Perfect Tea for Hot Weather

It must be over 40 degrees Celsius outside. I stepped out of my air conditioned room for ten minutes and I know I have lost 2 kilos from sweating. You see, I had to make myself a cup of tea.

I had never been a tea drinker nor could I make a decent cup to save my life (although the thought of dying over a cup of foul tasting tea does hurt my sensibilities). My father, mother, sister, neighbour, aunts (maternal and paternal), friends and one stranger or two - they all tried to teach me to make that one perfect cup but all collectively failed. The reason of failure was not my unwillingness to learn but rather my complete cluelessness about what actually is the perfect tea.  

The perfect Pakistani tea is a direct descendant of the English Tea, with some variation in the quantities of tea leaves (patti) and milk, and some embellishments. We still have the afternoon tea, although it is more of an evening tea now. Here are some methods for the perfect cup of Tea:

l. Put 3/4th cup water in a pan and let it simmer. Add one teaspoonful of tea in the water and let it cook. When the solution is just reaching a boil, add around 1/4th cup of milk, reduce heat and let it cook. The quantity of milk can be increased or decreased. The end result should be a gorgeous, slightly thick honey brown coloured Tea. Strain. Enjoy it hot. (This should take you less than five minutes once you've got the hang of it; cooking slow can take this as long as 30 minutes, if you're expecting to serve later)

2. Another way of making the same type of tea is to add tea, milk and water together and let everything cook until the desired colour and consistency is reached.  Strain and enjoy.

3. For added zest, you can add 1 cardamom or a small piece of ginger to the hot water (proceed as mentioned above). Ginger is especially zesty when the weather's cold. Masala chai is another variation, although not as common as Dhoodh Patti (No.1) in Pakistan.

4. Another method I've been taught (the more English way): Boil water. In a tea pot, add one teaspoonful of tea. Add the water and let it sit, covered with a teacosy. Strain and add warm milk when serving. This kind is stronger in flavour. (Infusion of tea should take at least five minutes)

5. Quickest Microwave-Sachet way: Fill a cup 3/4th way with water and microwave for one minute 20 seconds. Add the sachet and darken your tea as desired. Warm or powdered milk and you're good to go. (2 minutes - tops!)

There you have it. I'm sure your family has their own tea methods. The trick is - you gotta like it yourself. Honey, if you think you make the best cup even when you don't like tea yourself, no offense and all love, but think again please. You'll know you've got it right when you can actually tell bad tea from good and good tea from oh-my-God-awesome tea. The connoisseurs and the novices - happy ODing on tea. :)

Have fun!