How to Quickly and Safely Brew a Quart of Great Iced Tea:
- Boil one cup of water.
- Pour it over 6-8 teaspoons of loose tea and brew 5 minutes.
- If you add sugar, do it now and stir well.
- Fill a one quart jar half way with ice. Add cold water to fill it 3/4 of the way.
- Pour the brewed tea into the jar through a strainer to catch the leaves.
- It's ready to drink! Enjoy!
Want a simple gadget to help you make iced tea? This is what I use to make a half-gallon of iced tea: The Tea Maker - Magic (formerly called the "Brew and Touch"). There is a fine plastic mesh filter at the bottom with a convenient trigger mechanism so that this teapot basically acts as a giant brewing basket. Just put your loose tea in the pot, fill with hot water, let it brew (put in extra tea leaves to make a concentrate). Then place the pot on top of a half-gallon iced tea pitcher filled halfway with ice and water. This triggers the release mechanism and the tea is filtered down through the strainer. Lift up on the pot at any time to stop the flow. Your iced tea is immediately ready to drink with no mess!
Tea Quotations
- Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. -- Author unknown
- It has been well said that tea is suggestive of a thousand wants, from which spring the decencies and luxuries of civilization. -- Agnes Repplier
- What better way to suggest friendliness - and to create it - than with a cup of tea? -- J. Grayson Luttrell
- When I drink tea I am conscious of peace. The cool breath of Heaven rises in my sleeves and blows my cares away. -- Lo Tueng
Tea Terminology
- "Gone Off" refers to a flat or old tea. Often denotes a high moisture content.
- "Pungent" refers to astringent with a good combination of briskness, brightness, and strength. Often reserved for the best quality Assam and Ceylon teas.
- "Briskness" is the most "live" characteristic resulting from good manufacture.
- "Stewed" means a soft liquor, the opposite of briskness, with an undesirable taste caused by faulty firing at low temperatures and often insufficient air flow.
Tea and Health
I recently attended a continuing education course entitled, "Phytochemicals, Cancer, and Chronic Disease Prevention," in Denver. The speaker covered a wide range of topics, but was particularly enthusiastic about green tea. Here are some quick tea-related highlights from his review of literature:
- Catechins in green tea decrease the DNA damage from cancer in experimental laboratory studies.
- In animal studies, green tea decreases IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1), a substance that stimulates cell growth and inhibits the programmed cell death of cancer. Several studies have shown that increased levels of IGF lead to an increased risk of cancer.
- Green tea catechins decrease angiogenesis, or the growth of new blood vessels associated with tumor (cancer) growth.
- Green tea has anti-atherosclerotic effects (decreases LDL oxidation), anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-thrombogenic effects (i.e., prevents clots).
- Tea intake is inversely associated with risk for developing high blood pressure. There was a 46% lower risk at 4-20 oz of tea per day; 65% lower risk at greater than 20 oz. per day.
- Tea intake is inversely associated with risk for heart attack and stroke.
Tea and Health News provided by: TheTeaTable.com
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