Scald the teapot well, put in the tea, and, covering close, set it on
the stove or range one minute to warm; pour on enough boiling water to
cover it well, and let it stand ten minutes to “draw.” Keep the lid of
the pot shut, and set in a warm place, but do not let it boil. Fill up
with as much boiling water as you will need, and send hot to the table,
after pouring into a heated china or silver pot.
The bane of tea in many households is unboiled water. It can never
extract the flavor as it should, although it steep for hours. The
kettle should not only steam, but bubble and puff in a hard boil before
you add water from it to the tea-leaves.
Boiling after the tea is made, injures the flavor either by deadening
or making it rank and “herby.”
The English custom of making tea upon the breakfast or tea-table is
fast gaining ground in America. It is at once the best and prettiest
way of preparing the beverage.