Don't you just hate that tea pots always drip or dribble from the spout? No matter how you pour it or how you design the pot there's always a drop or two landing on the table. Pe
rhaps the "NevaDrip" tea pot is an exception put I don't have one of those. Don't you just hate those drops? Well, the Sideq aboriginal tribe in the mountains of Taiwan have the answer. No solution is necessary if there is no problem. They just accept that the tea dribbles and they capitalize on it. Over the past weekend we drank a bathtub or two of Oolong tea with the various church groups we met with and here is how they do it.
A small tea pot, about 250 ml is used and about 2 tablespoons of dried tea leaves are put in, water is poured into the pot till it overflows. You put the lid on which makes even more liquid to dribble down the side. Let it stand for less than a minute and then pour the liquid into four or five tiny tea cups being careful to make sure that most of the tea misses the cups. Then take each of the cups and pour the tea out over the top of the tea pot, with the lid still on the tea pot - be sure that none of this tea gets back into the pot but pours out on the table. This is to warm up the pot and the cups and to swell the oolong leaves.
Now, fill the pot once again, making sure that some tea spills out over the top, replace the lid making sure that some tea squeezes out through the lid and spout. Let this sit for a bit and
maybe pick up the pot to swish it around and spill some tea out. Pour this tea into another similar sized pot through a strainer and refill the first pot. While the next batch is steeping, distribute the finished tea into the individual tea cups and be careful to ensure that two or three drops miss the cups. Raise your cup to each other and enjoy three or four sips of delicious oolong tea until the next batch is ready and distributed and repeat this for about an hour, or until someone suggests that the tea leaves need replacing or the hot water runs out or it's simply time to go to bed, or the bathroom, or church or something. By the way, the water is kept hot in a pot on a hotplate within reach of the person doing all the pouring.
This, of course, is accompanied by endless conversation, snacking, story telling, laughing and singing.
Now this all works because the whole process is carried out on a specially designed tea table that allows the drips and drabbles to collect below the operating area. The common table is a perforated stainless steel grid over a collecting tray with a drain spout at one end. Some others are more elaboate affairs, made out of stone or clay.
rhaps the "NevaDrip" tea pot is an exception put I don't have one of those. Don't you just hate those drops? Well, the Sideq aboriginal tribe in the mountains of Taiwan have the answer. No solution is necessary if there is no problem. They just accept that the tea dribbles and they capitalize on it. Over the past weekend we drank a bathtub or two of Oolong tea with the various church groups we met with and here is how they do it.A small tea pot, about 250 ml is used and about 2 tablespoons of dried tea leaves are put in, water is poured into the pot till it overflows. You put the lid on which makes even more liquid to dribble down the side. Let it stand for less than a minute and then pour the liquid into four or five tiny tea cups being careful to make sure that most of the tea misses the cups. Then take each of the cups and pour the tea out over the top of the tea pot, with the lid still on the tea pot - be sure that none of this tea gets back into the pot but pours out on the table. This is to warm up the pot and the cups and to swell the oolong leaves.
Now, fill the pot once again, making sure that some tea spills out over the top, replace the lid making sure that some tea squeezes out through the lid and spout. Let this sit for a bit and
maybe pick up the pot to swish it around and spill some tea out. Pour this tea into another similar sized pot through a strainer and refill the first pot. While the next batch is steeping, distribute the finished tea into the individual tea cups and be careful to ensure that two or three drops miss the cups. Raise your cup to each other and enjoy three or four sips of delicious oolong tea until the next batch is ready and distributed and repeat this for about an hour, or until someone suggests that the tea leaves need replacing or the hot water runs out or it's simply time to go to bed, or the bathroom, or church or something. By the way, the water is kept hot in a pot on a hotplate within reach of the person doing all the pouring.
This, of course, is accompanied by endless conversation, snacking, story telling, laughing and singing.Now this all works because the whole process is carried out on a specially designed tea table that allows the drips and drabbles to collect below the operating area. The common table is a perforated stainless steel grid over a collecting tray with a drain spout at one end. Some others are more elaboate affairs, made out of stone or clay.
Like I say - no solution is necessary if there is no problem.
Scott
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