Muffit of Tea

Lately, I've been craving the perfect cup of tea. Back in 1944, author and tea enthusiast George Orwell (serious, wasn't he?) wrote about the art of tea-making. (Full transcript here.) Updating this solemn document earlier this year, Englishman in America Christopher Hitchens regaled the readers of Slate with with the commandment How To Make a Cup of Tea. Though directed largely at Americans, British coffee shops could learn a thing or two from our eloquent tea aficionados.

Whilst languoring in search of the perfect brew in and across North-Western continents, I was contacted by CSN Stores, who offered me a voucher to review their goods. Spying their tasteful collection of tea-making accoutrements, I couldn't resist giving their beautiful Le Crueset stonewear classic teapot in blue and Sabichi Essential Taper Shape Whistling Kettle a whirl with an especially aromatic box of loose English Breakfast and my long-held hankering.

Le Crueset Teapot

Although, as Hitchens rightly points out, Assam has fallen out of fashion, the rules I was most keen to replicate were very hot, very strong tea, bringing the pot to the kettle and not the other way around. I primed the teapot to get it nice and warm and filled the kettle and placed it on the hob.

Sabichi Whistling Kettle in action

Having been a slave to a Tesco's-own fast-boil electric kettle for years, the amount of time it took this baby to whistle was a little disconcerting. However, great art takes time, and I have to say the piercing whistle of compressed water is music to the thirsty tea drinker's ears: far more rewarding than a violent click! Meanwhile, the cat popped by to say hello.

Sooty awaits his cup of tea

Using a little more than the recommended 5 teaspoons of tea, the teapot was brought to the kettle as it boiled, filled with still-boiling H₂O, and the timer was set for it to brew. (I even set the teapot on a stone mat that reflects heat to keep it piping hot!)

Teacups in waiting

Using a strainer, I poured the (hopefully perfect) tea into warm waiting cups - adding the milk afterwards, as Orwell stipulates, and keeping the sugar far from reach.

Cups o' Tea

While it's a bit of a palaver to get everything together, sometimes a girl's got to have the perfect cuppa. Thanks to Hitchens, CSN, Le Crueset, and Sabichi, it's a wee bit easier to have a nice hot muffit o' tea. Now, if only I could get my American man to get it right, I might be able to have one that's hot and perfectly brewed every day. One can only hope.

A massive thanks to CSN, who have unwittingly unleashed an obsession with sparkly kitchenware and new-found need for a good pair of oven mitts.

How do you make your perfect cup of tea?