If the water is soft, it should be used as soon as
boiled, boiling causing all the gases which give flavor to water to
escape. In hard water, boiling softens it. In all cases the water must be
fresh, and poured boiling upon the proper portion of tea,--the teapot
having first been well scalded with boiling water. Never boil any tea but
English-breakfast tea; for all others, simple steeping gives the drink in
perfection.
A disregard of these rules gives one the rank, black, unpleasant infusion
too often offered as tea; while, if boiled in tin, it becomes a species of
slow poison,--the tannic acid in the tea acting upon the metal, and
producing a chemical compound whose character it is hard to determine.
Various other plants possess the essential principle of tea, and are used
as such; as in Paraguay, where the Brazilian holly is dried, and makes a
tea very exhilarating in quality, but much more astringent.
The use of _Coffee_ dates back even farther than that of tea. Of the many
varieties, Mocha and Java are finest in flavor, and a mixture of one-third
Mocha with two-thirds Java gives the drink at its best. As in tea, there
are three chief constituents: (1) A volatile oil, giving the aroma it
possesses, but less in amount than that in tea.
Pages:
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143