES
Hints. — With some persons the sleeplessness and headache caused
by drinking tea is prevented by putting in a slice of lemon instead of
the milk.
Weak green tea with a little sugar and lemon juice in it, but no
milk, is a very refreshing drink in cases of fever, taken either hot oi
cold.
The tea plant (Thea sinensis) is native to China, Japan and Northern India.
The use of the dried leaves is said to have been introduced into China from Corea
in the 4th century, and from thence to Japan, and to have been brought to Europe'
by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. The
leaves of the tea plant can only be gathered at certain sea-
sons. The first picking is in April. It yields the finest tea,
but little of it is shipped abroad, as a sea voyage injures its
delicate flavor. This tea is largely used by the wealthy Chi-
nese, and some of it is carried overland to Russia. The next
picking is in May, and a third, later in the season, furnishes
the inferior teas which are bitterer and more woody than that
gathered earlier.
Tea leaves are dried in pans which are heated over smoke-
less fires. Green teas are dried quickly to preserve their color,
while black teas are exposed to the air for a time and undergo
a sort of fermentation which darkens them. In tea producing
countries the decoction is drunk alone without flavoring; in
other countries something is added. The Germans often flavor it with rum, cinna-
mon or vanilla. The Russians squeeze in lemon juice, while some savage tribes
in Tartary boil the leaves with soda, season them with butter and salt, and eat
them.
Tea contains an alkaloid called theine, which is similar to the caffeine in coffee,
and theobromine in cocoa. Besides this it contains a volatile oil, some tannic acid,
and some ordinary food substances. Its volatile or essential oil is develojjcd dur-
ing drying and roasting, and ought not to escape, as upon this its market value
depends more than on anything else. The volatile oil, as well as the theine and
tannin, is more abundant in green than in black tea. As ordinarily made, 3 times
as much theine is obtained from tea as from coffee. ✪ Coffee
Page 412 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The Water Used. — In making tea the water used is an important consideration. Soft water is better than hard, but if it is too soft it is apt to extract too much of the general properties of the tea and sacrifice its delicacy of flavor, and if too hard it does not extract the theine and volatile oil readily enough. Do not use water which has been twice boiled, or which has boiled long before being used, because boiling expels the air and gasses and makes the water flat and tasteless. This is really an important item — far more important than many people imagine. The more rapidly the water is heated the better the tea. When the water is poured on the tea it should be boiling hot, and not either cold or lukewarm, and it should be poured on as soon as it boils. If poured on cold and brought to a boil it will extract the tannic acid, injuring both the flavor and the value of the tea. Carbonate of soda has been sometimes used in making tea; it may soften very hard water, but it will spoil the flavor and effect of the tea.
Hints. — With some persons the sleeplessness and headache caused by drinking tea is prevented by putting in a slice of lemon instead of the milk.
Weak green tea with a little sugar and lemon juice in it, but no milk, is a very refreshing drink in cases of fever, taken either hot or cold.
The tea plant (Thea sinensis) is native to China, Japan and Northern India. The use of the dried leaves is said to have been introduced into China from Corea in the 4th century, and from thence to Japan, and to have been brought to Europe by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. The leaves of the tea plant can only be gathered at certain seasons. The first picking is in April. It yields the finest tea, but little of it is shipped abroad, as a sea voyage injures its delicate flavor. This tea is largely used by the wealthy Chinese, and some of it is carried overland to Russia. The next picking is in May, and a third, later in the season, furnishes the inferior teas which are bitterer and more woody than that gathered earlier.
Tea leaves are dried in pans which are heated over smokeless fires. Green teas are dried quickly to preserve their color, while black teas are exposed to the air for a time and undergo a sort of fermentation which darkens them. In tea producing countries the decoction is drunk alone without flavoring; in other countries something is added. The Germans often flavor it with rum, cinnamon or vanilla. The Russians squeeze in lemon juice, while some savage tribes in Tartary boil the leaves with soda, season them with butter and salt, and eat them.
Tea contains an alkaloid called theine, which is similar to the caffeine in coffee, and theobromine in cocoa. Besides this it contains a volatile oil, some tannic acid, and some ordinary food substances. Its volatile or essential oil is developed during drying and roasting, and ought not to escape, as upon this its market value depends more than on anything else. The volatile oil, as well as the theine and tannin, is more abundant in green than in black tea. As ordinarily made, 3 times as much theine is obtained from tea as from coffee.
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