Dirty Little Secrets

by George Orwell
Evening Standard, 12 January 1946

If you look up ‘tea’ in the first cookery book that comes to hand you will probably find that it is unmentioned; or at most you will find a few lines of sketchy instructions which give no ruling on several of the most important points. This is curious, not only because tea is one of the main stays of civilization in this country, as well as in Eire, Australia and New Zealand, but because the best manner of making it is the subject of violent disputes.

When I look through my own recipe for the perfect cup of tea, I find no fewer than eleven outstanding points. On perhaps two of them there would be pretty general agreement, but at least four others are acutely controversial. Here are my own eleven rules, every one of which I regard as golden:

* First of all, one should use Indian or Ceylonese tea. China tea has virtues which are not to be despised nowadays — it is economical, and one can drink it without milk — but there is not much stimulation in it. One does not feel wiser, braver or more optimistic after drinking it. Anyone who has used that comforting phrase ‘a nice cup of tea’ invariably means Indian tea.

* Secondly, tea should be made in small quantities — that is, in a teapot. Tea out of an urn is always tasteless, while army tea, made in a cauldron, tastes of grease and whitewash. The teapot should be made of china or earthenware. Silver or Britanniaware teapots produce inferior tea and enamel pots are worse; though curiously enough a pewter teapot (a rarity nowadays) is not so bad.

* Thirdly, the pot should be warmed beforehand. This is better done by placing it on the hob than by the usual method of swilling it out with hot water.

* Fourthly, the tea should be strong. For a pot holding a quart, if you are going to fill it nearly to the brim, six heaped teaspoons would be about right. In a time of rationing, this is not an idea that can be realized on every day of the week, but I maintain that one strong cup of tea is better than twenty weak ones. All true tea lovers not only like their tea strong, but like it a little stronger with each year that passes — a fact which is recognized in the extra ration issued to old-age pensioners.

* Fifthly, the tea should be put straight into the pot. No strainers, muslin bags or other devices to imprison the tea. In some countries teapots are fitted with little dangling baskets under the spout to catch the stray leaves, which are supposed to be harmful. Actually one can swallow tea-leaves in considerable quantities without ill effect, and if the tea is not loose in the pot it never infuses properly.

* Sixthly, one should take the teapot to the kettle and not the other way about. The water should be actually boiling at the moment of impact, which means that one should keep it on the flame while one pours. Some people add that one should only use water that has been freshly brought to the boil, but I have never noticed that it makes any difference.

* Seventhly, after making the tea, one should stir it, or better, give the pot a good shake, afterwards allowing the leaves to settle.

* Eighthly, one should drink out of a good breakfast cup — that is, the cylindrical type of cup, not the flat, shallow type. The breakfast cup holds more, and with the other kind one’s tea is always half cold before one has well started on it.

* Ninthly, one should pour the cream off the milk before using it for tea. Milk that is too creamy always gives tea a sickly taste.

* Tenthly, one should pour tea into the cup first. This is one of the most controversial points of all; indeed in every family in Britain there are probably two schools of thought on the subject. The milk-first school can bring forward some fairly strong arguments, but I maintain that my own argument is unanswerable. This is that, by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.

* Lastly, tea — unless one is drinking it in the Russian style — should be drunk without sugar. I know very well that I am in a minority here. But still, how can you call yourself a true tealover if you destroy the flavour of your tea by putting sugar in it? It would be equally reasonable to put in pepper or salt. Tea is meant to be bitter, just as beer is meant to be bitter. If you sweeten it, you are no longer tasting the tea, you are merely tasting the sugar; you could make a very similar drink by dissolving sugar in plain hot water.

Some people would answer that they don’t like tea in itself, that they only drink it in order to be warmed and stimulated, and they need sugar to take the taste away. To those misguided people I would say: Try drinking tea without sugar for, say, a fortnight and it is very unlikely that you will ever want to ruin your tea by sweetening it again. These are not the only controversial points to arise in connexion with tea drinking, but they are sufficient to show how subtilized the whole business has become. There is also the mysterious social etiquette surrounding the teapot (why is it considered vulgar to drink out of your saucer, for instance?) and much might be written about the subsidiary uses of tea leaves, such as telling fortunes, predicting the arrival of visitors, feeding rabbits, healing burns and sweeping the carpet. It is worth paying attention to such details as warming the pot and using water that is really boiling, so as to make quite sure of wringing out of one’s ration the twenty good, strong cups of that two ounces, properly handled, ought to represent.

“Kissing is like drinking tea through a tea-strainer;
you’re always thirsty afterwards.” — Chinese Proverb

Assam. To the far North East of India along the border of India and Burma. The land of the one-horned Rhino. The land through which the mighty river, the Brahmaputra winds its majestic course. The Scottish adventurer, Robert Bruce, discovered tea plants growing in Assam in the 1820’s. At this time, no one thought that tea existed in India, however Major Bruce discovered the plants growing wild in the jungles controlled by the tribal chiefs. The first commercial batch of tea ever produced outside of China came from Assam in 1839.

Assam - rich with nature’s bounty and a rainfall ranging from 200 to 300 cms - a country that ensures a very special place for the teas grown here. Camellia sinensis assamica or Assam tea has little resistance to cold and grows well only in tropical areas. The assam tea plant has large leaves. These tough little trees are hard to kill and in China they frequently live longer than one hundred years.

These teas offer rich, full-bodied, bright liquor. Rich aroma and a strong, malty taste make these teas a favorite at breakfast time. Assams produce a burgundy-red cup that is unmistakably full of body and flavor. Assam tea is a component of many standard tea blends, including Irish Breakfast. For those who favour a bright, strong cup of tea, Assam is the answer.

“Journeying to this sacred center may last during the moments in which we partake of tea - or we may carry it with our being for a day, week, month, or lifetime. For tea is more than a sublime beverage. When savored with a “tea mind,” it becomes a true alchemical brew from which flows a cornucopia of spiritual sustenance.” — Deborah Kesten, Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul

Throughout its history, tea leaves have been enhanced by a wide variety of aromatic substances. Jasmine is a scented tea, meaning that all that is added to the tea is literally the scent. The Jasmine flowers are harvested during the day and stored in a cool place until night. During the night, the flowers bloom with full fragrance. The flowers are layered over the tea leaves during the scenting process. For high quality teas, such as Jasmine Pearls, the flowers are changed several times and the scenting process can last up to a week. The quality of Jasmine tea is determined by the quality of tea used as its base and the effectiveness of the scenting. Jasmine tea is known to have been produced as early as the Sung Dynasty, over 700 years ago.

Jasmine Pearls may be prepared in a teapot or teacup. For teapot service allow approximately 1 tsp per cup (8oz) of water, or place 8-12 pearls in each teacup. Cover with hot but less than boiling water (c.80°C, 176°F) and allow to steep 3-5 minutes. As Jasmine Pearl tea takes a little while to unfurl completely, it may be resteeped several times.

Produces a sweet cup with a light and lingering scent of fresh Jasmine.

“Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea.
The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos,
the fountains are bubbling with delight,
the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle.
Let us dream of evanescence,
and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.”
– Okakura Kakuzo

Oolong tea originates from about 400 years ago, it is said that oolong tea first began to be produced at Mt. Wu Yi Shan in Fujian Province at the end of the Ming Dynasty. In order to enjoy the flavor and rich aroma unique to oolong tea, an art of drinking it delicately was developed. This involves drinking oolong tea by using a tiny teapot and a tiny teacup. Chinese people have adopted this style for generations right up to the present day.

Oolong tea has been described as “Yu Xiang Hui Wei ” as it goes through so many different production stages in order to generate a good flavor and aroma. The tea consists of several dozens of kinds of leaves that have different flavors and aromas due to differences in the leaves, the production area, and the harvest time. Among them, Tie Guan Yin, Shui Xian, and Oolong are well known, and many renowned oolong teas are produced in Fujian Province. Oolong tea produced in the Province is exported throughout the world as the tea that is representative of China, the home of tea.

Centuries ago, Buddhist priests developed a ceremony based on their belief that tea was spiritually linked to the peaceful ideals promoted by Buddhism. With passing generations, the Japanese tea ceremony, known as Chanoyu or “hot water for tea,” became a more elaborate tribute to tea and established itself as an important component of Japanese culture. But unlike many other forms of serving tea that focus mostly on the drink itself, this ritual is really about the ceremony - everything that leads up to the brewed tea. The objective is to purify the senses and cultivate harmony and unity between the surroundings, the people, the utensils, the tea, and anything else involved in the ceremony. Like many of the ancient Japanese arts, it is viewed as a potential means of enlightenment; in other words, it is a central part of Chado, or “the Way of Tea.” It originated in China, where its practice eventually died out; but combined with elements of Zen, it remains a fascinating part of Japanese culture.

The Chinese do, however, have a special method for brewing tea, which can produce remarkable results. It is called the Gongfu method. Gongfu means “skill and care” or “to do things well.” It is the root of the term often used for Chinese black teas, “Congou.” The Gongfu method is typically used for oolong and green teas. The best results are with oolong. The typical method uses a very small teapot, preferably a Yixing-style teapot, small thimble-sized cups, bamboo tweezers, a bamboo scoop, and a tray with drains. Everything in Gongfu service is small and delicate, revealing the elegance of the tea it promotes. If you do not have a Gongfu tea set, you can approximate the method with an ordinary teapot, though the result may not be quite as good.

Genuine Yixing teapots are made of sandy clay found near the town of Yixing in Jiangsu province. Most of the teapots sold in the West with the label “Yixing” are not actually made from Yixing clay; still, they seem to serve their purpose well enough. Yixing-style teapots are made in a wide range of shapes, and are not glazed. The porous interior of an unglazed pot is seasoned by repeated infusions of tea leaves, and does not need to be cleaned.

You first want to pour hot water from your pitcher over the cups and teapot. Then fill the pot about two-thirds full of leaves and rinse or awaken them with boiled water. Immediately pour out the water and take in the aroma of the leaves. Refill the pot with water and replace the lid. Pour more boiling water over the top of the pot and allow the tea to steep for less than a minute. (One source says, “four to five slow breaths.”) This infusion has the strongest aroma. Some methods use two sets of cups: the tea is poured into the first cup and then poured from that cup into the second cup. One then smells the aroma left behind in the first cup, and drinks from the second cup. Make sure each cup contains in equally strong infusion by filling the cups halfway first, then finishing them off the opposite direction (usually left to right, then right to left).

The second infusion lasts slightly longer than the first. It has a weaker aroma but more flavor. Subsequent infusions take progressively longer; you may want to add a slow breath to each infusion. Some teas can take four to five infusions, or more. Since this method requires a large amount of tea and several small cups (typically four), it is best done for a group of oolong lovers. It can be a very convivial occasion.

Enjoy the delicate essence of the tea.

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.
Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.”
–Thich Nat Hahn

Darjeeling is perched in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Darjeeling region produces the world’s most aromatic variety of tea. The unusual mixture of soil, altitude, sunshine, rainfall and the character of the people help Darjeeling produce the most fragrant of teas. Thus, good Darjeeling tea is indeed the champagne of teas. Located in the northern extreme of the Indian state of West Bengal, Darjeeling is just east of Nepal, just south of Sikkim, and a bit west and south of Bhutan.

Tea is grown in Darjeeling from a height of 100 mt. (300 ft.) to 2,000 mt. (6,000 ft). Output and the quality of tea varies with the altitude. All Darjeeling teas are hand plucked. The average production in the hills per acre is almost half compared to the production in the warmer plains. It is this climate and high altitude affecting the slow growth of the tea leaf which helps to give Darjeeling teas the flavor for which they are known. The monsoon starts in Darjeeling about mid-June and from July onwards the quality of tea is of standard character until the rains stop in October. Then for a short period until the end of the season in November, a small crop of ‘autumnal’ leaf is harvested which is flavoury but has ‘thin’ liquor. Darjeeling tea’s unique flavour is influenced by altitude, type of soil, slopes and the character of Nepali labourers who hand-pick these tea leaves.