english breakfast tea

i didn't think tea could be so complicated. i used to think all kinds of tea could be prepared in exactly the same way without much ado. i used to think tea made during japanese tea drinking ceremonies taste the same without the ceremony and that people only do it for the lessons you get out of the ceremony itself.

it turns out tea actually tastes different depending on how you brew it. i know, every literature on tea says so but i'm a hard-headed fool who thought powdered tea is just the same as brewed tea, only with more sugar.

anyway, i bought a big box of english breakfast tea about two months ago and after finishing a few tea bags i realized i'm no longer happy with my tea. i don't have an electric kettle and it's too めんどくさい to go up to the kitchen just to boil water so what i usually did was heat a cup or two of water on the microwave and use it for my tea. i didn't boil it because i can't drink too hot beverages and i am too impatient to wait for anything to cool down before i drink it. so i have this whole box of teabags left and i was wondering how i could consume all of it before i leave for brussels which lead to the thought if bilbo were real i suppose i could give him my tea. he likes tea, he must be english then why do englishmen like tea? and so the thought prompted me to read a whole range of internet literature about tea (and a little read on the legend of the koi dragon).

in the end i finally realized, tea is complicated business. there's this article which mentioned the aroma of tea is so relaxing and is eerily similar to warm toast and honey. whew. i want to try experiencing THAT. so here's what i did in the hope of making the perfect kind of english breakfast tea with my resources.

1. pour a small amount of cold water (says some article, always use cold water and never reheat water for your next tea) in a mug, about 1.5 inches or so, and microwave on high (600W) for 3 minutes because, apparently, it HAS to be boiling water. I noticed water boils in my microwave after 2.5 minutes but i still set it for 3 minutes anyway. to kill germs, rawr. haha.
2. place your tea bag in and let it steep for 3-4 minutes because, apparently, that's how long you should steep black tea. and make sure it's covered while it steeps.
3. remove the tea bag and resist the temptation to squeeze it. i squeezed it but it tasted okay anyway. at this point you can add sugar and milk and lemon if you wish. i'm happy with a teaspoon of sugar on mine.
4. add water to fill the mug and microwave again for around 1 minute.

TADAAA! yep, it actually tastes better than my previous tea hahaha. and it smells like honey! it does, it does! i don't smell any toast though haha. anyway, i guess i'll be okay with not sharing my remaining teabags with bilbo then :) cheers to tea!

::