Page 7 - Preparation of Tea Brochure

D. Hot Tea Preparation and Merchandising
1. Raw Materials
a) The nished tea will be only as good as the quality of the water source and tea used in the preparation. The Tea Association recommends water ltration of the incoming supply and proper cleaning of all equipment. (See above)
b) The Association recommends starting with high quality tea. Ask your current supplier if he is a member of the Tea Association of the U.S.A., Inc. and seek information about all the speci c blends he supplies.
2. Brewing and Service Instructions
Imperative in any discussion of brewing and service is the importance of training. Tea requires “careful” preparation, and the staff should be trained in the “why” the “how,” and a little history of what they are presenting. When an establishment commits itself to a “good cup of tea”, it will mean a bit more work initially, but the results, both to the bottom line and in customer satisfaction, will more than compensate.
1) Fresh cold water should be brought to a roiling boil, but not allowed to boil for a long period of time as it tends to dissipate the air bubbles therefore “ attening” the beverage and adversely affecting the taste.
2) A porcelain or porcelain-like teapot should ideally be used. However, non-breakable materials are available for heavy traf c restaurant service. The teapot should be pre-heated by pouring a small amount of boiling water into the pot and allowing it to sit for a few seconds.
3) A tea bag or bag(s) should be added to the pot according to size (1 bag per cup). Loose tea may be substituted (1 teaspoon per cup).
4) Boiling water should be poured directly over the tea and allowed to brew for 3-5 minutes.
5) Milk (never cream), sweetener, and lemon wedges should be made available.
6) At the appropriate time, the waitperson should offer a fresh cup of hot water and
provide a fresh teabag.
E. Merchandising Hints
• Food service operators may want to promote tea by providing menu listings;
by stocking several types of tea; and by having waitstaff suggest tea to the customer.
• Waitstaff should encourage tea consumption by allowing customers to select their tea from several types available. A tea chest is an excellent vehicle to use for this purpose and adds to the overall tea “experience”.
• Waitstaff should ask customers if everything is to their satisfaction and readily offer fresh hot water with a fresh teabag. At 2-3 cents per serving, the foodservice operator has an excellent low cost/high pro t means of creating a very favorable impression for their operation.
Given the potential pro tability of tea and the growing popularity of this beverage among American consumers, it is in the foodservice operators’ best interest to pay special attention to their service and merchandising methods.
7