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Agony of the Leaves
[The following is the text of the talk Meg Chittenden gave at the Friday Tea at Bouchercon 1999 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Meg's co-hosts at the tea were Patricia Guiver, Sally Wright and Claudia Bishop.]
Tea was first discovered by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 B.C. Of course he didn't know it was 2737 B.C. he had a different way of looking at things. But he did know a good thing when he found it.
The plant (Thea sinensis, Camellia thea, or C. sinensis) is an evergreen related to the CAMELLIA and native to India, China and Japan.
In its natural state, the tea plant grows to about 30 ft high, but for commercial use it is pruned to 3 to 5 ft. Tea plants need a well-drained habitat in a warm climate with plenty of rain; when ready, the leaves are dried, rolled and fired (heated). Black teas, such as pekoes, are fermented before firing; oolong teas are partially fermented, green tea isn't fermented at all. Tea contains caffeine, which gives it its stimulating nature. Tannin makes it astringent. A cup of tea has about 1/3 the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
Grown in China since prehistoric times, tea was produced on a commercial scale there by the 8th cent. It was introduced to Europe in the 17th century by the Dutch EAST INDIA COMPANY, and its popularity helped spur the opening of East Asia to Western commerce. In colonial America,a tax on tea led to the BOSTON TEA PARTY (1773). Today tea is used by more people in the world and in greater quantity than any beverage except water.
How to Brew a Perfect Cup of Tea
Fill your kettle with cold water. (I like an electric kettle.) Boil the water when making black tea. If making green or oolong tea heat the water but do not boil it.
You should make your tea in a pot. My grandmother favored a brown pot. Brown was much better than white, she said. When making black tea, preheat your teapot with hot water to bring it to optimum brewing temperature. Most American restaurants have never heard of this procedure, and when it is suggested to them they react with great alarm.
If you are using loose tea, measure the tea--too much or too little can ruin all efforts to make a good-tasting tea. I use one teaspoon to a cup with an extra spoonful for the pot. You may use a tea ball, if you really wish. I don't believe in it myself, I think it gives the tea a metallic taste. I do however use teabags quite often. They are less messy, though perhaps not quite as good a taste.
Just as the water reaches a rolling boil, pour it onto the tea or teabags in the pot. When the boiling water hits the loose tea, the leaves unfurl and release their flavor; this is called "the Agony of the Leaves." I had never heard of the agony of the leaves until I did this research. I'm not sure now that I can ever use loose tea again. Maybe tealeaves are like plants and can actually feel pain.
Then again, maybe not.
Now you must brew the tea. Where I come from, which is the north east coast of England, aka Geordie country, once coal mining country, we say we mash the tea. I've no idea what that means, but I know what it is.
Next, and most important. You must cover the pot with a cozy to keep the tea warm. This also makes a huge difference to the strength and taste of the tea.
If you use teabags you can remove them before pouring the tea, this prevents the remainder from getting too strong.
Tea in England is most usually taken with milk and sugar. My mother always insisted on pouring the milk into the cup before pouring the tea--it made a big difference in the taste, she said. Many people use sugar in their tea. I gave up sugar and now drink my tea black, which is most Un-English. Drink it any way you like it, with lemon if you prefer. Or iced. (Something I've never brought myself to do.)
My grandmother used to put the teapot on the hob--a sort of grate sticking out from the front of the coal fire. She'd let it sit there and the tea (and the teapot)would get blacker and blacker. She liked it, she used to say, when you could stand the spoon up in it.
I drink quite a lot of green tea. This horrified my father when I visited him a few months ago. But a study by the National Cancer Institute indicates that green tea may protect against certain types of cancer. It has a high vitamin content. Besides which, I like it.
The Japanese have an amazing tea ceremony. If you ever get the chance to see it, do so. I have a friend in Tokyo who spent years learning how to do the tea ceremony properly.
The English just make it and pour it out, but they have great faith in the healing power of tea. They serve it in the afternoons-with delectable foods. My mother used to make scones and slice them and wrap a sixpence in grease-proof paper and place it inside one scone. Whoever was lucky enough to get that scone, got the treat, and occasionally broke a tooth.
Finger sandwiches are traditional, and teacakes--light, flat,sweet,and rather large buns with raisins or sultanas in them--are sliced and toasted and buttered. Scones are sometimes served with Devon cream and strawberry preserves, which is not a bad way to have them. I used to like them with lemon curd on them. Or Lyle's golden syrup.
A lot of my memories of childhood are tied to tea. I heard once that tea made a good setting lotion for the hair. I had hair that refused to curl, so I tried it. And of course made my tea the way I always did, with sugar in it. Do not try this at home.
One of my aunts was famous for always saying to guests when she was ready for them to leave. "Would you like a cup of tea before you go?"
lf we were sick, or sad, or unnaturally happy, we were given tea. If we got sunburned, cloths were dipped in tea and applied to the sore places. Works very well too.
We always had tea when we got up, and tea with breakfast, and a cup before leaving the house, tea with lunch, afternoon tea, tea with supper. If visitors came, you never had to worry about what to serve them--tea, of course. If someone died everyone had a cup of tea. If someone got married, everyone had tea--well, maybe some Mumm's champagne too.
Tea is always served in fine cups, not mugs, and the cups should have saucers beneath them. You should not pour the tea into the saucer to cool it--though my grandfather used to. You should not crook your little finger while drinking the tea--only people who wish to appear refined, but have no hope of doing so, adopt this mannerism.
One of the favorite nursery rhymes in England is "Polly put the kettle on, we'll all have tea." By rights it should be the national anthem.
I'll leave you with this quote, from Sydney Smith, writing in Lady Holland's Memoir--"Thank God for Tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!"
Copyright 1999 - Margaret Chittenden