Teaspoon

“ As I have said, they put a charge of a pound and a half of tea into the pan with a teaspoonful of the mixture, and they have a fire of charcoal beneath it. The man or woman that does the firing stands in front of the pan and keeps the tea in constant motion. It must be kept moving all the time, so that it will not be scorched, and it must be gently rubbed between the fingers in order to polish it. ”

“ A “drop” or a “teaspoonful” is a most uncertain quantity. Remember that a drop is a minim, a teaspoonful is a dram, and a tablespoonful is half an ounce. But these measures are now old-fashioned, and in a few years will be obsolete. ”

“ Presumably regular customers receive teaspoons, for teaspoons lie in a heap on the fat, jolly man's side of the counter. This was the case at the coffee-stall before which the young soldier and I ranged ourselves. And the heap of teaspoons seemed to exercise a curious fascination upon the soldier. He continued to stare at them for some minutes after I had set in front of him his cup of coffee. Then he stared at the fat, jolly man, who was cutting slabs from a loaf. ”

“ Tea—SOUTHERN STYLE
⁠Take one-half teaspoonful of tea to one cup of boiling water. Put the tea in the pot, pour the boiling water upon it and let stand where it will keep hot for five minutes. Then serve. Tea should never be boiled for it makes it bitter.
ICED TEA
⁠Use one scant teaspoonful of tea to one cup of boiling water. ”

“ The bar, after passing 156°, again expands, and finally melts at about 201°, which is 11° below the boiling-point of water. Fusible metal is sometimes made into teaspoons, which soften and melt down when stirred in a cup of hot tea or basin of soup, to the great surprise and bewilderment of the victim of the practical joke. ”

“ The best rule for making tea is the old-fashioned one: "one teaspoonful for each person and one for the pot." The pot should first be rinsed with hot water, then the tea put in, and upon it should be poured enough water, actually boiling, to cover the leaves. ”

“ For moderate strength it requires one heaping teaspoonful of good tea to each half-pint of boiling water or an ordinary tea-cup half-full to a quart of water will make a sufficiently strong infusion for five persons. No metal vessel, not even one of silver, is fit to make tea in, nothing being better adapted for the purpose than the old-fashioned tea-pot of heavy, glazed, brown earthenware, covered with a tea-cosy—a tufted cushion, cap-shaped, which envelopes the tea-pot, keeping the tea warm and the aroma from escaping. ”

“ Whichever method of preparation is followed, the water must be at the boiling point and it must be freshly boiled. Water that has been boiled for any length of time becomes very insipid and flat to the taste and affects the flavor of the tea. Tea leaves that have been used once should never be resteeped, for more tannin is extracted than is desirable and the good tea flavor is lost, producing a very unwholesome beverage. As a rule, 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of tea to 1 cupful of water is the proportion followed in tea making. ”

“ As we cut our meat or fish at the same meal, we may shiver with cold, but our fingers are not quite frozen by contact with the steel knives, as we hold them by ivory handles; and we are agreeably reminded that some metals are good conductors of heat, by the pleasant warmth of the silver teaspoons, as we stir our tea or coffee. ”

“ For those who can use electricity, the electric percolator certainly gives an excellent coffee.
85
Coffee is served “black,” or with cream, milk, or evaporated milk and sugar. If milk is used for breakfast coffee, serve it hot.
6. Tea.
Principle.—To extract flavor by allowing the leaves to remain for a few minutes, in water which has been poured on at the boiling temperature, and to avoid the extraction of tannin by making the period of steeping short. Tea must never be boiled.
Utensils.—An earthen pot, measuring cup, teaspoon, strainer. Sometimes a tea ball or piece of cheesecloth. ”

“ Adult Females.—One tablespoonful three times a day. ” Children under 12 years of age.—Two teaspoonfuls three times a day. ” Under 12 years.—From half to one teaspoonful, according to age, mixed with a little water and sugar.
Analysis showed the mixture to contain 1·5 per cent. of potassium iodide, 1·2 per cent. of sugar (partly inverted) , 1·6 per cent. by volume of alcohol, and traces of chloroform and ammonia, a brown colour being given by a small quantity of what was evidently burnt sugar. The composition of 8 ounces is thus:
The estimated cost of the ingredients is 11⁄3d. ”

“ Tea being an infusion and not a decoction like coffee, it should be brewed not stewed, the chief object being to extract as much of the theine or refreshing principle as possible and as little of the tannin or astringent property as can be, at the same time without either boiling or overdrawing it. Many Tea drinkers who imagine erroneously that a very dark-colored liquor indicates strength boil the leaves, while others again spoil the infusion by first putting the leaves in boiling water. ”

“ But a while later a savory smell of boiling ham came appetizingly wafted up the stairs. I drew a free breath. I knew the girls would at least have something to eat, and my hospitality would not be shamed.
So toward evening I made grandmamma a cup of tea. It is not every one who knows how to make tea. The water must boil and bubble up. It isn't fully boiling when the steam begins to rise from the spout, but if you will wait five minutes after that it will be just right for use. Pour a very little into the teapot, rinse it, and pour the water out, and then put in your tea. ”

“ The reason for pouring boiling water into the teapot, before the infusion of the tea is made, is, that the vessel, being previously warm, may abstract less heat from the mixture, and thus admit a more powerful action. ”

“ Tea yields from thirty to fifty per cent of its substance to solution by prolonged boiling in water; but, as the beverage is properly prepared, probably not over twenty to twenty-five per cent of the solids are dissolved. This soluble portion includes dextrine, glucose, gum, and potassium salts, besides tannin and the alkaloid. The nutrient portion of tea is comparatively small. In coffee we have ten to thirteen per cent of fixed oil, and about the same proportion of legumine, with gums and extractive matters, and two per cent of soluble potassium salts. ”

“ It is a good plan to empty the kettle and refill it with fresh cold water, and make the tea the moment it reaches boiling point. Soft water makes the best tea, and boiling softens the water, but after it has boiled for some time it again becomes hard. When water is very hard a tiny pinch of carbonate of soda may be put into the teapot with the tea, but it must be used very sparingly, otherwise it may impart a very unpleasant taste to the beverage. Tea is better made in an earthen than a metal pot. ”

“ Chemistry.The chemical components of tea leaves are essential oil, theine, tannin, boheic acid, quercetin, quercitannic acid, gallic acid, oxalic acid, gum, chlorophyll, resin, wax, albuminoids, colouring matters, cellulose, and mineral ash. Of these the first three—essential oil, theine, and tannin—are of importance in the infused beverage. The essential oil, on which the flavour of tea depends, is present to the extent of from 0·6 to 1 per cent. ”

“ This is especially remarkable in the case of such places as Canton, where large numbers are living afloat on the mouths of sewage-laden rivers or estuaries.
The ordinary everyday domestic beverage is a weak infusion of tea, made in a large teapot, kept in a padded basket to retain the heat. The whole family is supplied from this reservoir. The very poorest drink plain hot water, or water tinged by infusing the spent tea-leaves rejected by their richer neighbours.
Next to the boiling of water for its own sake, comes the boiling of water as a medium for the cooking of other things. ”

“ Nevertheless, as I have often observed that drinking Tea, particularly the most highly-flavoured fine green, proves remarkably relaxing to many persons of tender and delicate constitutions, I was induced to prosecute my enquiries farther.
1. To this end I distilled half a pound of the best and most fragrant green Tea with simple water [78] , and drew off an ounce of very odorous and pellucid water, free from oil, and which on trial (Section I. Experiment II.) shewed no signs of astringency. ”

“ We have therefore only to consider the gross and the tare, and, as shown, the loss in Tea, varying from 2 ounces to 1 pound 14 ounces, depends entirely on the weights these are found to be at the Custom House. In other words, if we can insure the gross there being but little over any even number of pounds, and the tare there being but little below any other even number of pounds, we attain (approximately) the least loss we can be mulcted in. ”

“ As the value of a Tea commercially depends principally upon the weight and flavor of the infusion as well as in the aroma imparted to it by the volatile oil which it contains, so the intrinsic value of a Tea is based principally on the amount of extract which it yields on infusion in addition to the quantity of the theine and tannin contained therein. ”

“ R.—And jam and cakes, perhaps—because, as it is our own tea-party, it ought to be a grand one.
J.—Of course.
R.—I've got some sugar that I put in my pocket this morning for the raven.
(Feels in his pocket, and brings out string, knife, etc., finally four lumps of sugar, one at a time.)
J.—Four lumps, will that be enough?
R.—I wonder how many Mammy will want. Mammy, do you like your tea very, very sweet?
M.—No, I don't like sugar in it at all.
R.—Oh, that's capital. Now, Janet, we can have two lumps each, one in each cup of tea. You can't have more. It's horrid to be greedy, you know. ”

“ A tea-spoonful more or less seems a trifle, and yet it will spoil many things. Remember, if you have a recipe that calls for a table-spoonful, it means just that, if the recipe is good for anything, and half a pint is exactly that measure full, not partly full.
“Gouffé, the celebrated French cook, who wrote a remarkable book for other cooks, was so particular that he explains exactly how much he means by weight when he says ‘a pinch of salt,’ and he directs one to weigh each carrot and turnip for soup till one’s eye is accustomed to the sizes.” ”

“ Nervous headaches, hysteria in its thousand forms, palpitations, and the long train of nervous symptoms, own inordinate tea and coffee drinking as their parent. Taken in reasonable amounts, tea can not be said to be hurtful; and the medium qualities, carefully prepared, often make a more wholesome tea than that of the highest price, the harmful properties being strongest in the best. If the water is soft, it should be used as soon as boiled, boiling causing all the gases which give flavor to water to escape. In hard water, boiling softens it. ”

“ Scald the tea-pot, and if the tea is a strong kind, a tea-spoonful for a pint of water is sufficient—if it is a weak kind, more will be required. Pour on just enough boiling water to cover the tea, and let it steep. Green tea should not steep more than five or six minutes before drinking—if steeped longer, it will not be lively. Black tea requires steeping ten or twelve minutes to extract the strength. ”

“ Of chymistry! I thought that had been a very deep sort of a business.
Tut. O—there are many things in common life that belong to the deepest of sciences. Making tea is the chymical operation called 123infusion, which is, when a hot liquor is poured upon a substance in order to extract something from it. The water, you see, extracts from the tea-leaves their colour, taste, and flavour.
Pup. Would not cold water do the same?
Tut. It would, but more slowly. Heat assists almost all liquors in their power of extracting the virtues of herbs and other substances. ”

“ In pouring out, do not fill the cups to the brim. Always send the cream and sugar round, that each person may use those articles according to their own taste. Also, send round a small pot of hot water, that those who like their tea weak may conveniently dilute it. If tea is handed, a servant should, at the last, carry round a water-pitcher and glasses. ”

“ Sugar is added according to taste. In Russia a preserved strawberry to each cup is considered an improvement. We imitate our Russian friends by garnishing with a candied cherry.
De John’s Tea Follow recipe for making tea and serve hot, allowing three whole cloves to each cup. Sugar is added according to taste.
Iced Tea Follow recipe for making tea. Strain into glasses one-third full of cracked ice. Sweeten to taste, and allow one slice lemon to each glass tea. The flavor is much finer by chilling the infusion quickly. ”

“ A fixed oil composed of equal parts of oleine and stearine, serving many purposes, medicinal, illuminating and others, is extracted from the seeds of the tea-plant in many parts of China and Tartary. The other substances extracted from the tea-leaf consists principally of those which, in various proportions, enter into the composition of all plants and include a modification of constituents analagous to sugar, fat, salts, starch and water. 215The fibre, tannin, legumen coloring matter and a certain quantity of ash making up mainly the portion of the leaf insoluble in boiling water. ”

“ The quality and grade are dependent upon flavor, and, with the strength of the infusion, are determined by tasting. This work is rapidly done by the trained tea taster. The out-turn should be of one color; no bright green leaves should be present; evenness of make is judged by the out-turn. The flavor of a tea is largely a matter of personal judgment, but from a physiological point of view black teas are given the preference. ”

“ When cold, bottle the liquid, and cork it tightly. The bottles for this purpose should either be quite new, or such as have been used before for lemon syrup. Mixed with ice-water it is a wholesome and refreshing beverage, and if you stir into a half tumbler of the mixture a half tea-spoonful, or more, of carbonate of soda, it will foam up, and be just like the soda-water you buy in the shops at six cents per glass. ”