Show A CUll of Tea To make a good cup of tea you want to begin with four things viz lire water a kettle and a teapot Just a word or two about each of these > The fire should be a bright one as free from smoke as possible This stands to reason we do not want to drink tea flavored flav-ored with either burning wood coal or peat By boiling the kettle over a hot range you avoid any chance of smoky tea But every one is not possessed with a range therefore I say boll the kettle over aclear fireThe The water should bo soft rather than hard but no attempt should bo made to counteract its hardness by adding soda to tho tea in tho teapot soda in tea renders it soapy and unwholesome The water must bo very clean and good and if possible should be filtered Filterers now days are very cheap to buy and they can bo made n nn u 1 uuuu u Uuu UIUy The kettle should bo kept most scrupulously scrupu-lously clean both inside and out It must not be furred inside nor sooty or smoky without I prefer a kettle that does not take long to boil for the water with which good tea is to be made ought not to bo stewed it should come to the boiling point at once The teapot may be china or silver but perhaps the best tea can be made in tho common oldfashioned brown earthenware earthen-ware glazed teapot It is scarcely necessary neces-sary to say that the teapot should bo kept very clean and never a particle of the old tea leaves left in when concocting a now cup Well then we have a bright fire a clean kettle filled with pure fresh water hung over it we place our dry teapot near the fire to get thoroughly hot by tho time the water boils and when the kettle sings cheerily giving evidence it will soon be at the polling point wo put the allowance of tea in and warm that too Now the kettle boils do not lose a moment mo-ment add the water at once to tho tea Yes all you want for first cups it is nonsensical non-sensical putting in a little then letting it stew and adding I more Set the teapot in a warm place to draw for about seven minutes min-utes then pour out tho tea and servo at onceWhy do wo heat the teapot and tho tea before putting in the waterl i Because you cannot make good tea before the water boat bo-at tho boiling point and if the teapot were not hot several degrees of heat would be lost in pouring the water in to the detriment detri-ment of the tea Why should tho water bo fresh and not allowed to boll or simmerlongl J Because all water is to a certain extent aerated and if boiled long the gasses will be driven off the water then becomes flat and tho tea tastes fiat hence the absurdity of letting the kettle boil away until wanted The Chinese pour the hot water into a cup over the tea and after a time pour it off from the leaves into another cup and so drink it The Japanese eat a portion of their leaves after drinking the tea but wo cannot recommend this practice because tho tea leaves of today contain the strong astringent astring-ent called tannin Longdrawn tea Or tea that has been allowed to come to the boil also contains this tannin and is therefore unwhnlfQnmf To the tea in the cup is added cream or milk and sugar to taste Both should be exceptionally pure and good Cream I think is better than milk on the principal that fat takes up and retains tho fragrant oils of leaves and flowers example We get the perfume of roses in olive oil by simply sim-ply stcepinc the petals in it If the refreshing qualities of a good cup of tea are to be enjoyed to their fullest extent ex-tent whatever is eaten therewith should bo light a biscuit a morsel of cake or a portion of dry or buttered toast An egg beaten up with sugar and a little cream and added to a breakfast cup of tea makes in its self a light but nourishing meal that an invalid may sip with pleasure and profit A word about invalids teas They should be made as directed abovebut as soon as the tea has stood for seven minutes min-utes it should be decanted into another hot teapot without the leaves so that the sick person shall imbibe none of thctJnnin An invalid may bo able to partake of a nicely made cup of tea when he can hardly enjoy anything else III many cases of illness tea docs a vast amount of good It possesses a singularly soothing influence not only on the nerves but on the smaller lood vessels hence the benefit of partaking of a nice cup in headaches head-aches either those of a nervous nature or those produced by overwork tiredness wakefulness or worry Those headaches called bilious arc often relieved by tea and a lit of vomiting may be often prevented Tho sufferer should retain the recumbent position and sip the tea slowly For the same reasons cup of tea does much good in some cases of neuralgia and toothache In cases of recent colds and coughs a cup Is also very valuable as well as in all cases of slight fevers and in low stages of fevers generally III cases of wasting weakness tea is a great aid to treatment In rheumatism and gout tea is about the safest drink that can bo imbibed and even assists recovery Tea is a capital digestive and may bo partaken par-taken with advantage In cases of dyspepsia and to assist digestion some two or three hours after food has been taken In inflammation of all kinds tea is used with benefit And here is one concluding hint that is well worth remembering Whenever you have to go on a long journey by rail never forget a bottle of nice cold tea to drink by the way and use a portion of it as soon as you begin to feel tired Tho tea you cot at stations is for many reasons seldom or never up to tho mark but if you make your own at home adding plenty of milk and sugar to It you are independent and you feel so |