Thursday's Thirteen: How I like my tea

Thursday’s thirteen: How I like my tea (Yup, I really fussy about my tea)

1. A really good cup of tea. That should be easy; set microwave to two minutes thirty seconds and the presto the water is at the perfect temp. To throw a bag in. a few minutes later take bag out and add sugar done. Right?

2. Well yes and no. First of all it’s got to be good water, bottled is the best if you got a good water source, i.e. the water can’t taste funny.

3. Then you got to have good tea. I favor Roasted green tea; if it’s not roasted I don’t want it. I also like jasmine, oolong and good old fashioned Lipton. It’s got to be fresh too, if it’s been opened and sitting on a shelf for a year throw it out. I wouldn’t want to drink that.

4. Next after I heat my water, and I don’t forget it. Okay, sometimes I do forget if I’m writing an interesting part of my MS. My attention span isn’t so good when I’m writing.

5. Don’t squeeze the tea bag. Not even a little bit. I have trained my hubby and daughter really well on this point. I suppose I’m a real b***h about it, but I’ve gone around and around with my hubby.

Me: “Don’t squeeze the tea bag.”

Hubby: “Why, it’s all drippy.”

Me: “I know but don’t squeeze it.”

Hubby: “Then what I am I suppose to do with it?”

Me: “Throw it in the garbage but just don’t squeeze the bag.”

Hubby: “Not even a little bit?”

Me: “God no! Even a little squeeze will bruise the delicate tea leaves and leave the tea bitter and unfit to drink.”

Hubby: “Well I’m going to squeeze it any way.”

Me: “AHHHH!”

6. Now that the tea is the perfect temperature to drink, the tea has been removed un-squeeze and un-bruised next is to sweeten it. I use honest to God real sugar and none of that artificial crap either, that stuff hurts my stomach and makes it burn. And forget about honey, I don’t use it to sweeten my tea. Oh I like honey alright, but it has a weird after taste that doesn’t set well with the pure taste of my tea.

7. Stirring. There is an art to stirring the sugar in your tea cup. Too fast and you risk slopping over the edge, too slow or not enough and you have sugar residue at the bottom of your cup that give me a shiver when I drink the dregs, yuck. I do a clock wise then reverse method and stir for at least one minute to make sure it’s all mixed together.

8. Now to drink your tea. The perfect time to drink tea is first thing in the morning.

9. Now on to ice tea. I’ve tried various methods of achieving the perfect glass of ice tea. I’ve heated the water and made tea with the above mention method but added four spoons of sugar, stirring and poured it over ice.

10. Then there method two.

11. Get an ice cold bottle of water out of the fridge.

12. Get one of those huge ass bags of tea that Lipton sells for ice tea.

13. Stick it in the glass for five minutes or until water is a nice reddish brown, add sugar stir a lot and enjoy.

The thought I like to leave you with is this; don’t squeeze the tea bag or the tea police (me) will get you.

Happy Thursday thirteen.