Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Posted by Miss Neddy at 11:24 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Categories: Tea Black Tea Related

I realise that I sometimes sound like an elitist, talking about good and lousy tea. But to be honest, I drink almost any kind of tea in a pinch. I’m not adverse to dunking a Lipton teabag on occasion and I buy bottled ready-made tea (preferably unsweetened though) when on the run. Given that Singapore is such a hot and humid country, I don’t turn up my nose at cold teas, such as honey sweetened iced green tea or iced lemon tea.

I think the most important thing about tea is that you have to enjoy it. It doesn’t have to cost a bomb, or come from an organic plantation high up in the mountains that harvests only 4 times a year. It’s nice to be able to get my hands on a really excellent batch of tea leaves and I don’t begrudge the expense of buying rare and great leaves from small plantations. But at the end of the day, it’s all about a love for tea. I will drink almost any kind of tea at least once. I’ve bought wulong and green tea at 2 dollars per pack and they were definitely very drinkable.

However, no matter what kind of tea leaves are used, I do demand that the tea is made properly. I abhor tea that has been steeped for much too long, or if the leaves are still used well after all flavour has been wrung out of them. Even for something as humble as coffeeshop (or kopitiam in Singapore parlance) tea, made from red tea powder, there is a way to make a great cup.

My favourite is Teh-C (explained in an earlier entry), and to make it well, you have to start with a fresh batch of tea powder packed into a long cotton sieve. The water has to be hot, and the generous portion of evaporated milk to be poured in smoothly while vigorously stirring the tea, until a little froth builds up. One of the small stalls near my home does it very well and I don’t hesitate to pay the extra 10 cents she charges over the other stalls for her Teh-C. In fact, I usually buy at least 6 to 10 cups to bring to the office, where my colleagues eagerly dole out the creamy, chocolate-brown liquid into their mugs.

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