I recently listened to an audiobook titled "The Tea Ladies" by Amanda Hampson. This mystery novel takes place in Sydney, Australia in the 1960's. "Tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene become accidental sleuths, stumbling into a world of ruthless crooks and racketeers in search of a young woman believed to be in danger." Liking tea and a good mystery, I thought this would be a fun listen - which it was.   What I didn't expect was to pick up a bit of cultural history. I expected the main characters to either own or work at a tea shop. Come to find out, each of the women worked as “tea ladies” for different businesses! The main character, Hazel, works in a garment factory. She has a tea cart, or trolley, which she rolls around bringing tea, coffee, and biscuits to all the employees, from those in the factory to those in the office. Occasionally she also bakes cakes for special meetings and such. ( Be still my beating heart!)   According to Wikipedia, a tea lady provides drinks in an office, factory, hospital, or other place of work. The practice began as an experiment to boost workplace efficiency and morale during WWII. It was so successful it became commonplace. The Tea Lady was an important part of office culture in the early 20th century in the United Kingdom and Australia.   Unfortunately, the practice died out in the 1970's due to the introduction of vending machines. The role of a tea attendant, beverage maker, or office kitchen worker still exists within Britain's National Health Service. The role has changed, adapting with the time to employee men as well as women, and from what I can tell is mostly used at hospitals and in government.   Author Amanda Hampson sums up the transformation of the tradition, "The tea lady is fondly remembered as more than someone who made tea. She was a beloved figure, a source of comfort. Today, we may not have tea ladies in our offices, but their legacy lives on in the tradition of the tea break."   Your "Tea Lady" Samantha

Did you know tea leaves can be re-steeped? Yes! Many loose leaf teas can be re-steeped. Or in layman's terms re-used . Making a second, or even third, cup from a serving of tea leaves is a way to both gain greater value from your loose leaf tea and explore the nuance of the tea itself. In this instance when I'm discussing re-steeping, I'm talking about western style brewing , not traditional or gong fu style brewing (which is a story for a different day). Western style brewing is what most people are familiar with and think of when preparing tea - a mug and infuser basket or a teapot (see our blog How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea ). In the world of tea, western style brewing is defined as being a higher water to tea leaf ratio with a relatively long infusion time.   Here's a step-by-step guide to re-steeping Use a mug / infuser basket that is appropriately sized for 1 serving of tea. (You're already planning to make subsequent cups!) Start at the lower end of the steeping recommendations. For example, if the package recommends a steeping time of 2-3 minutes and a water temperature of 170-175F, do the first steep for 2 minutes at 170F. After making your first cup, leave the infused/wet tea leaves in the infuser basket, and set them aside for your next use. Do be sure to drain it well or shake out excess water from the basket but there's no need to dry the leaves or put them in the refrigerator. Re-steep the same tea leaves within 24 hours. On the second infusion increase the steep time by 30 seconds to 1 minute. (From the above example I would do the re-steep for 3 minutes at 170F). Note your thoughts on the second infusion to make any necessary adjustments in the future. Continue to increase the steep time for each infusion. You can also increase water temperatures. (From the earlier package example, for the 3rd infusion I'd try 3.5 minutes at 175F).   What teas can be re-steeped? The best candidates for re-steeping are pure Green, White, Yellow, Oolong, and Dark teas. Some black teas can be re-steeped, but due to their already higher level of oxidation the leaves generally don't hold up well to multiple long infusions.   What about tea blends? Can blended teas be re-steeped? Some blended and flavored teas can be re-steeped. If the tea blend gets most of its flavor from inclusion ingredients rather than natural or artificial flavoring, it will hold up better to a second infusion. If the flavor of the blend is heavily reliant on artificial or natural flavoring the second infusion will not give quite as flavorful a cup as the flavor will be coming from the tea leaves and other inclusions. If you're curious how a blended tea will taste when re-steeped give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised even if it's not as flavorful as the first cup.   How many times can I re-use the same tea leaves? As many times as you'd like! Though 2-3 infusions is most common. Re-steeping is about experimenting with water temperatures and steep times, noticing how different leaves respond, and learning what you like. Worst case scenario the brewed cup is not palatable, and you discard it.   What if I want a lot of tea all at once? Can I combine infusions? Yes! You can absolutely combine multiple infusions into a larger vessel like a teapot or travel mug. This is a terrific way to get the most value from your loose leaf.  I would suggest though that before doing this you try the infusions to be sure they are to your liking. Pro Tip : I like to take a large "to go" mug of tea when I leave the house. My favorite mug holds 16-20oz. To fill it I brew 1 serving of tea in a small single serving teapot, pour it into the mug, then re-steep the same leaves adding that infusion to the mug as well. The whole process takes 8-10 minutes depending upon what tea I'm working with.   Happy STEAPing, Samantha

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about preparing loose leaf tea. I break down the 3 key steps in How to brew the perfect cup of tea  - portioning, water, and steep time. It seems that the step people struggle the most with is portioning. This makes sense when you consider that many people are introduced to tea through tea bags, and only later discover and start brewing loose leaf tea. For the most part, the tea industry is in agreement that the ideal ratio for western style tea brewing is 3 grams of loose leaf tea per every 8 ounces of water. This means that knowing the size of the vessel you are brewing in is paramount to getting the water to tea leaf ratio correct. Unless the capacity is clearly printed on the vessel itself it may be necessary to do a little measurement test. Fill your brewing vessel with water and transfer to a larger glass measuring cup. This will give you an idea of how many 8oz servings you are brewing and how many servings of tea leaves you will need. Easy peasy! As for the tea..... Different types of tea have different densities, making it impossible to standardize tea leaf measurements across different types of tea or even among different leaf styles of the same tea type. Three grams of tea can be anywhere from 1 teaspoon - 2 tablespoons depending upon the type of tea and style of leaf. So, short of weighing your tea leaves each time you'd like to make a cup, how do you know how much tea to use? First and foremost, there should be accurate measurements on your package of tea. Unless it is noted to uses a "heaping teaspoon" it should be assumed that the measurement should be a level teaspoon. A "heaping" or "rounded" teaspoon refers to a teaspoon that is not level but is filled above the rim to create a dome or "rounded" top. This is equivalent to approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons and sometimes easier than trying to measure out 1 and a half teaspoons. At S•TEA•P we are as accurate as possible with our suggested measurements. While still allowing for adjustment to personal taste. I'll leave you with a few other tips that may help you in learning to measure and visualize 3 grams. Smaller leaves will be more dense (i.e. heavier). Examples include CTC   and Rooibos. Larger leaves will be less dense (i.e. lighter). Examples include chamomile and some white teas such as Michigan Moonlight . Tea blends with flavoring and inclusions (i.e. lavender, hibiscus, etc.) tend to be heavier than pure leaf teas. Rolled or balled teas will be denser than non-rolled teas like those with wiry or twisted leaves. A way to achieve consistency in measurements is to use the same measuring device each time you make tea. The more tea you make, the better you will become at "eye balling" a serving of tea. Remember, 3 grams/8oz. isn't a hard and fast rule. It's a starting place. Tea should always be prepared to suit one's personal tastes.